Facilities Highlights

Dow Center FlexLab

The Dow Center FlexLab, KCAD’s state-of-the-art digital fabrication facility, spans two floors and puts a wealth of innovative technology at your fingertips, including 3D printers and scanners, laser and vinyl-cutting machines, wide-format printers, and more.

LOCATION:

Woodbridge N. Ferris Building - 1st Floor


An open door leading into a technology lab
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A technology lab filled with printers and scanners
A large-format laser cutter
A large-format laser cutter
A large-format laser cutter

Baker Furniture Collection

The Baker Furniture Collection provides unparalleled and up-close-and-personal access to 1,500 square feet of period furniture and decorative arts from around the world–ancient, modern, and everything in between. A perfect source of inspiration for aspiring designers. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 5th Floor, Room 506


A room full of antique furniture
A room full of antique furniture
A room full of antique furniture
A room full of antique furniture

Metals and Jewelry Studios

Our expansive metals and jewelry studios feature wax injectors, vacuum and induction casting systems, torches and flexshafts, a complete enameling setup, pneumatic assisted engraving toolsets, a collection of silversmithing stakes and hammers, a rolling mill, shears, a brake, a drawbench, a fume hood, equipment for electroforming and acid etching, as well as laser welders and a vast collection of small, specialized tools.

LOCATION:  

17 Fountain St. NW building - 2nd Floor, Room 202A


View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment
View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment
View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment
View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment
View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment
View of a laboratory filled with metal working equipment

KCAD Library

An academic library uniquely focused on serving artists and designers, the KCAD Library provide a curated diverse body of scholarly resources across numerous fields of design and fine art, including a print collection of over 28,000 volumes. KCAD students, faculty and staff also benefit from shared access to the numerous online databases, eBooks, reference and streaming video resources maintained by Ferris State University. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 2nd Floor, Room 203A


Students working together at a table in a library
Webpage showing online books that can be accessed
Woman pulling a book from the shelves of a library

Photography Darkrooms

KCAD offers students access to two separate fully equipped darkrooms—one for processing black and white film/prints and another for processing color film/prints. Both darkrooms feature 15 enlargers with negative carriers and filters. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 3rd Floor, Room 306


A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom
A photography darkroom

Photography Lighting Studio

Our expansive lighting studio features large backdrops, an infinity shooting table, lens kits, lens filters, light-control grids and snoots, light meters, softboxes, tripods, stands, and much more. 

LOCATION: 

17 Fountain St. NW building - 3rd Floor, Room 305


Man taking a picture of a model in a photography studio
Person staging a photo shoot in a lighting studio
Photography lighting equipment
Photography lighting equipment
Woman taking a picture of a model in a photography studio
Woman staging a photo shoot on a white background
Photography lighting equipment

Printmaking Studio

Our well-appointed communal Printmaking Studio supports a comprehensive approach to art making. You’ll be able to use tools include etching presses, lithography presses, screenprinting presses and equipment, papermaking equipment, and more. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 3rd Floor, Room 302


Group of people using a large printing press
A lab filled with printmaking equipment
A lab filled with printmaking equipment
A lab filled with printmaking equipment
A man rolling ink onto a piece of paper

Interior Design Resource Room

In this room, you can peruse more than 1,500 swatches, reference catalogues, manufacturer’s catalogues, and decorative hardware catalogues/samples. You'll also have access to a large cutting surface and other work surface areas. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 5th Floor, Room 529


Samples of interior design materials
Color and pattern swatches
Large paper cutter

Audio Recording Studio

This high-end sound and special effects room provides excellent sound quality for creating and capturing audio. Produce high-end digital recordings using a sound booth, professional quality preamps, interfaces, MIDI keyboards, and microphones, and ProTools digital audio workstation software. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building - 7th Floor, Room 706


Man recording audio on a computer
Recording studio where instructor is showing student techniques
Recording studio where instructor is showing student techniques
Recording studio where instructor is showing student techniques
Recording studio where instructor is showing students techniques

Clay Studio

The expansive clay studio features a main room with 16 throwing wheels, a slab roller, slip casting equipment, and extruders; a clay mixing room for clay and glaze formulations; a spray booth for applying glaze finishes, and a large kiln room with four electric kilns and one walk-in kiln. 

LOCATION:

Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, Lower Level, Room 025


A room containing equipment for working with clay
Two men work with clay in a mixing machine
A man works with clay on a throwing wheel
A man places a clay sculpture inside of a kiln
Two women work with clay on a tabletop

Fashion Studies Work Room

This well-equipped communal workspace has everything students need to bring their original garment designs to life, including sewing machines, fashion forms, cutting tools, and spacious high-top work tables. 

