The Imaging Center

The Imaging Center is located on the third floor of Hillyer Hall. It offers technology-based services that combine traditional practices like printmaking, gallery exhibitions, or picture libraries with innovations like 3D printing, virtual environments, and online image databases.

Our staff offer one-on-one consultations with faculty and students, in-class workshops, studio technical support, online trainings and guides, and other instructional services. Our facility support includes two electronic classrooms, two galleries, a gaming lab, and digital print room.

With a focus on creating educational experiences for our artists and art historians in training, the Imaging Center also provides outreach services, sharing expertise with partners in Special Collections, the Poetry Center, the SCMA, landscape studies, geology, and more.

Imaging Center Projects

A student in Professor Yanlong Guo’s course introducing her virtual gallery

Virtual exhibition space in collaboration with art department course ARH 280: Painting with Ink and Brush.

360-degree photography in collaboration with the Smith College Museum of Art.

3D scanning dinosaur footprints in collaboration with the the Smith College Spatial Analysis Lab.

High-resolution copy stand photography in collaboration with Smith College Special Collections, Asian studies, and geology.

3D scanning of a 16th century rosary bead in collaboration with the Smith College Museum of Art.

Virtual St. Paul’s Basilica project in collaboration with Dartmouth College.

Interactive viewer of Sylvia Plath’s poetry drafts in collaboration with with the Smith College Poetry Center.

Imaging Center Services & Resources

The Smith College Image Collections include over 190,000 images from collections owned by Smith College departments and faculty members. This includes the Historic Clothing Collection, Van Buren Antiquities Collection, Rotman Stereograph and Shopping Bag Collections, and more.

The Smith College Imaging Center Collection provides images of art, architecture, and cultural works based on the curriculum of Smith College and added to by faculty request.

All Smith College Image Collections and other images curated from museums and archives around the world can be found on JSTOR, a scholarly database of research material.

Knowledge Base is the Imaging Center’s clearinghouse for how-to guides, instructional manuals, and other resources.

To request image digitization for our Imaging Center Collection, please fill out our Digital Image Request form. For questions regarding digital collections, contact Nora Davies at edavies@smith.edu.

3D Media Training

The Imaging Center provides faculty consultation and training for all aspects of 3D scanning, modeling and printing. Support is tailored to the specific needs of your project or class. Uses for the technology may include:

  • Research projects
  • Creating interactive digital models for curricular use
  • Architectural visualization and prototyping
  • Data visualization
  • Virtual environments and virtual reality

For inquiries about 3D projects, please contact Andrew Maurer at ajmaurer@smith.edu.

Available Equipment

The Imaging Center Equipment Loan service is for Smith College Art Department faculty and students enrolled in Art Department courses. Equipment available for loan includes:

  • iPad with Structure Sensor 3D scanner
  • Mac and PC laptops
  • Multimedia projectors and monitors
  • Digital media players and DVD players
  • Speakers and headphones
  • Digital and analog cameras, lenses, tripods, lights and accessories

Forms

Digital Image Requests

Are you a faculty member who needs images scanned for your classes? Fill out this form and drop off your materials at the IC Front Desk.

Patron Registration

Do you need to borrow equipment for an art department class? Fill out this form to get registered in our checkout system.

Exhibition Equipment Reservations

Need electronic equipment for the art department’s student gallery? Enter your information here and our staff will contact you for a consultation.

Gallery Labels

Are you exhibiting a work in the art department’s student gallery? Enter the information about your work here and we’ll deliver the finished label to your professor.

Imaging Center Staff

Dan Bridgman

Visual Communication Specialist

Hillyer 327 | 413-585-3398

Dan is an educational technologist who supports the visual arts at Smith. He oversees database and fine art print services as well as computer lab configurations and maintenance. He can assist when lab print quotas or network services behave in unexpected ways.

Email Dan

Headshot of Dan Bridgman

Emily-Anne Cartledge

Director

Hillyer 317 | 413-585-4568

Emily-Anne is responsible for the administration of the Imaging Center. With a background in library science and studio art, Emily works with faculty to address the technological needs for the art and art history curriculum and serves as liaison to other academic programs with imaging needs.

Email Emily-Anne

Betsy Coulter

Imaging Services Coordinator

Hillyer 323 | 413-585-3104

Betsy manages equipment loans and the public services operations for the Imaging Center. She is also the point person for student worker applications. If you have questions about the equipment we lend to art department students, or if you would like information about student employment at the IC, contact Betsy.

