By SILAS MIRANDA
Student Reporter
Amarillo College recently relocated its fine art classes to remodeled facilities in the basement of the College Union Building.
During fall 2021, the fine arts faculty made the move from Russell Hall. All three of the AC fine arts professors had to move their things halfway across campus and set up what Steve Cost, a drawing and painting professor, referred to as “30 years of accumulated materials.”
AC officials worked closely with the faculty to fabricate an environment suited to their specific needs. “It was a challenge for the architects to replicate the space to fit the parameters they had to work with,” Dennis Olson, the ceramics professor, said. “They went through a lot of trouble to dig out the outdoor area for the kilns and the sculpture yard,” he added.
Cost said one of his favorite parts of the new location is his office. “I love my office. Each of our offices are in combination with a studio space so we artists can work in our office slash studios with ease.”
As anyone who has ever moved knows, there are always struggles and issues getting used to a new location. Cost and Olson noted that they have had problems with internet service and cellphone reception, misplaced teaching materials and getting everything moved.
“I’m still missing two kilns, which haven’t been brought over from Russell Hall, which are an important part of the ceramics program,” Olson said, adding that the kilns are heavy, fragile and difficult to move.
Even with the issues that come with moving to a new location, students and staff say the CUB basement is slowly growing on them.
“Class down here pretty much has all the reference material and stuff we need to do what we do. It gets the job done,” Charlie Black, a graphic design major, said.
Cost pointed out that being just underneath the AC Bookstore allows access to needed supplies.
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