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Newly Transformed ATC Spaces Welcome Students to Hands-On Creative Learning

collage of photos from the woodshop, the metalshop and a studio space.

Building updates offer endless avenues for students and faculty in creative and technical fields.

From screen printing and welding, to woodwork and 3D printing, students can experience the joy of imagining and making.

By Javier Giribet-Vargas

This fall, students are learning and creating in 11 studios and five hands-on classrooms, which opened for the first time this semester. The new classrooms, studios, and labs complement the various disciplines taught at the Bass School, such as visual and performing arts, animation, and game development.

The Bass School faculty members who teach woodwork, metalwork, sculpture, and printmaking are rolling out the new spaces at the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building (ATC). 

During the summer, the Bass School’s Operations, Productions, and Technology team and the UT Dallas Facilities Management transformed the building and continue to adapt more new spaces. Until last spring, the Research and Operations West building hosted several of the courses that are now taught in the new classrooms.

“These upgrades encourage students to see their school in a new light,” said Dr. Nils Roemer, dean of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at UT Dallas. “The new spaces and the art being created within them are highly visible. Students returning this fall will discover a world of new possibilities at the Bass School. With these additions, the Bass School strengthens its position as the crossroads of art, humanities and technology. 

Sculpture students are taking classes in ATC 1.801 A for the first time. The sculpture classroom—housed in the northwest corner of the ATC Building’s first floor—has an adjacent metal shop for welding, metalwork, and a spray paint booth. It also has a newly installed storage area and a washing area.

UT Dallas Facilities Management working on the new metalshop at ATC 1.801.
UT Dallas Facilities Management working on the new metalshop at ATC 1.801.

Graduate students in visual arts can apply for one of the studio spaces opening at ATC this fall. The renovation of ATC 1.406 adapted 11 working spaces, a washing area, and a graduate lounge area. A section of the current graduate lounge will become a display space for those working in the studios.

One of the 11 studio spaces in ATC 1.406,
One of the 11 studio spaces in ATC 1.406,

Students learning woodworking skills have a new home at ATC. The woodshop, located in the building’s northeast corner at ATC 1.914, offers students access to modern equipment and spacious workstations.

The woodshop at ATC 1.914.
The woodshop at ATC 1.914.

Also on the first floor, in ATC 1.101, students in the 3D Print Lab (ANGM 3330) course can access 20 new Creality K1 3D printers. In this course, students learn to design 3D assets using software and transform their digital creations into physical models using these printers.

Associate Professor of Instruction Peter McCord leads a 3D printing class at the new lab this fall.
Associate Professor of Instruction Peter McCord leads a 3D printing class at the new lab this fall.

On the fourth floor, students from various majors can take classes in the newly upgraded design classroom, ATC 4.906. This space offers access to silk screen printing equipment, including two etching machines and a darkroom with a light-controlled environment for safely handling photosensitive emulsion and preventing UV exposure.

The dark room while under construction of the newly upgraded design classroom, ATC 4.906.
The dark room while under construction of the newly upgraded design classroom, ATC 4.906.


Javier Giribet-Vargas

Communications Manager

Javier is a communications staffer who keeps the campus well-informed about the outstanding work the Bass School community produces. When he’s not at UT Dallas, Javier loves playing PS5 and indulging in his love for graphic novels.