THE FINE ARTS BUILDING houses the Departments of Art, Theatre, and Dance. Opened in 1992, the distinctive, multipurpose building was designed to be the artistic center of the campus.In addition to classrooms and faculty offices, the 47,000-square-foot building provides three large studios for painting, sculpture and drawing, as well as a computer graphics lab serving the digital graphics and photography programs. It includes the latest in computers, software and color printers. Art facilities also include a framing center, visual resources center, and photo portrait studio. The heart of the building is Markel Auditorium, a 353-seat amphitheater complete with a 40-foot thrust stage and an orchestra pit that can be raised or lowered. Productions here are supported by a theatre design studio, a scene shop, prop storage facilities, a costume shop, makeup and dressing rooms, lighting catwalks and a fully computerized control center for sound and lighting. The drama and dance programs are further supported by the Quilhot Black Box Theatre and its neighboring Performance Studio. The John E.N. and Dede Howard Department of Music, housed in the adjacent Howard Music Hall, presents numerous performances in Markel Auditorium as well. The Fine Arts Building also contains the Daughtrey Gallery, which has been host to a long series of professional exhibits as well as shows of work by Hillsdale faculty and students. A performance studio, completed in 2003 by Theatre Department faculty and students, provides 600 square feet for dance classes, as well as other performance classes within the department. Throughout the building, special measures have been taken to ensure safety in studio, lab and shop practices. Ventilation, workspace lighting and dust collection plus eye wash stations provide protection for faculty and students alike.