Pictured Above: the front entrance of harbor hall has been fenced-off due to ongoing in.
Baron Reichenbach | The Crow’s Nest
By Alexendra Davis
Construction on Harbor Hall has dispersed art students throughout the St. Petersburg campus.
Art students who normally have classes in Harbor Hall have been dispersed throughout campus this semester as construction has taken over the building.
The most significant construction began in December 2020, following the installation of a new computer lab in 2018.
Funding for the construction came in 2018, when Josephine Hall, USF St. Petersburg community member and lover of the arts, donated $2 million to USF St. Petersburg, half of which went to the Graphic Arts program.
Edward Lewis, assistant director of planning and construction, shared details about the ongoing project expected to wrap up in this April.
“These updates will create an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere reflective of a design program,” Lewis said. “The improvements will not only make the building more efficient… but will allow for more community engagement with an updated gallery space.”
Updates include new technology in the studio classrooms, new flooring and lighting and an updated gallery space. Two classrooms will also be combined to form a single large studio space. One of the smaller changes is the installation of magnetic walls to allow students better critiquing space.
“The combined classroom allows for a larger studio space for students to create in,” said Jennifer Yucus, campus associate director of the School of Art and Art History. “The new technology in all the rooms will improve the classroom experience. Every decision, from new outlets in the floors to the use of Apple TV for projection of student work, has been made to enhance the educational experience of our students.”
Yucus, who also teaches graphic design, said the updates “to the community room will allow us to exhibit creative work.”
“We will be able to invite our supportive community to more events in the future,” Yucus said. “The Graphic Arts Program faculty is so grateful to have such generous support from the community.”
