The Visual Resource Center (VRC) of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design, Georgia State University, is located in room 520 of the Art and Humanities building. Operating hours are Monday through Friday 8:30-5:00 (adjustments of these hours are posted as necessary). The curator is Ann England. She can be reached by phone at 404-413-5233, or by e-mail at [email protected].

The VRC houses the School’s DVD/video collections, the school’s digital databases, library, and audio visual equipment.  The VRC is a curatorial facility designed to assist students, faculty, staff and the community in so far as is possible and practical.  The staff does not do research for patrons.  The collections of the VRC contains works from the prehistoric period to the present.  Images are added to the collection on an ongoing basis and are chosen to supplement classes offered within the School of Art & Design.  All courses are represented within the collection.

SKOWHEGAN LECTURE ARCHIVE

Founded in 1946, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is one of the most important art schools in the United States. A program run by artists for artists, Skowhegan brings participants and faculty together for an intensive nine-week summer residency program located on 330 acres of farmland in Central Maine.

In 1952 Skowhegan began an on-campus lecture series that continues to this day. Speakers include resident and visiting faculty as well as distinguished guests. The lectures collectively represent the depth and breadth of post-war American art, including talks on contemporary art and ideas by visual artists, poets, architects, philosophers, journalists, curators, historians, composers, and choreographers.

These recorded lectures have been compiled as an audio collection consisting of more than 500 talks on more than 700 compact discs. The audio archive is a unique resource: unlike many artists talks, the lectures were originally intended for art students and fellow artists. Speakers often address broader issues that affect artists and offer both philosophical and practical advice.

The Skowhegan Lecture Archive was purchased by the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design in 2010. CD recordings of the lectures, along with electronic copies of their transcripts, have been individually sleeved and boxed in appropriate archival housing. As the Skowhegan lecture series now comprises ten or more lectures annually, the Visual Resource Center receives periodic (yearly) additions to the collection.

BOOKS/VIDEOS/DVDS:

The VRC houses the department’s collection of books and DVDs.  Faculty, staff and students may check out items for one week.

AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT CHECK OUT:

The VRC maintains a collection of audio visual, digital and computer equipment that can be checked out by faculty and staff of the School of Art and Design for class use. The school’s audio visual, digital and computer equipment may not be checked by students- faculty will make arrangements for equipment for all class presentations. Equipment is not to be removed from campus.

FACULTY COURSE RESERVES:

Faculty may have course readings or information for students on reserve in the VRC.  Please see a staff person for access to these materials.

ARTstor:

ARTstor is a digital library of art images, information, and software tools for research and teaching.  It can be used for research, making image study groups, and for class presentations.  It is accessable to faculty and students both on and off campus (after registration on a Georgia State University campus computer) by either going to ARTstor or by going through the Georgia State University library’s Electronic Databases page (A-Z Databases.  Once connected to the main ARTstor page, click the “Go” button in the upper right to get started. The “Using ARTstor” link is especially useful. The “One Page Quick Start Guide” is an excellent overall synopsis of the program. Click on “Resources for End Users” and online help, instructional handouts, etc. are available. Choosing the “Student Quick Guide” gives a tutorial on how to access images and save images for study folders, presentations, etc. The “Student Quick Guide” link also tells how to access ARTstor from your home/personal computer and how to get help with problems that might arise. The VRC staff are available to assist patrons in the use of ARTstor.

SCANNING/IMAGE DATABASES:

The VRC staff will scan images and work on databases for Art & Design faculty.  The VRC staff does not scan images for students, although they are available to assist patrons in the use of scanners and related needs.

COMPUTER WORKSTATIONS:

The Visual Resource Center has computer work stations for student use and separate computer work stations for VRC staff.  These workstations are equipped with PC or MAC computers and flatbed scanners for students to use in preparation for class presentations and projects and include Adobe software and other programs to assist students in various aspects of their research.