3D Building Takes Shape

By Devan Cooley

After spending the last 25 plus years in an old warehouse, the 3D Art Department of the University of Montevallo is constructing a new building. The 3D students and faculty are known for their work with ceramics, wood, and metal art.

The need for a new building was brought on by a number of factors, according to 3D professor Dr. Scott Meyer, "It was a warehouse basically, so when it gets to ceramics for instance, it’s impossible to keep it clean. You know in part because we can’t squeegee down into a sunken drain and a lot of architectural decisions that would be made in a new building, we just moved into this warehouse structure.”

Construction site of the new building.

The new building is expected to cost around $1.5 million, and is hoped to be completed late this year. The building will be designed with the many requirements of art in mind. Working with materials like ceramics and wood creates a large amount of dust, so drains and air intakes will be built into the new structure.

The building will house several classrooms, studios, and workshops, as well as a lobby area that will show off current artwork. In addition to being a great draw to prospective students, the new building will contain two studios for traveling artists to use. These traveling artists will help teach current students and work alongside them to create more works of art.

Dr. Meyer is responsible for creating the University's famous Anagama kiln, and said that he and the other faculty have had great say in the design of the new building. "We worked with each other a lot, and we also worked alone a lot. We were encouraged to dream. That comes  from Dr. Stewart, you know, what your fondest thoughts would be of a facility. And you can always get your eraser out if you find out you’re over budget.”