The FCCS online Gallery is an archive of exhibitions by our faculty, staff, students and alumni in the community and on campus in the FINA Gallery. The FINA Gallery, in the foyer of the Creative and Critical Studies Building, hosts exhibitions throughout the year—some by visiting arts, some by faculty members, and many by BFA and MFA students.
UBC Okanagan Gallery, housed within the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, is committed to a research-creation mandate realized through: exhibitions, artist residencies, performances, artist talks, workshops, publications, permanent art collection management, commissions, acquisitions, and community-engaged programs.
The studios in the CCS building are used as classroom as well as working spaces for students taking classes in visual arts, media studies and theatre. Students taking visual arts and media studies courses have 24 hour access to these studios to work on class projects throughout the year. Students have access on-site digital printing through the Spark Lab, borrow equipment through the Gearspace Booking System.
Find out more about digital printing and equipment loans
See below for images and information about each of our studio and lab spaces.
Computer LabLocation: SCI 128
This computer lab is used as a teaching space and works space for students. The computers have Adobe, Final Cut and Microsoft software.
DarkroomLocation: CCS 229
The darkroom is an ideal space for processing black-and-white resin-coated and fibre-based prints, as well as exploring pinhole photography and alternative processes such as cyanotype.
Equipped with nine enlargers and printing stations, the darkroom allows students to create prints from both 35mm and medium-format negatives. Under the warm amber glow of the safelights, students work together in a traditional darkroom environment that encourages experimentation, learning, and collaboration.
More than just a workspace, the darkroom is a social and creative hub where students can share ideas, exchange techniques, and support one another throughout the printmaking process.
Next door in CCS230, students will learn how to develop their own black and white film before making prints from their negatives in the darkroom.
Digital Working LabLocations CCS 141
This digital work space is used as a teaching space and works space for students. The computers in CCS 141 are also available for students to use outside of class time to work on projects, bookable through Gearspace. A magnet wall on the same side as door is available for putting work up. The computers have Adobe, Final Cut and Microsoft software.
Location: CCS 221 and 222
There are two diverse drawing spaces with white exhibition walls and a variety of different drawing furniture and equipment. The studios are often arranged to accommodate live models or still-life objects and structures.
Location: CCS 122
The Media Maker Space supports computational arts, and interactive media courses. This studio is used for teaching courses in the Bachelor of Media Studies the Master of Design program. Outside of class time, students in these programs can drop-in to work on their projects. This flexible media space enables students to access computer workstations with processing power to support virtual environments and gaming systems with 3D interactive content. The space includes full wall projection and surround sound.
Laser cutting is also available nearby. Contact one of the technicians to learn more about laser cutting.
Location: CCS 126
The Metal shop is well equipped with a combination of traditional and CNC machinery. After completing the mandatory safety training (VISA 090), Creative Studies students have access to the metalshop which includes MIG and TIG welder, handheld and CNC plasma cutting, oxy-acetylene torches, a CNC mill, and a wide selection of tools to cut, bend, grind, and form metal. Doubling as a sculpture studio the metalshop is open weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for students to use independently or as a class. Metalshop equipment may only be used with supervision by a Studio Technician or trained Faculty member.
Painting StudiosLocation: CCS 223 and 224
The painting studios are a combined 2400 sqft and come fully equipped with easels, tables, rolling carts and chemical storage. These large spaces with white exhibition walls and upright storage racks are often bustling with diverse student painters who are able custom build their painting supports in the CCS Wood Shop.
Location: CCS 144
The performance studio is the home studio for theatre courses, and is a large open space with a sprung dance floor and is equipped with a digital projector and sound system.
Location: ADM 026
The University Theatre is a 200 seat theatre complete with state of the art digital lighting and sound equipment. This theatre space is used for theater classes as well as public performances throughout the year.
Students registered in Theatre courses have access to the CCS 144 and the ADM 026 theatre outside of scheduled class times for class projects, and are only bookable with permission of the course instructors.
