Our Spaces

Murals at Mason produces public art projects designed to engage social justice issues and to enrich the University’s learning environment. Initiated in 2017, our program has installed five large scale public art projects on campus, and launched an experiential learning program that teaches artists how to plan, design, and paint murals for on- and off-campus clients.

Murals at Mason began as a student organization, the “Mural Brigade”, that gave student artists opportunities to collectively design and paint interior murals commissioned for departments on campus. Started and sustained as an interdisciplinary project with the University Curator, Don Russell, Murals at Mason was founded by a student majoring in government, Fionnuala Fisk, and subsequently led by a student majoring in social justice, Yassmin Salem.

See more murals created by our students and alumni.

The Gillespie Gallery of Art at George Mason University is committed to the presentation of innovative new art and creating a forum for active dialogue, research, and engagement with contemporary visual ideas and artistic practices. 

Located in the School of Art on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University, Gillespie Gallery of Art offers a diverse program of exhibitions by emerging and established contemporary artists, thesis exhibits by current MFA candidates such as Kerry Hentges and a semi-annual School of Art undergraduate senior exhibition. This link to numerous shows and other student works presents a wide sampling of art and artists, as well as the processes involved in their creation.

For more information visit Mason Exhibitions.

Graphic Design classes take place exclusively in George Mason’s Macintosh-based design labs. Fully loaded with industry-standard print and web design software. 

New Media offers innovative technology contextualized within the broad arena of contemporary art practices, including video art, performance, digital animation, and internet art. Studios are equipped with Mac Pro Computers with 30” displays and loaded with a wide range of current mainstream software programs covering video and sound editing, 2D and 3D animation, web development, image-making, and interactivity. New Media Art students also have the opportunity to work in the New Media Arts Experimental Lab.

Painting and Drawing is housed in a suite of dedicated individual painting and drawing studios on the top floor of the Art and Design Building, with ample space and natural light. These studios offer a conducive atmosphere for creative expression and allow students to immerse themselves in their painting practice.

The painting and drawing programs embrace a wide variety of practices, rooted both in historical precedent and cutting edge contemporary issues.

Photography features two Apple Mac Pro based labs for both traditional and digital practices, a large Black and White Darkroom with 18 Beseler 45MXT enlargers capable of printing from 35mm to large format negatives, color facility featuring a Kreonite color processor, traditional color enlarger and laser printing equipment capable of creating 30” x 40” color photographs, and a mural printing area, for both the honing of craft and the development of conceptual frameworks.

In addition, a photography lighting studio equipped with professional lighting equipment, backdrops, and props, provides students with a controlled environment to master their art.

See a list of photography equipment available to students.

Sculpture offers a large, fully-equipped shop, in which a wide variety of activities are embraced: woodworking studio, metal fabrication studio, a large outside work courtyard, and access to digital media. Students also can exhibit and install temporary works throughout the Fairfax campus.

The airy spaces are designed to accommodate large-scale projects and provide a supportive environment for experimentation and hands-on learning. Collaborating with experienced sculptors, students gain valuable insights and guidance as they bring their artistic visions to life.

The Sculpture Yard, an outdoor workspace adjacent to the Art and Design building and Sculpture Studio, is a popular gathering space where large-scale pieces are created continuously by art students. 

Our printmaking and book arts studio is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and tools to support techniques including etching, lithography, relief printing, and screen printing. Under the guidance of experienced printmakers, students have the opportunity to explore these traditional and contemporary methods, experiment with different materials, and develop their printmaking skills. 

For those interested in paper making, we offer a dedicated facility with all the necessary equipment and supplies. In this space, students can learn the art of creating handmade paper, including pulp preparation, sheet formation, and surface treatments. 

See List of Available Equipment to Students.

Letterpress Studio

Additionally, our program features a Letterpress Studio, providing students with access to this timeless printing technique. The studio houses traditional letterpress equipment and type, allowing students to learn the art of setting and printing with movable type. The Letterpress Studio is fully equipped with a Vandercook press. Our press can handle wood type, metal type, and photopolymer plates for quick and efficient printing of multiples and editions. 

Learn more about the Letterpress Studio.

Mason Exhibitions is a program of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and is affiliated with the the School of Art, History and Art History, and the Arts Management Program.

Mason Exhibitions offers a multi-venue forum for the presentation of contemporary visual artists who advance research, dialogue, and learning around global social issues. Through its research partnership with Provisions Research Center for Arts Social Change, Mason Exhibitions develops cross-disciplinary curatorial platforms to engage questions around philosophy, social justice, communications, conflict resolution, identity, technology, and sustainability. MFA thesis exhibits and undergraduate senior exhibitions are also presented.

Visit Mason Exhibitions.

Provisions Research Center for Art and Social Change investigates the relationship between art and social change through research, production, and education. From its library home in Room L001 in George Mason's School of Art and at sites throughout the District, Provisions produces and supports projects in the U.S. Capitol Region and across the globe.

Directed by Prof. Donald Russell, Assistant Professor and University Curator for Mason Exhibitions, Provisions Research Center for Art and Social Change’s art and culture research explores models for a more inclusive, equitable, and connected society. Provisions partners with organizations, individuals, and institutions to develop and amplify contemporary narratives across cultures, support grassroots modes of action, and provide open access to knowledge and understanding of social change in its artistic and creative dimensions. The library, public programming, and research opportunities host artistic, intellectual, and activist endeavors that explore the educational and social promise of contemporary culture. Local, national, and international projects include exhibitions, public art, residencies, screenings, workshops, lectures, and publications. Participants include artists, activists, academics, students, professionals from a variety of disciplines, and everyday people.

Visit Provisions Research Center for Art and Social Change Website

The SoA Print Shop is located on the lower level of the Art and Design Building. Although the printing service is primary focused on George Mason students and faculty, it also offers printing and scanning services to the greater D.C. Metro area.

The services are geared towards printing archival photos, archival paintings, design portfolios, and more using high-quality Canon printers and a variety of paper types. As a not-for-profit studio, the studio strives to give you the best deal around. Here you can use  color-calibrated lobby monitors to preview what your finished prints will look like and receive assistance from the trained staff.

Learn more about the SoA Print Shop.

The Green Studio is a project of SporaStudios LLC founded by artists Mark Cooley and Elizabeth Hall. Since 2010, George Mason University’s has hosted an incarnation of the Green Studio on its Fairfax campus outside the Art and Design building, where it has functioned as a permaculture garden and outdoor studio & lab space dedicated to hosting ecological art and design projects by students from across the arts and sciences.

The concept of an externalized art studio challenges conventional approaches to landscapes as master-planned perpetually finished products. The Green Studio also challenges the notion of the art studio as a place where artists retreat from the world, while repositioning the artist within the contingencies of a living space with its art materials embedded in a functional ecosystem. The goal of work in the Green Studio is not to create in spite of the world, but rather in relation to it. 

Learn more about the Green Studio.