Our Facilities

The Anderson is a three-story student exhibition and programming space. In addition to hosting student, alumni and guest artist events throughout the year, the Anderson welcomes VCUarts’ annual senior and MFA exhibitions. The Anderson traces its history to the Anderson Gallery, which was the first modern art gallery in Richmond. The original gallery’s historic collection is now archived at James Branch Cabell Library, where students can access it for research and study.

The top floor of Bowe Street Deck is a 30,000-square-foot working environment for first-year visual arts students enrolled in the Art Foundation program. Students have access to studios, computer labs, faculty and academic advisor offices, visiting artist lecture rooms, a woodshop, media room, a hallway that doubles as a constantly changing exhibition space, and a recreational area on the balcony. The main office houses a check-out closet with a variety of media equipment, while the computer lab features a large format printer, a laser engraver, vinyl cutters and a T-shirt printer.

The VCU Dance Center houses seven Department of Dance + Choreography studios for dance and movement classes and features free performances for students several times a year.

Formerly a busy trolley station and glass plant, the renovated Depot is a spacious multimedia learning facility. The Center for the Creative Economy, the Office of Arts Research and Innovation, and Alchemy Coffee can be found on the ground floor, while the Cinema program is located on the second floor. In addition to Cinema’s state-of-the-art 4K and 16mm projectors and desktop computers, the Depot features a rentable soundstage with a motion capture system and Cyclorama (infinity wall).

The Depot Annex is located behind the main Depot building. It houses administrative, advisor and faculty offices for the Department of Kinetic Imaging, along with a dance studio. The Annex is outfitted with a media equipment checkout room, a computer lab, a soundproof recording studio with instruments, and an infinity wall.

The Murry N. DePillars Building at 1000 West Broad Street is home to the classrooms and administrative offices of the departments of Craft/Material Studies, Painting + Printmaking, and Sculpture + Extended Media. Undergraduate students have access to shared work studios per major, while graduate students are offered individual private studios and storage. The building’s three stories feature multiple critique rooms per floor; two woodshops; a darkroom; two metal working areas with a forge; a media equipment checkout room; a printmaking studio for screen printing, etching and lithography; a glass studio with flameworking tables, glassblowing tools, a furnace and kiln; a weaving studio with a dye bath and live indigo vat; and two computer labs. The DePillars Building at 1000 W. Broad St. also hosts student exhibitions in the first-floor gallery space, along with expos and events in the lobby. A loading area behind the building is available for students to easily bring in materials and artwork.

Franklin Terrace houses the administrative, advisor and faculty offices of the departments of Art Education and Communication Arts. Some classes in the Art Foundation program are also offered at this renovated historic building. Franklin Terrace includes spacious mixed media and live drawing studios equipped with drafting tables, easels, model stands and studio lights, as well as digital workspaces and Apple computer labs complete with scanning and printing capabilities. Students studying traditional and computer animation have access to specialty studios that include light tables, Cintiq tablets and 3D modeling software. Along with top floor views of the city, the building features a comfortable multimedia lecture room and an all-hours five-room studio for honors students.

The Grace Street Theater is the primary performance venue for the Department of Dance + Choreography. The Department of Art History and the Cinema program also use the renovated historic theater for classes and film screenings. In addition to its university uses, the 225-seat theater is available to the Richmond community to rent for dance performances, film festivals, guest artist lectures and other events.

The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at VCU is a vibrant university-wide resource that connects the campus community, local creatives, and international artists through dynamic collaborations and inspiring programming. Each semester, the ICA presents rotating exhibitions alongside year-round events such as First Fridays, artist talks, performances, and workshops. Home to the VPM + ICA Community Media Center (CMC), a free production studio with a soundproof recording booth, the ICA also hosts the annual RESONATE Podcast Festival, a two-day celebration of creativity, lectures, and live performances. Students can gain valuable experience through Federal Work-Study internships and other paid positions, while the ICA Café offers a welcoming space to relax, work, or connect over locally sourced coffee, tea, and light bites. With its innovative programs and inviting atmosphere, the ICA is a cornerstone of creativity and connection on campus.

The James W. Black Music Center is home to the Department of Music’s recital hall, classrooms, studio practice areas and faculty offices. The center’s three stories features a keyboard lab with organs and electric keyboards, a computer lab for music education students, and private sound-dampened practice pods equipped with recording and playback functionalities.

The five-story building is also home to classrooms and faculty offices for several academic departments. The building features a computer lab for Fashion students; a materials library and model shop for Interior Design students; a graphic design library and historic letterpress studio; a darkroom with photo enlargers and two chemical vats for photo processing; and full HD cinema projectors. The second-floor Creative Print Bureau (CPB) features a student-run print shop, bookbinding materials, and large paper cutters. The Pollak Building also houses administrative offices for VCUarts, including the dean, admissions, communications, development, IT, and inclusion and equity.

The Shafer Street Playhouse is home to the student-run Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre, whose productions and auditions are open to any student, regardless of major. The playhouse features the 150-seat Richard Newdick Theater, classrooms, three large rehearsal and performance spaces, a paint shop and design studio, and a script library.

The W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts is the main venue for the departments of Music and Theatre. The 500-seat Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall hosts music performances by students and visiting artists year round, and sets the stage for VCU Opera productions. The 257-seat Raymond Hodges Theatre features a thrust stage that provides audiences with views from multiple angles during Theatre’s four annual productions. The Singleton Center also houses classrooms; rehearsal rooms; a theater shop for prop, costume and set fabrication; a woodshop; a mock stage to test lighting and sets; dance and movement studios for musical theatre students; and a large theater workshop. The basement features a music library, and Music students can often be heard practicing on the park benches outside.