Email Betsy

Nora Davies

Digital Asset Specialist

Hillyer 317 | 413-585-3140

Nora manages the digitization program for the Imaging Center. Contact Nora for questions on digitization and image capture, image editing and organization, copyright, and image research.

Email Nora

Andrew Maurer

Interactive Media Coordinator

Hillyer 316 | 413-585-3116

Andrew advises faculty and students on using Imaging Center resources for curricular and research projects combining art and technology. Contact him about 3D modeling, 3D printing and scanning, virtual reality, and web projects.

Email Andrew

Headshot of Andrew Maurer

Kevin Pomerleau

Visual Arts Technical Specialist

Hillyer L08E | 413-585-3397

Kevin provides guidance for safety protocols for the studio art spaces in Hillyer Hall and supports the printmaking and photography studios. Contact Kevin if you have questions about hazardous or non-hazardous material handling or general building safety procedures. Kevin can also answer technical questions regarding installation and maintenance of gallery spaces.

Email Kevin

Noah Thompson

Visual Arts Digital Specialist

Hillyer 316 | 413-585-3128

Noah (he/they) supports courses in photography and video art as well as overseeing the Imaging Center’s labs and printers. His specialties include alternative processes and video arts. Contact Noah if you have questions about photo/video processes, fine art printing, or about different types of cameras.

Email Noah

Imaging Center Facilities

The Imaging Center provides a creative and collaborative space for study, innovation and the production of art on the third floor of Hillyer Hall. Whether you need the latest in image processing and 3D printing, or just a quiet place to study, we have facilities to meet your needs.

Hillyer Jannotta Student Gallery: rotating exhibits of art department student and faculty work

Hillyer 326 Gaming Lab: for the play and study of video games in collaboration with Film and Media Studies

Hillyer 322 Digital Printing Lab: for art department fine art and large-scale printing

Hillyer 319 Meeting Lounge: a flexible learning and meeting space (contact us for more information)

Hillyer 218 Visual Communication Resource Center Classroom: for department digital media instruction

Hillyer 321 Critique Room: critique space with gallery lighting and pin-up space

Hillyer 320 Classroom: a flexible digital classroom with 15 seats (available through 25Live)

Student Employment

Group of students working at computer

Students working at the Imaging Center receive professional training in a wide variety of skills, including film and digital camera operation, video production, image capture and editing, metadata cataloging, and 3D media creation. In addition to assisting with curricular projects, students will apply these skills to help tutor their peers in our walk-in labs.

Student Positions

The 3D and VR specialist assists in the creation of 3D media for curricular use. Projects will involve 3D modeling, 3D scanning, 3D printing, and other related activities in Imaging Center labs. They will also create instructional materials and assist in classes using 3D digital media.

The Gaming Lab Assistant manages the equipment and files for a variety of consoles and two PC gaming stations and assists students with gaming tech, gaming skills. The assistant also oversees the weekly schedule for the lab and maintains the lab space.

The Visual Media Specialist provides support and guidance to students using the Visual Communications Resource Center for the production and study of the visual arts. The specialist monitors and maintains the lab, including printing and application support.

The Media and Cataloging Assistant processes incoming image orders from faculty. This includes digital capture of images from various sources, color correcting and editing images, as well as the research and cataloging of digital materials.

The Equipment Checkout Specialist helps oversee the equipment desk checkout of Imaging Center photo, AV, and VR equipment. This includes cleaning equipment, updating equipment database, creating how-to guides, and troubleshooting equipment issues.

For current student workers: Access the start of shift report form and the end of shift report form.

Featured Image Credits


Yanlong Guo presenting the final presentations for ARH 280, Art Historical Studies: Playing with Ink and Brush in the Smith College Museum of Art teaching gallery. Photo credit: Andrew Maurer

Barbara Kellum working with students in the Imaging Center Digital Media Lab. Photo credit: Andrew Maurer

Raven Gomez ’18 using VR in the Gaming Lab. The Gaming Lab is a collaboration between the Department of Art and Film & Media Studies. Photo credit: Sam Masinter

 

Contact The Imaging Center

Brown Fine Arts Center

Smith College

Northampton, MA 01063

Online Hours

Monday thru Friday

8:30 to 4:30 p.m. EST

Email: ic-u@smith.edu

Drop-in Hours

To be determined. For assistance, please contact ic-u@smith.edu for an appointment.