Hack Arts Lab

The Hack Arts Lab (HAL) provides an open-access laboratory for creative digital fabrication and visualization.  This makerspace-styled workshop is designed to support a breadth of activity ranging from undergraduate personal projects to faculty-led curricular exploration.  

HAL resources include 3D printers, laser cutters, soldering stations, workbenches, and microcomputing tools, all offered at minimal cost. Access to HAL resources is managed through the MADD Center Canvas course. Self-enrollment in the Canvas course is available via this link. 

Our equipment and facilities are available to University of Chicago students, staff, and faculty for creative projects and teaching uses. We support the curricular needs of courses interested in digital fabrication and visualization, as well as self-directed projects. 

In 2019, HAL was moved to be in close proximity to a group of other design and visualization resources, within the university's Media Arts, Data, and Design (MADD) Center. Initiated by Jason Salavon, associate professor in the Department of Visual Arts and the Computation Institute, and managed by the Logan Center’s Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Media Center, the lab is generously supported by the Logan Center for the Arts, the Institute for Molecular Engineering, the Office of the Vice President for Research and National Laboratories, IT Services, and the Division of the Humanities.