Gallery, Performance, and Studio Spaces

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center has a number of spaces available for mounting exhibitions that support the academic mission of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. The following spaces are programmed by the Exhibitions Committee within the department.

King Street Gallery

The King Street Gallery is the largest exhibition space in the Cafritz Arts Center. This 1050-square-foot gallery is in the main atrium of the building. Its prominent location, open design, and extremely high ceilings (30 feet+) make it a great venue for major exhibitions. While much of this gallery space is visible from the main lobby of the building, and through the windows that front onto the street, it does maintain gallery hours and is locked after hours. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Exhibitions are generally scheduled a year in advance to complement the academic calendar. Exhibitions in the King Street Gallery are 4-5 weeks long, and emphasize two person or small group shows. Single artist applications may be paired with a complimentary artist or artists to better utilize the space. Curated proposals are encouraged. 

King Street Gallery Floor Plan (PDF, )

Open Gallery

The Open Gallery is a high visibility space nestled between the Department of Visual and Performing Arts office and the lounge vending area on the main floor of the Cafritz Arts Center. It is also adjacent to the King Street Gallery and is the first space you see when entering the building from Jessup Blair Road.

Open Gallery Floor Plan (PDF, )

Maze Gallery

The Maze Gallery is an open space with a number of angled walls on the second floor of the Cafritz Arts Center. This space is in the hub of the building where students gather and is often used to exhibit students' works and smaller exhibitions.

Maze Gallery Floor Plan (PDF, )

Cultural Arts Center

The Performing Arts facilities are housed in the Cultural Arts Center at the corner of King Street and Georgia Avenue.   Theater I is a 500-seat, multi-use concert hall and theater space while Theater II is a 116-seat lecture hall or laboratory theater space in the black box format.

Studio Facilities

The Visual Arts facilities are housed in The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center in the former Giant Bakery on King Street on the west side of the Takoma Park Silver Spring campus. This facility, which opened in 2007, is home to large, gracious studios with state-of-the-art equipment.

Drawing and Painting
The Cafritz Art Center includes two large dedicated studios for painting and drawing that blend original red quarry tile floors and yellow brick walls from the former Giant Bakery with a contemporary architectural style. Exposed infrastructure, smart stations, high-tech lighting, and exhaust systems all add to the loft like atmosphere.

Sculpture
A spacious sculpture studio with covered outdoor work yard faces Jessup Blair Park. It is equipped for woodworking, plaster, wire, assemblage, welding and casting and includes state-of-the-art technology and equipment for making sculpture!

Ceramics
The ceramics studio contains generous space for hand-building, sixteen electric potters wheels, a slab roller, extruder, large wedging table, and clay mixer. A separate glaze lab provides space for glazing including two spray booths and full compliment of glaze chemistry, while the glass-block kiln shed houses both gas and electric kilns.

 Printmaking
The print studio includes equipment for both traditional and contemporary printmaking. The studio features a large, spacious room with high ceilings, two electric hot plates; spacious glass topped tables and counters, three lithography presses (one new electric), three etching/monotype presses (one electric), etching cabinet , grinding sink, and silicone intaglio lab. These facilities make it possible to do black and white stone lithography; woodblock and linocut relief printing; intaglio printmaking including drypoint, softground, hardground, and aquatint; and monotype printing. Contemporary applications include silicone intaglio, digital printing, and mixed media.

Crafts/Weaving
This studio features floor looms for weaving, spacious tables for creating quilt squares, crafts projects, and two dimensional design projects. Large critique boards and state of the art equipment provide a wonderful atmosphere in which to work.

Photography Darkroom
The traditional black and white photography darkroom is fully equipped with 20 enlargers and separate areas for developing film, washing prints, and classroom lectures.

Digital Labs
Cafritz Arts Center houses two digital graphics Mac computer labs. The labs include iMac computers with cinema screens, each equipped with all the software needed for web and graphic design, including the Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, and more. Each lab contains a black and white laser printer and a smart station for projecting demonstrations. Courses offered in these labs include Digital Tools, Graphic Design 1, and Digital Photography.

Tiered Lecture Hall 
The art history lecture hall provides the latest technological advances for seeing and hearing lectures, performances, videos and films. Spacious comfortable tiered seating allows everyone to have an excellent view.