By Christina Mehr
The art and film department at Cal Poly Humboldt are facing budget reduction cuts due to the university’s low enrollment number and lack of funding from the state. Programs under the department of art have been reported receiving less than their promised budget for their programs. In turn, the lack of funding will begin to impact students’ education.
The original 2023-24 budget was planned expecting 7,749 students to bring over $1,086,864. Only $786,000 was collected from 5,858 students this fall. This budget was approved by the previous A.S board and signed by President Tom Jackson on May 16.
Award winning documentary and narrative filmmaker Dave Jannetta teaches film production at Cal Poly Humboldt and is part of the University Resources and Planning Committee (URPC). The URPC is a standing committee of the university senate and is defined by the Senate Bylaws and Rules of Procedure.
“I am part of URPC, and we are currently looking at various scenarios for necessary budget cuts across the university,” Jannetta said. “But nothing is official yet.”
The Cal State System is anticipating more university-wide budget cuts as it faces expected cuts in state aid due to the state’s budget deficit for the 2024-25 budget year.
The budget cuts to the arts programs will have repercussions for students. Cal Poly Humboldt sculpture professor Sondra Schwetman shares concerns for the quality of students’ education.
“We will not be able to offer the sculpture curriculum as we have been for years,” Schwetman said. “We won’t even be able to purchase gasses for welding — I don’t know what we are going to do. ”
The sculpture department recently received a new furnace and kiln for their workspace. They are worried about it being operational in the future.
“I won’t be able to run the foundry,” Schwetman said. “The foundry has always been a signature program. We are one of a few CSUs that have one. Our program quality will go down – we will lose students – bottom line.”
Along with the budget cuts hitting the arts programs, historic art buildings on campus are planned to be torn down. The Laundry, also known as the ceramics lab, is a space for students enrolled in ceramics classes to dedicate time to their artistry. The space is scattered full of sculptures, murals, and memories. The ceramics studio will be moved to the old technology building, Jenkins Hall. Construction for this project began in early March and is expected to finish in Spring of 2025 and ideally open to students in Fall of 2025.
Included in the Housing, Dining, and Health Building renovation project is the renovation of Jenkins Hall to accommodate the relocation of Ceramics and Sculpture. Jenkins Hall will be transformed to an intentional workspace with the goal of promoting our hands-on learning experience in the arts. The total project budget is $108 million.
Cal Poly Humboldt Professor and Department Chair of the Arts Nicole Jean Hill explained the relocation of ceramics to the new building.
“We are incredibly excited about the renovations for a new space for ceramics and sculpture happening in Jenkins Hall,” Hill said. “Where those classes currently take place was never meant to be a permanent location and there are many issues with the upkeep of those physical buildings. Having a renovated space that is more accessible and closer to the other art facilities will be a big improvement for the department and campus in general. It’s the most exciting development we have had in our department in the 17 years I have been here, besides maybe our merger with the film program. It indicates a real investment in the future of our program.”
With the plan of relocation for the ceramics and sculpture department, comes the question of what will happen to the artwork that gives the studio its personality.
“Hopefully, some elements of the old space will be creatively repurposed in the new building as a nod to the history of the program,” Hill said. “Oddly enough, I believe that ceramics was originally housed in Jenkins Hall back when the program began, so now it is returning there again with a new and improved layout.”
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