LOCATION:

Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, 3rd Floor, Room 313


A classroom filled with sewing machines and dress forms
A woman pins a garment onto a dress form
Students making sketches of garment designs
Two women examining fabric samples
A woman operating a sewing machine

Metal Sculpture Studio

This sprawling studio space is equipped with MIG and TIG welding equipment, a hydraulic shear, a hydraulic slip roller, a hydraulic iron worker, a metal band saw, a metal disc sander, a large high-speed metal lathe, a pneumatic planishing hammer, and more.

LOCATION:

Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, 1st Floor, Room 127


A room full of metal fabrication tools
A room full of metal fabrication tools
A person in a welding helmet welding
A group of people pouring molten metal into a mold
A woman using a grinding tool on a piece of sheet metal
A person holding a red-hot piece of metal with tongs

Woodshop

This spacious and well-equipped woodshop, supervised by an experienced technician, features over 30 pieces of equipment including Saw Stop table saws, sanders, a fully-ventilated walk-in spray paint and glue room, and more. 

LOCATION:

 17 Fountain St. NW building, Lower Level, Room 005


A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A man using a band saw to cut out a custom shape from a piece of wood
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment
A large room filled with woodworking equipment

Cintiq Lab

This lab provides students with hands-on access to Wacom Cintiq digital drawing tablets that interface with laptops and feature interactive displays capable of responding to both digital pens and touch screen commands.

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building, 7th Floor, Room 709


A group of people using digital drawing tablets
A man works on a piece of art using a digital drawing tablet
A woman sketches a man dressed as a Roman soldier on a digital drawing tablet
A woman sketches a cartoon character on a digital drawing tablet

Graduate Studios

Use exclusively by graduate-level students, these studio spaces feature large work areas with mobile dividing walls, high ceilings, bountiful natural light, and a fully-ventilated spray booth. 

LOCATION:

 17 Fountain St. NW building, 6th Floor, Rooms 604, 606, and 607


A large open room filled with canvases, art supplies, and tables and chairs
A large open room filled with canvases, art supplies, and tables and chairs
A large open room filled with canvases, art supplies, and tables and chairs
A large open room filled with canvases, art supplies, and tables and chairs
A spray paint booth covered in a multicolored array of splattered paint residue

Papermaking Lab

In tandem with the Printmaking Lab, this space enables students to take full creative control of their printmaking projects by creating their own handmade paper from scratch. Features a beater for making pulp, a large sink for casting molds, and presses for flattening. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building, Lower Level


A large metal tub filled with paper pulp
A table filled with handmade paper in an assortment of colors
A woman whose face cannot be seen pulls a wooden mold from a tub of paper pulp
A lab space filled with tools and tables

Gallery 602

This student-focused gallery frequently showcases work by current students, including exhibitions curated by Registered Student Organizations, and alumni. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building, 6th Floor



An art gallery filled with people
An art gallery with numerous colorful paintings on the wall

Spark Gallery

Spark Gallery is an expansive and flexible ground-floor gallery space that hosts an ever-changing lineup of exhibitions featuring KCAD students, faculty and staff, and occasionally, outside artists, designers, and exhibitions.  

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building, 1st Floor


An art gallery with bright white walls, wooden floors, and portrait paintings hanging up
A gallery space filled with dress forms adorned with fashion designs
An art gallery with bright white walls, wooden floors, and portrait paintings hanging up
A large group of people gathering inside of an art gallery

The Spark

The Spark is an energetic retail space that exists as a resource to KCAD students, alumni, and the Grand Rapids community. It offers a variety of locally producted goods for sale—including art prints, apparel, jewelry, homewares, and more—as well as KCAD merch, coffee, soft drinks, and snacks. 

LOCATION:

17 Fountain St. NW building, 1st Floor, Room 105



Two people standing near a table in a retail space populated with colorful artwork and other handmade goods
A view inside a brightly lit retail space with wide glass doors
A view of merchandise on the shelves in a retail space
A view of merchandise on the shelves in a retail space
A view of merchandise on the shelves in a retail space
Two people both trying on hats with the letters K, C, A, and D on them.
Two people browsing through a stack of prints in a retail space
A person browsing through wares on the shelf of a retail space
A person filling up a coffee pot

FlexGallery

FlexGallery is a malleable gallery space with an open floor plan that's equipped to showcase a wide variety of fine art and design programming, from exhibitions of student and alumni work to external collaborations to site-specific installations and performances. 

LOCATION:

Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, 1st Floor