The Fine Arts Center’s Education/Access department is pleased to announce the completion of its new web site (http://www.umass.edu/fac/education). Designed by the Fine Arts Center’s Technology Systems Manager, Christine Texiera, the site is packed with information and resources about the Center’s educational offerings.

Because many of the Center’s educational programs are offered “behind the scenes,” when artists or performers visit the Center prior to the opening of their performance or exhibition, we thought it was high time to bring these events into the light. A new calendar of educational events provides information about the plethora of educational programs at the Center, such as master classes, artist lectures, workshops, artist residencies, programs for schoolchildren and other educational events.

In an effort to meet the unique needs of our individual audiences, we have created special areas of the site for each group. For instance, faculty of the University are often interested in knowing how the Fine Arts Center’s programs can be integrated into their course curriculum. In this section of the site, we provide answers to the most common questions that faculty pose, such as how to sign up their students to attend educational events. In fact, we have created separate sections for K-12 educators, teaching assistants, community members, students and staff members of the University.

Another feature of the site is a comprehensive listing of teaching resources offered by the Center. Here visitors can access information about the Center’s publications, workshops, presentations, and even archival materials. K-12 teachers might be interested to learn that the Center often produces detailed study guides for its children’s performances, and the campus community may find the Guide to Galleries on Campus brochure a helpful resource. Most of the Center’s teaching resources are available free or for a modest fee.

UMass students will especially appreciate our event planning tools section, which provides detailed information about how to plan art events on campus. Here visitors will find valuable information about art spaces on campus, complete with pictures of each venue, room capacities, accessibility features, directions, audio-visual equipment and contact details for the individuals who book these spaces. Students, staff and faculty will also be happy to discover where they can secure funding to support these events.

We hope you enjoy this new resource, and we encourage your comments and suggestions about how we can improve the site to better meet your needs.