Printmaking StudioLocation: CCS 127
The printmaking studio is very versatile. We teach a variety of print media – everything from etching to stone lithography, relief printing (linocut, woodcut, letter press and monotype printing) and a unique form of highly detailed screen printing. We stress traditional printmaking methods but we also work with the most up-to-date photographic applications as well. Because of the specific equipment needs of most printmaking media the 24–hour, seven days a week access makes the printmaking studio a vibrant and active place to work.
Locations: CCS 151
This multi-use room is available to students and faculty to use for video work, photography shoots, talks, project meetings, demonstrations, projections, and trying out creative works to see how they are developing. It is equipped with a 4k projector, a high-quality sound system creating an immersive space for both exhibition and practice video installations. A magnet wall right outside the door is available for putting work up. Tables and chairs are moveable, the room can easily be cleared to create a blank, empty space when needed. A Unistrut ceiling system facilitates easy hanging of lightweight sculptures and equipment such as projectors and lighting, making the room an ideal place for testing installations before displaying them in a larger gallery space. Dimmable lighting and blackout blinds give users full control of lighting. Technicians support the room, and we recommend that students ask the technician about hanging capabilities. CCS 151 can be reserved (Gearspace) if you are a student in an FCCS class where the use of this studio is needed for a class project.
Location: back of CCS 122
This room is a self-serve space for scanning materials for printmaking classes, drawing classes or photography work.
There are 2 flatbed scanners, and one negative film scanner operated by MAC. Film scanning equipment can be booked out through the Q-Reserve Gearspace system.
Location: CCS 123
This 1300 sqft studio houses several tables, benches and shelving for an ample amount of workspace and storage and also houses our CNC laser cutter/engraver. This studio is used by students in 3-Dimensional Art Practices, Sculpture I and II and Advanced Sculpture, where 3-D sculptures are created using a variety of materials such as plaster, wood, metal, paper or found objects.
In addition to the CNC laser cutter/engraver, Creative Studies student can also book time on our 3D printer and 3D scanner or borrow equipment such as sewing machines, heat guns, or a large selection of hand tools.
4th year studiosThe 4th year studios are located on the 2nd floor of the CCS building and are divided into individual studio spaces where BFA Visual Arts students in their final year of study have a dedicated space to work on self-directed projects.
Location: CCS 124
The Wood Shop is fully equipped with all of your standard woodworking tools and machinery. After completing the mandatory safety training (VISA 090), Creative Studies students have access to a variety of equipment – from traditional tools such as hand planes and carving gouges to larger equipment such as table saws, mitre saws, band saws, sanders, a thickness planer and CNC router. The shop is open weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and there is a two-person rule in effect at all times. With plenty of work benches and space, our shop is often full of energetic art-makers building anything from canvas stretchers to installation sculptures.
Location: IP1
MFA studios, are housed in the UBC Innovation Precinct 1. The space includes studio space, communal desk space, conference rooms, lounge, kitchenette and showers. Each MFA VISA and IS student shares a 25m2 space with another student, MFA CRWR students have shared desk space in the communal area shared with the School of Engineering graduate students.
Shared studio space for VISA and IS students
Shared desk space for CRWR students
IP1 is a 5-minute drive, 16-minute walk, or 10-minute ride from campus on the #23 bus. Please see this map.
IP1 Building, 1540 Innovation Drive
As a student taking courses in visual arts, media studies or theatre, you will have the opportunity to work in many different studios within the Creative and Critical Studies building (CCS) with many different mediums. In order to use CCS studio spaces, you must comply with all UBC Policies regarding safe operations. Students will need to acquire the required knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with the spaces by completing the following training courses or modules:
The University Theatre (ADM 026) is a 200-seat theatre complete with state-of-the-art digital lighting and sound equipment. This theatre space is used for theater classes as well as public performances, film screenings, artist talks and presentations throughout the year. This space can be booked for public events, but is used as a classroom during the academic year and the possibility of other bookings is very limited.
User Fee: Individuals or groups outside of FCCS must pay a $150 user fee to book the space.
Damage Deposit: Registered Student Groups must, prior to use of the theatre, have an assigned “Theatre Marshal” to sign a Damage Deposit Undertaking agreeing that a damage deposit of $400 may be withdrawn from the group’s club or course union account in the event that damage is incurred.
Funding and Financial Arrangements: For ticketed events held in the Theatre, organizations will remit to FCCS $2.00 for each ticket sold.
