M.F.A. candidates at Syracuse University have 24-hour, year-round access to generous private studios. B.F.A. students also have 24-hour access to individual studio spaces. All students have access to 70,000 square feet of shared work, critique and exhibition space.
Comstock Art Facility (ComArt)
Comstock Art Facility, also known as ComArt, is the home of facilities that support arts education, ceramics, jewelry and metalsmithing, printmaking/print media and graphic art, and sculpture. All students have access to a wood shop, metal shops and digital fabrication studios. ComArt also houses the Sarah A. Coyne Gallery as well as two large rooms used for installations, critiques and exhibitions.
Studio spaces at ComArt include private, semi-private and shared space studios for graduate students working with ceramics, jewelry and metalsmithing, printmaking, and sculpture.
Ceramic Facilities
The 12,500-square-foot ceramics facility is housed in ComArt. Our extensive ceramics facilities were recently renovated and upgraded.
- Materials Room (Forklift, Loading Dock Accessible)
- Critique Gallery
- Claymaking Room (Soldner, 500-Pound Dough Mixer, Two Bluebird Mixers, Three Bailey Pugmills)
- Mold/Plaster Room
- Dry Glaze Lab (HVAC System)
- Wet Glaze Lab (Walk-In Spray Booth)
- Resource Room (Computers, Monitors, Periodicals Etc.)
- Throwing Studio/Classroom (20 Wheels)
- Sculpture Studio/Classroom (Two Slabrollers, Extruder)
- Full-Color Decal Printer
- Covington Diamond Bit Grinder
- Geil Gas Kiln (50 Cubic Feet)
- Blaauw Gas Kiln (50 Cubic Feet)
- Bailey Gas Kiln (100 Cubic Feet)
- Six Electric Kilns
- Two Glass Kilns
- Anagama Kiln
- Train Kiln
- Salt Kiln
- Soda Kiln
- Three Raku Kilns
- Gas Kiln (25 Cubic Feet)
Jewelry and Metalsmithing Facilities
Our facilities include a well-equipped main studio with individual work stations, small machine and plating/anodizing rooms, plus casting, soldering and finishing equipment. Graduate students have private or semi-private studios.
- Electroforming Bath (14 Gallon)
- Horizontal and Vertical Digital Enameling Kilns
- Hydroflux Welder
- Nitric Bath
- PUK Welder
- Wax Injector
- Two Ultra Sonic Cleaners
- 2.5-Gallon Drum Rotating Tumbler
- Four Buffing Wheel Stations
- Steam Cleaner
- Vibrating Tumbler
- 100+ Stakes
- 20-Ton Hydraulic Press
- 20+ Vices and Anvils
- Repoussé Station
- One Grinding Wheel Station
- Two Sanding Belt Stations
- Air Compressor
- Lapidary Station
- Vertical Lathe
- Sandblaster
- 17 Work Benches
- Six Acetylene Soldering Stations
- Eight Foredom Flexshafts
- Centrifuge
- Digital Casting Kiln
- Durston Rolling Mills
- Microscope
- Natural Gas Annealing Station
- Neutec Casting Machine
- Vacuum Table
Print Media and Graphic Art Facilities
Our fully ventilated, 6,400-square-foot facility includes studio spaces for undergraduate and graduate students.
- Takach Press (40 by 72 Inches)
- Charles Brand Press (36 by 56 Inches)
- Hughes and Kimber Press (22 by 36 Inches)
- Separate Ventilated Acid-Bath and Solvent Clean-Up Room
- Two Charles Brand Presses (30 by 50 Inches and 24 by 40 Inches), with Plate Bases
- Wepplo Press (29 by 38 Inches), Exclusively for Plate Litho
- Assorted-Sized Stones Stored on Press High Carts and in Custom Stone Storage Racks
- Complete Waterbase Photo Silkscreen Facility and Darkroom
- Nu-Arc Vacuum Exposure Table (42 by 60 Inches)
- Rhyno Stainless Steel, Back-Lit Washout Sink
- Rhino Polypropolene, Back-Lit Washout Sink
- Eight Non-Vacuum Printing Stations
- Five AWT, Micro-Registration Vacuum Tables (30 by 40 Inches)
- Two ATMA, Micro-Registration Vacuum Tables (27 by 27 Inches)
- AWT Seriglide, One-Arm Printing Press (42 by 64 Inches)
- CamSpray Pressure Washer
- Custom Screen Emulsion Drying System
- Vandercook Number Three Proofing Press
- Table-Top and Floor Platen Presses
- Large Assortment of Metal Type with Many Original Goudy Fonts
- Vandercook SP-15 Proofing Press and Challenge Paper Cutter
- Three Proof Presses (15 by 30 Inches)
- Challenge Proof Press (15 by 30 Inches)
- Showcard Poster Press (24 by 27 Inches)
- Selection of Wood and Metal Showcard Type
- 1.5-Pound Voith Hollander Beater
- Two One-Gallon Commercial Blenders
- Pattern Pistol
- Portable Hilger Vacuum Table/Moulding (4 by 4 Feet)
- Hydraulic Paper Press (36 by 27 Inches)
- Five 12-By-15-Inch Book Presses
- Variety of Student and Professional Moulds
- Two iMAC Computers
- EPSON Scanner
- HP5200 Laser Printer (13 by 19 Inches)
- EPSON T3270 Ink Jet Printer (24 Inches)
- AccuRIP Ruby Software
- Adobe Creative Cloud
Sculpture and Digital Fabrication Facilities
The outstanding sculpture facilities are comprised of workshop areas for traditional and contemporary applications, including those for metal casting, fabrication, plasma cutting and welding; wood and stone carving; plaster; resins; plastics; digital fabrication and 3D printing; and a state-of-the-art wood shop. We also offer ample workspaces for assembly, project spaces dedicated to installation and performance, gallery spaces for student exhibitions, outdoor casting and large-scale fabrication capabilities, and private and semi-private studio spaces for graduate students.
