Artistic Hubs on Campus
by Sara Kowalski, Class of 2017, Humanities Fellow
Whether it’s tunnel murals or student work on display, you can find visual art wherever you look at Rochester. But there are four points of interest which are truly artistic epicenters on campus.
1. Sage Art Center
The first is Sage Art Center, the glass-walled workshop between the wide green groundhog hill and Jackson Court. The front entrance to Sage always opens up onto a temporary student art exhibit. And beyond this is a series of workshops and work spaces for students and faculty alike.
Anyone walking into Sage immediately realizes Rochester has secretly developed the space-bending technology of the Tardis, because it is bigger on the inside than the outside. In addition to the exhibition spaces previously mentioned, Sage houses senior studios, faculty offices, faculty studios, a dark room, a welding shop, a digital arts lab, a photography studio, a woodshop, a giant printer, print-making facilities, sculpting facilities, tall easels, wide work tables, sinks, shelves, and supplies galore. Oddly inspirational objects are scattered about and tucked in corners – a taped-over mirror, a vintage vending machine, a cart of bowling balls. Everything fits together like the pieces of a puzzle, together revealing the creative wonder of Sage.
2. Hartnett Gallery
Other artistic hubs on campus include the Hartnett Gallery in Wilson Commons, which is a real art gallery which is student-run and student-curated with art from real-world artists. On the second floor of Wilson commons, take the left hall all the way to the end.
3. Art and Music Library
Next we have the Art and Music Library which can be found on the tunnel level of Rush Rhees. This casual spot is a favorite for students of the humanities to study, chat, watch films on reserve, or work on a communal puzzle between classes. There are fantastic art books on the shelves, and then there is art itself on seemingly every surface. Not to mention the student artwork on display in the tunnel outside and in the exhibition space you must walk through to enter the library.
4. Rettner Hall
Last, but certainly not least, is a relatively new spot on campus—Rettner Hall. On the first floor of Rettner is a space called the “Fabrication Studio,” which is open to all students. This is where you can find the university’s 3D printer along with a bunch of other high-tech machines just waiting for students’ creativity to bring them to life. This is also where student groups such as the Creative Arts Club and UR Makers hold their meetings.
Now you know about some of the arts centers around Rochester’s campus. Which one will you explore first?