The Slide Library moved into room 120 of the Art Building in the late 1960s and expanded into room 122 sometime in the 1980s. Many alumni will remember the inhospitable front door of the Slide Library with its sign that said “Faculty Use Only.” While that policy changed later, many students were afraid to open the door and see what was inside.
Times have changed. The slide cabinets and faculty work carrells are gone since teaching is now done with digital images, and Spaces 120 and 122 are now student-centered venues with windows in the doors and a welcoming atmosphere. The transformation of these rooms took place over the first nine months of 2014, and they officially opened at the start of autumn quarter.
Space 122 has flexible classroom-style furniture, but it is not a classroom. Instead, it is a place for students from all parts of the School of Art + Art History + Design to study, have meetings, collaborate on projects, give presentations, and come up with new ways to use the space. Visual Services staff oversee the room and are also available in a nearby office to provide assistance with finding images for projects, papers, or presentations. While the priority is for drop-in use, the room can be partially or completely reserved when needed. A webpage shows the calendar of reservations. Space 122 is a work in progress as we all learn how it will best serve students.
Space 120 is the home of the Student Voice Project (SVP), an initiative of our Academic Advising and Student Services Office. This room is the center for new programing to help undergraduates recognize that the dynamic learning offered in the School of Art + Art History + Design leads to unlimited potential to find jobs and build careers. In Space 120, SVP offers practical workshops on career planning, building a resume, getting into graduate school, securing a scholarship, and finding a quality internship. Space 120 also hosts bimonthly information meetings, known as Preview, open to all prospective students, friends and family.
Using video, SVP student interns are capturing the academic activities of students, faculty, and staff; creating an archive of school events; and recording the professional stories and advice of our alumni. Ultimately, Space 120 will have a video archive that can be used to inspire and inform current and prospective students and be shared with the UW community and broader audiences.
If you are in the Art Building, be sure to visit Spaces 120 and 122. We are happy to have rooms that our students can make their own as well as the events and opportunities that prepare our students to move from the classroom into their future.