After renovations to Memorial Union forced the Craft Studio to close indefinitely, the MSA auxiliary has reopened in Gentry Hall.
The Craft Studio, which first opened in 1973, was located directly above a deteriorating sewer line and [would have been required to pay higher post-renovation utility prices](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2016/9/20/building-repairs-may-lead-closure-craft-studio/) had it kept operating in its original space. MSA President Sean Earl said last year this was not feasible for the studio and would result in indefinite closure if a new home was not found.
“We don’t want to stifle any other service because of the situation,” [Earl told The Maneater in September](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2016/9/20/building-repairs-may-lead-closure-craft-studio/). “At the end of the day, we honestly have to ask ourselves, ‘What services does the 21st century student want to see?’”
By the time the studio closed its doors in December, faculty, students and alumni had already been working hard to find a new space.
“There was a tremendous outpouring of support from students on campus, and alumni especially, who value the Craft Studio and wanted to make sure that it would continue to exist,” MSA/GPC adviser Amy Hay said.
Hay attributed finding the Craft Studio a new home largely to the efforts of Department of Art chairperson Jo Stealey, Architectural Studies professor Lyria Bartlett and Department of Architectural Studies chairperson Ruth Tofle.
The new location is part of a joint venture between the Craft Studio and the Department of Architectural Studies to create an “interdisciplinary fabrication laboratory,” [according to a press release](https://craftstudio.missouri.edu/important-public-announcement/). This will consist of several new programs aimed at enhancing students’ artistic experiences.
“[Stealey, Bartlett and Tofle] have plans to develop this space over the course of the next few years into a broader learning laboratory for MU students that is more collaborative,” Hay said.
Hay said the Craft Studio will keep most of its original services, including Makerspace Nights, Crafternoons and the ceramics studio. Replacing the former darkroom in Memorial Union, which was the last of its kind in Columbia, would require a buildout and funding, but Hay said she hopes to see it “come back online.”
Despite the studio’s downsize from four rooms, each with a different art medium, to one classroom and a laboratory, Hay is confident her staff will adjust to the space and make it their own.
“We had our first staff meeting last week, but I think our staff are going to adapt to the space pretty quickly and pretty well,” Hay said. “The [Gentry Hall] faculty and their students have been Craft Studio members throughout the years. This is all of our people, so we are happy to be in a building full of our friends.”
_Edited by Madi McVan | mmcvan@themaneater.com_