- SawStop Industrial Cabinet Saw
- Sliding Compound Miter Saw
- 12-Inch Powermatic Jointer
- 15-Inch Powermatic Thickness Planer
- Wood Lathe
- 20-Inch and 14-Inch Band Saws
- Drill Presses
- Table and Handheld Routers
- Belt and Disc Sanders
- Oscillating Spindle Sander
- Scroll Saw
- Panel Saw
- Pneumatic Drum Sander
- Six Millermatic 212 MIG Welders
- Miller Synchrowave 250 DX TIG and Arc Welder
- Hypertherm Powermax 85 Plasma Cutter
- Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting
- FMB Horizontal Band Saw
- Vertical Band Saw
- Pedestal Ring Roller
- Combination Belt and Disc Sander
- 96-Inch Drop Shear
- 72-Inch Sheet Metal Finger Brake and Magnetic Brake
- Drill Press
- Ironworker Hydraulic Punch, Brake and Shear
- Plate and Knife Forges
- Multiple Coke-Fired Furnaces
- Gas Furnaces
- Indoor and Outdoor Pouring Pits
- Gas-Fired Burnout Kiln
- Dedicated Forklift
- Gantry and Chain Hoists
- Dedicated Spaces for Plaster, Wax and Ceramic Shell Work
- Multiple Lulzbot TAZ Single and Dual Extruder 3D Printers
- Multiple Formlabs Resin Tank 3D Printers
- 3D Scanner
- Oculus Medium VR Sculpting
- 96-By-48-Inch Gantry CNC Router
Shaffer Art Building
Shaffer Art Building houses the School of Art’s studios for illustration and painting. It is also home to the Department of Film and Media Arts, jazz studies in the Setnor School of Music, and the Syracuse University Art Museum. The building contains a 60-seat lecture hall and the 300-seat Shemin Auditorium.
Shaffer houses private studio spaces for students working in painting. M.F.A. candidates have excellent facilities in which to pursue independent work and research. Each student has a studio space and is encouraged to be self-motivated. Studios are well lit and have special skylights receiving north light. Exhibition spaces in Shaffer include the Michael Sickler Gallery and the Wall.
The illustration program is on the third floor of Shaffer Art Building.
There are two large, well-lit classrooms that can be flexibly arranged for figure drawing and other studio setups using traditional and digital media. The computer lab is equipped with Cintiq workstations. There are a large format color inkjet and small format B+W printer on the floor, accessible at all hours.
The Riso Lab has a single-pass, two-color Risograph printer and a full-color 42-inch-wide plotter printer for banner-sized work. The Riso Lab is stocked with eight different color drums, a choice of paper types and several workstations. It is staffed to help students set up their files and print. All illustration students have designated newly furnished studio workspaces available to them. The display cases, chalk wall and monitor are updated regularly to share new work.
The painting area occupies the fourth floor of Shaffer Art Building.
Two spacious studios with beautiful north light are accessible at all hours and can be used by students outside of scheduled class times. The studios are equipped with easels, tables, pin-up walls and the basic equipment for various painting projects. These studios are in close proximity to graduate painting studios as well as the sophomore, junior and senior studios, providing wonderful opportunities for informal learning and sharing.
In the fourth-floor hall are well-maintained pin-up walls, offering an open space for class exhibitions and critiques. Numerous lockers are available for student supply storage. There is also a large area dedicated to storing student work-in-progress as well as large scale work.