PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has moved and expanded its Mac computer lab to the Koussevitzky Arts Center, providing studio arts students with digital capability. 

 

Equipment includes seventeen 21.5-inch Apple iMac computers and a large-format Epson P800 printer. Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) monies were used to support the initiative.

 

Students taking two-dimensional design courses can now use the Macs, along with a scanner and photo printer, to scan an image sketched by hand into Photoshop and continue making digital changes, a method commonly used by illustrators to create their work. 

 

In addition, using the process of scanning and printing connects digital photography courses with all 2-D studio art courses. There will also be a music class taught in the new space that integrates Pro Tools software (run on Macs), allowing students the ability to record, edit and produce music. 

 

The new space allows for integration of digital technology into BCC's Visual Arts program, which is consistent with trends at four-year colleges and universities, according to Laurie Gordy, Dean of Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences Division. 

 

"The equipment and technology used in the new Mac lab will help our students be prepared with the professional skills in demand in these fields," she said. "The renovations support the larger Academic Affairs goal to provide hands-on, learner-centered experiences that promote student success at BCC and beyond."

 

According to Andrea Wadsworth, Vice President of Administration & Finance/CFO, the lab was designed to include an optimal teaching wall with a projector and two walls that are coated with a finish that allows for art to be hung without interruption.

 

Lisa Griffith, Professor of Fine Arts and Visual Arts Program Advisor, said, "Room K116 has been turned into a beautiful Mac classroom, and we in the art program are looking forward to using it as part of our visual arts degree."