Cutting-Edge Facilities
The School of Art comprises over 50,000 square feet of facilities for both traditional art-making and new media. Facilities and studios that you will be able to use as a student include: drawing and painting studios, a physical computing classroom, a woodshop, digital fabrication facilities, a photography silver-based darkroom, and a green screen studio, to list just a few. Learn more about our 2D and 3D facilities.
The School’s Media Equipment Center provides a wide range of electronic equipment, including digital and video cameras, audio recording and playback devices, computers and accessories, projectors, and more available for you to check out. Hunt Library also has technology lending available.
College of Fine Arts
Student Studios
In the School of Art, all juniors and seniors are provided with shared or individual studio spaces that you can access 24/7. First-year students share space in the Foundations Studio, where you can work collaboratively. Students taking courses in the IDeATe network have access to an additional digital fabrication shop, physical computing lab, motion capture system, interactive media black box, and XR resources. Students in some advanced animation courses may also have access to the vast resources of the School of Computer Science.
Independent studios with 24-hour access for students
Exhibition Spaces
The Frame Gallery
Located in a storefront along busy Forbes Avenue, The Frame Gallery is an entirely student-run gallery space offering an opportunity to showcase your work and get hands-on experience to create, exhibit, and curate. This gallery offers opportunities to connect with the broader campus and Pittsburgh communities, along with a space to experiment and collaborate with other students and artists.
The Ellis Gallery
Located in the College of Fine Arts, the Ellis Gallery is a flexible space for you to curate your own show, create a full-room installation, or organize a performance event.
The Frame Gallery
Living in Pittsburgh
With 90 distinct neighborhoods, you will have a lot to explore outside of the classroom during your time at CMU. The city’s steel mills are now long gone; today Pittsburgh is recognized for its stunning nature, eclectic eateries, and vibrant cultural spaces.
Study Abroad
As a junior, you will have the option to study abroad during the fall or spring semester, and CMU provides options around the globe. Some students also opt for summer study abroad or course-based trips during winter or spring break. Past art students have studied in Paris, France; Auckland, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Ghana to name only a few.
Internships and Career & Professional Development
Along with a suite of Professional Development courses to help you navigate the business of being an artist or forge a path in creative fields, the School of Art works closely with the College of Fine Arts-specific career consultant in the Career & Professional Development Center. The Career Center can assist you in finding and getting internships and hosts career fairs, programming, and workshops to assist you post-graduation.
Art students have interned at places such as: the Art Institute of Chicago, Google, the School for Poetic Computation, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Amazon, The New York Times, and Pixar.
Student Organizations
CMU has over 300 student organizations including arts, multicultural, professional development, gender/LGBTQIA+, spiritual, political, and Greek groups.
Project Funding & Grants
As a student, you will have access to many opportunities to fund ambitious art projects and creative research, as well as to receive funding from Pittsburgh organizations including residencies at the Children’s Museum and Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh grants.