Please follow these steps to request the booking:
We have two Canadian Foundation for Innovation funded research Centres in the Faculty along with two research Labs with opportunities for students to work with faculty and fellow students on a variety of research projects.
The AMP Lab houses projects that engage in the work of the humanities–adding value to cultural artifacts through interpretation and analysis–in a digital context. Broadly, all AMP Lab projects investigate code as a sustainable medium for representing cultural history. The stakes are high, as the development of sustainable, robust humanist data shapes what both scholars and the general public can know about digitized cultural history. Dr. Karis Shearer is the AMP Lab director and Principal’s Research Chair in Digital Arts and Humanities.
Visit: amplab.ok.ubc.ca
The Centre for Culture and Technology (CCT) was established in 2011 by FCCS professors Aleksandra Dulic and Stephen Foster to promote research that brings together art and science to develop a critical awareness of the dynamic relationship between culture and technology. As a laboratory engaged in innovative research, the CCT aims to develop content, artwork and services, support innovation processes, expand new knowledge transmission strategies for cultural expression, and communicate cultural knowledge to audiences across a range of age groups and cultures.
Visit: cct.ok.ubc.ca
The Critical Future Studio/Lab (CFS/L) is a CFI funded space, led by Dr. Megan Smith, is a creative studio that enables the production of innovative environmental experiences within digitally augmented spaces. The space will house future-orientated research on the themes of culture, the environment, public safety & security, and health. The CFS/L will be equipped with a combination of Maker tools, experimental technologies and cutting-edge devices in the field of augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) development.
The CFS/L is located in the new Innovation Annex Building.
The FEELed Lab is a feminist environmental humanities field research lab with the goal of creating a hub for researchers, students and community members who share common interests in environment and sustainability issues, specifically from feminist, queer, anti-colonial and disability justice perspectives.
Dr. Astrida Neimanis is the FEELed Lab Director & Canada Research Chair in Feminist Environmental Humanities here at UBC Okanagan.
Visit: thefeeledlab.ca
The (Re)Media Lab is a CFI funded space, led by Dr. Emily Murphy. In this physical space, Murphy will continue her research that marries the study of cultural history and embodied methods in media.
The (Re)Media Lab is located in the new Innovation Annex Building.
Site/ation studio is a CFI funded research-creation space, led by Tania Willard, that uses collaborative creative practice as a methodology to acknowledge advocate and advance Indigenous land-based knowledges through creative making. Projects will include a focus on Interior Salish basketry, the Indigenous art Intensive and projection based work among other research activities. The ‘Site/ation Studio’ describes the ways that land, as a basis for Indigenous knowledge, can be a site of knowledge production and knowledge transfer equal to the value of academic text-based citations.
The Site/ation studio is located in Portable A (near University House) along with Indigenous outdoor education space.
The Sonic Production, Intelligence, Research, and Applications Lab (SPIRAL) is a CFI funded space, led by Dr. Miles Thorogood, that explores simulating the creative process in sound design to develop state of the art models and algorithms for developing new computational tools used in workflows in the video game, animation and virtual reality industries – increasing productivity of current pipelines and attracting companies and workers to further the economic growth coming from these industries.
Dr. Miles Thorogood will focus on the development of the next generation of A.I. computer-assisted tools for sound design production in the growing field of video games and virtual reality.
SPIRAL is located in the new Innovation Annex Building.
The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is located in the Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park –29.8 hectares that the Regional District of Central Okanagan has designated for conservation of wild animals and their habitat. It is part of a vital wildlife corridor along Bellevue Creek which flows down from Myra Bellevue Provincial Park.
Through an agreement with the Regional District, FCCS manages a large heritage home with three self-contained apartments, providing opportunities for graduate students from FCCS to live during the academic year, and a place for visiting artists and scholars to stay during the summer months. There is a small Studio Cabin on the property that is an ideal place to hold seminars, small retreats, art projects, events, and meetings.
The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is located at 969 Raymer Road, and is in a vital wildland corridor along Bellevue Creek which flows down from Myra Bellevue Provincial Park.
Visit: blogs.ubc.ca/woodhavencentre