By Jess Carey and Julia Kelm

As one steps through the large glass double doors of freshly remodeled Jenkins Hall, they are greeted by a branded H. rug and the potent chemical smell of the future. The building is now home to Cal Poly Humboldt’s ceramics and sculpture programs. With the help of 12 million dollars, it was transformed from an abandoned warehouse into a state-of-the-art sculptor’s paradise.

Jenkins Hall has replaced the previous studio, affectionately referred to as The Laundry, which was demolished alongside the Campus Apartments over the summer. 

The Laundry was an eclectic space infused with a D.I.Y spirit, having housed the ceramics and sculpture programs since 1969. Handmade tiles covered walls and floors, paintings hung from the rafters and bookshelves overflowed with sculpture magazines and reference books. Drips of glaze, paint and slip coated the sinking concrete floors. 

Leah Dunn, a studio art and art education major, attended classes at the Laundry when it was still operational.

 “It felt well-loved, and I could tell that it had been a creative home for a lot of artists that were creating art long before I got there,” Dunn said.

Despite being beautiful and well-loved, it was always intended to be a temporary home, and as such there were limits on what the space could accommodate. Sculpture professor Sondra Schwetman taught classes in the old building for 20 years. She said that the building had been charming — but also cramped and dirty, and students had issues keeping projects clean. 

“There was a lot of elbow bumping in the Laundry,” Schwetman said. 

She explained that the lab has new and improved tools and an expanded floorplan including a separate woodshop and metal shop as well as a forge. 

“We are so much improved from being in the Laundry. We are just really excited for the potential,” Schwetman said. “I do think that for our students that experienced the other place, that this seems really clean.”

Schwetman also plans to install photos and memorabilia from the Laundry as a display inside the new building. 

Despite the many upgrades, students who are taking classes in Jenkins Hall say that it feels like things were not laid out as well as they could have been. 

“There are two sinks, which get crowded pretty fast,” Dunn said. “And then [there’s] a giant sink-like thing in the corner that would be so helpful, but we aren’t allowed to use it.”

Senior fine arts major Trinity Altemueller said that some students have experienced frustration with the new building. 

“It’s like an art studio that was designed by scientists,” Altemueller said. “It feels like a lab. It’s so sterile.”

The harsh industrial vibe of the new studio is certainly a contrast to the Laundry’s wonky charm. Piles of cardboard boxes and empty offices are noticeable. Bare concrete walls have exposed metal bits sticking out and wood shards, evident of a freshly-completed and perhaps somewhat rushed construction job. Creating here may be awkward for some until the Humboldtian creative spirit has enough time to warm up the atmosphere. 

“A couple classmates were talking about wanting to add murals and stuff to make it feel less like a prison and more like our creative home,” Dunn said. 

The Laundry was a misfit studio for a misfit art department, and a reminder of a particular period of creative explosion in Humboldt that has now come and gone. As for this generation of artists, sculptors and potters, there is a new canvas to paint or piece to throw. Jenkins Hall has more resources and amenities for current and future students to continue to create exceptional work — although it came with the loss of a treasured part of campus history. 

Art Department Chair Nicole Hill said that the university’s efforts to provide a new space for artists is symbolic of art’s place in the university’s future. 

“It’s a sign of big commitment from the university and the California State System as a whole in the arts in our region,” Hill said. 

She added that any problems associated with the transition have easy fixes. 

“There are growing pains, things that happen anytime you move,” Hill said. 

Art students continue to adjust to the space as a new chapter of local art history begins. While the Laundry will be missed, Jenkins Hall has the potential to become a vibrant hub for creativity on campus. 

Jess Carey is a senior studying botany with a journalism minor. Their writing branches interdisciplinary interests in science, music, and arts.

Julia is a journalism major, and is the life and arts editor for the paper. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. She also enjoys going on walks in the forest, and taking pictures to relax. If you have a movie you want her to review, email her at jk328@humboldt.edu