Digital Fabrication
Discover the exciting, cutting-edge tools available in our FabLab — Anderson Ranch’s impressive digital fabrication lab. These workshops provide powerful tools for self-expression in the hands of creative faculty, and present dynamic opportunities to merge the newest visual arts technologies with traditional processes.
A variety of workshops use the digital fabrication technology in the FabLab and throughout multiple studios on the Ranch campus. Explore the possibilities with our state-of-the-art equipment, including 4-axis CNC (computer-numerically-controlled) routers, Formlabs SLA Resin 3-D Printers, Prusa MK3S FDM 3-D printers, a Bambu Lab X-1 Carbon FDM 3-D printer, Epilog laser cutters, 3-D scanners, a Roland UV printer and vinyl cutter, and vacuum formers. Digital fabrication equipment is powered by Rhinoceros 3D, Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Fusion 360 and Meshmixer, a variety of 3-D printing slicing softwares, and more.
Our expert faculty and staff help you to master progressive new skill sets and exciting new ways of creating.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for digital fabrication workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Betsy Alwin
Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media
Betsy Alwin is the Artistic Director of Ceramics and Expanded Media at Anderson Ranch. She is a sculptor working in ceramics and mixed media. She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and holds an MFA from Illinois State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including the Berkshire Botanical Gardens (Mass MoCA), the National Botanic Gardens in Washington D.C., AIR Gallery, New York, The Phipps Center, Hudson WI, Gallerie Lucida in Red Brick, NJ, and The Ceramic Art Avenue Art Gallery, Jingdezhen, China. Public commissions include sculptures at the Onoden Elementary School in Tokyo, Japan, Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, MN, and Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, MN. She is the recipient of numerous awards including a 2022 Artist Individual Support Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and is a 2025 Aspen Museum Artist Fellow. Alwin is represented by Rubine Red Gallery in Palm Springs, CA.
Anderson Ranch Campus
Upcoming Workshops
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II
Level II
Students have a basic understanding of press operation, tools common to printmaking, paper preparation and basic principles of registration.
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III
Level III
Students have significant experience in the print medium that is the subject of the workshop.
Aug 24 - 28, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Experimental Monoprint with Laser Cutters
Lari Gibbons
Tuition $1,250
Code R1313-26
Explore a playful approach to making layered, hand-pulled monoprints through this fun, experimental workshop. We learn various ways to bring technology into our art-making practice, using the laser cutter as a flexible tool throughout the process. We discover how to turn drawings into laser-cut paper stencils, which we then use both in the printing process and as collage elements. We conclude by cutting our plexi plates into jigsaw-style pieces for more printing options. Our goals are to increase skills, exchange ideas, and expand our creative practices.
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II
Level II
Students have experience working with stationary machines and power tools and are familiar with basic principles of joinery and 3-D design.
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III
Level III
Students have some formal training in 3-D design, experience with a variety of materials and fabrication processes, and know how to use machine and hand tools competently and safely. Students have a portfolio of their artwork.
Aug 31 - Sep 4, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Light, Playful Prototyping
Elish Warlop
Tuition $1,200
Code W1413-26
Light, playful prototyping is a key element for developing new ideas in the studio. This exploratory workshop delves into rapid, fast-paced prototyping to help generate ideas focused on light, form, and material. Students begin by iterating with paper to achieve form, explore luminosity, translucence, and shadow. Through the organic lens of bent wood, we tie it all together with contemporary lighting design. Students design and prototype their own light fixture, blending basic wiring and digital fabrication tools like laser cutting with wood bending methods such as hot pipe bending and bent lamination.
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II
Level II
Students have basic knowledge of 2-D art making including form, negative space, value and line.
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III
Level III
Students have formal training in critical issues of 2-D art making, experience with public critiques and a solid portfolio of their artwork.
Sep 7 - 11, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Beyond the Canvas: Digital Fabrication and Sculptural Painting
Damien Davis
Tuition $1,295
Code D1532-26
In this hands-on workshop, students use the Fab Lab’s laser cutter and CNC router to translate personal imagery and visual ideas into hybrid works that combine digital precision with analog expression. Pushing two-dimensional painting onto three-3 dimensional surfaces creates a dynamic sense of wall power, and lets us explore painting as an object through individual experimentation. Incorporating physical elements, and painting on a variety of substrates and collage develops a sense of physicality, space, and texture. Painters and sculptors alike are invited to step outside of the rectangular picture plane, developing a deeper understanding of material relationships and the sculptural potential of the painted surface.