Labs and Shops

Audio + Video Lab

The Audio + Video Lab includes high-end video cameras and camcorders complete with accessories, professional lighting kits, portable green screens, audio and video booths, and a screening room to critique your final projects. It is located in Basement Room B10.

Ceramics Studio

Welcome to the Ceramics Studio! Equipped with top-tier pottery tools, kilns, rollers, wheels, clay, glazes, and ample workspace, it's your creative haven for crafting stunning ceramic pieces. Join us to unleash your artistic potential and bring your visions to life in clay.

Laboratory Press

Otis Laboratory Press is a fully functioning letterpress studio with four Vandercook proof presses and over 200 fonts. Established in 1984 by Sheila de Bretteville as part of the Communication Arts Department, the LabPress has a rich history of small edition book publishing, introducing generations of students to the origins of typography and the notion of the book as a visual communications medium. Conceived as a laboratory for aesthetic exploration and a place for practical production, the LabPress is an integral part of the graphic design curriculum. It provides a key link between traditional tools and digital media. Students actively participate and produce award-winning books that have become a permanent part of rare book collections throughout Southern California. We are the only college in Southern California that offers a Printmaking and Book Arts Minor.

Lighting Studio

The Lighting Studio, open to all Otis students, offers a spacious 2,400 square feet for photo and video projects. Featuring green and white infinity coves, it's equipped with a variety of continuous and strobe lighting options. Additionally, you'll find nine-foot rolls of seamless backdrop paper in numerous colors, providing ample opportunities for creative exploration.

Model Shop

Located on the seventh floor of the Ahmanson building, the Model Shop is devoted to many advanced technologies involved in model making and fabrication processes. Equipment includes a variety of 3d printers and materials, laser cutters, CNC machines, ceramic decal printers, woodworking equipment, and machinist tools. The shop is completely outfitted for milling, shaping, joining and finishing of hardwoods, fiberboard, plywood, plastics, foam and bent laminations. Plastic vacuum-forming equipment and small-scale model making equipment for plastics and wood are available, as well as a large selection of hand and power tools.

Photography Lab

At the Otis Photography Lab, we honor and embrace the rich history of photography spanning over 150 years. Our lab offers an extensive array of materials and equipment to support students' exploration of this dynamic medium. Our knowledgeable staff is on hand to provide technical assistance and guidance.

From traditional black and white darkroom printing to cutting-edge digital cameras, our lab provides a comprehensive and forward-thinking immersion into the study of photography. Join us as we celebrate the past, present, and future of this captivating art form.

Printmaking Lab

The Otis Printmaking Lab offers a versatile space for both traditional and modern print processes. With lithography and intaglio presses, screen-printing stations, and specialized equipment like a 4-color t-shirt press and Riso printer, students can explore various techniques. Digital resources include computers, scanners, and printers, while a darkroom with a back-lit washout sink and UV exposure unit caters to traditional methods. Join us to unleash your creativity in printmaking.

Wood and Metal Shop

The 5,000 plus square foot Wood and Metal Shop located on the north end of campus offers an expansive selection of equipment ready to meet almost any fabrication need. The “Wood” side of the shop is equipped with machinery for cutting, milling, shaping, drilling and sanding of hardwoods, fiberboards, plywoods and other manufactured wood products while the “Metal” side is outfitted with equipment for cutting, forming, grinding, welding and drilling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Students may also use the shop’s large selection of powered and non-powered hand tools for both wood and metal work.

The Goldsmith Campus houses the labs and shops run by Technical Support Services. The facilities and staff provide an environment where students become proficient in technical skills, and turn their ideas into physical reality, from metal welding and woodworking to laser cutting and rapid prototyping. Letterpress, silkscreening, ceramics, photo labs, and lighting studios are also available.