Biola University
There has never been a better time to be an art student at Biola.
This fall, the university dedicated a completely transformed and remodeled Bardwell Hall as the new home for the visual arts — moving the art department from its former home at the fringes of campus to a vibrant facility right at the core.
Since opening in 1959 as one of the first buildings on Biola’s La Mirada campus, Bardwell had in recent decades been known primarily as a home for science labs and sterile classrooms (with periodic tables of the elements serving as the closest thing to artwork). With the renovations — completed over the past two years, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the art department — the building is almost unrecognizable.
“This building brings a new and fresh feeling to the center of campus,” said Todd Guy, dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication. “It really is a statement of how impactful the arts can be. … Just like the heart is in the center of the body, this is the heartbeat of Biola — the arts.”
“Shaped and Molded”
One of Bardwell’s defining features is the curvature around its main windows, meant to resemble sculpted clay. “This is a building where we’re going to be shaping and molding and creating,” said Todd Guy, the school’s dean. “That clay is like our students, who are being shaped and molded into the image of Christ.” The window above its main entrance provides a wealth of natural light and glows like a beacon at night.
A Wealth of Inspiration
In addition to its constant rotation of exhibits and student work, the building also has a number of donated pieces on permanent display. Just outside the main entrance is sculptor Lynn Aldrich’s “Water Tangle,” donated by Howard and Roberta Green Ahmanson. “Of Strongholds,” a piece from professor emeritus Barry Krammes, hangs in a first-floor hallway.
Bardwell Project Space
Just inside the building’s main entrance is the “Bardwell Project Space,” an expansive 1,100-square-foot gallery with high ceilings and moveable (and removable) walls. The space will be used primarily to showcase student, faculty and alumni artwork — allowing the existing Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery, just across the walkway, to be used primarily for exhibitions from professional artists.
Art Yard
Conveniently located near the studio spaces is an outdoor art yard — accessible through a roll-up garage door in the side of Bardwell. The space is ideal for painting, constructing and loading especially large items into the building.
Photo Lighting Studio
The building’s photo lighting studio is equipped with a permanent lighting station where students can create photographic artwork or document other forms of artwork. It also serves as a space where students can work on mounting, matting and framing their artwork.
Lightroom and Darkroom
A conjoined darkroom and lightroom provide students with essential access to traditional photographic equipment and processes — a great asset as the demand for traditional darkroom experience has undergone a renaissance among professional photographers of all kinds. Utilized by all art majors, and particularly by students in the photography concentration, the space contains everything required for processing negatives and enlarging and printing photos.