Work Commons Renovation
On Monday, April 30, 2018, the Stamps School of Art & Design began a major renovation project to transform Work Commons — the school’s open, collaborative studio space.
Leveraging the soaring ceilings of the current space (located on the site of the former Slusser Gallery), the renovation adds a second floor to Work Commons, creating an additional 5,901 square feet to the Stamps School footprint.
Once the Work Commons renovation is complete, the two-level space will house five instructional studio spaces, two seminar rooms, and two large spaces for learning and making: a tidy space on the second floor called “Digital Work Commons,” where students can work on their laptops and have access to various printing technologies and an open format space on the first floor called “Work Commons,” where students can undertake large-scale collaborations.
“Until now, we’ve felt hamstrung,” said Studio Coordinator Matthew Prichard. “There are so many different and new technologies out there, but we’ve just had no place to house them.”
Stamps Student Manda Villarreal (BFA ‘20) is also excited about the project, the second floor digital work commons in particular. “As a graphic designer, I’m excited to see what the new digital collab space will look like in the new renovations and ultimately, having and extra square footage will help us students have more space to work with.”
The Work Commons renovation project is made possible by the generosity of Stamps School donors and the Provost Office. Together, these individuals saw our need for increased space for learning and teaching in the school and swiftly contributed to address that need. The project is anticipated to conclude by December 2018.