Katie Boerema

When John O'Keefe-Odom began to expand his freelance photography business, he needed a place to scan his color slides.

But Mr. O'Keefe-Odom, a landscape photographer, could not use media labs at local colleges because they were available only to current students. Then he found the North Shore media lab sponsored by the Association for Visual Arts.

"(It's) a community darkroom," he said, explaining how rare it is to find one.

The AVA media lab near Coolidge Park opened in September 2008, giving professionals access to expensive software and other equipment, said Katie Boerema, AVA's spokeswoman.

"We identified the need in the city for artists to be able to access digital media," Ms. Boerema said.

What started as a place for AVA members to have access to computer equipment to save their artwork and also learn new technology for visual art became a place where any professional could use the lab for a monthly fee, she said.

While AVA expected only about 100 people to use the lab the first year, about 300 people did so, some on a daily or weekly basis, Ms. Boerema said. But AVA staff members still think the lab is "a hidden secret in Chattanooga," she said.

"I'm surprised I don't have to wait in line to use that lab," Mr. O'Keefe-Odom said.

The lab was opened after a $150,000 investment partly funded by the George Johnson Foundation, the Benwood Foundation and AVA donors, Ms. Boerema said.

Ten computer stations in the room are stocked with the latest editions of Adobe programs, Final Cut video-editing software and music-editing software. Staff members help monitor the lab and offer assistance when users aren't familiar with a program, she said.

Several four- or five-week classes are offered throughout the year including introduction to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and beginner video making.

Many professional artists use the lab to upload their art before showcasing it at art shows, said Alex Zuccarelli, an AVA lab instructor. Photoshop -- which alters and finetunes photos -- is the most popular class, he said, and attracts a variety of students, from artists who want to learn how to enhance their photos to beginners who are "terrified of the computer."

The professionals who use the lab often are business owners, freelance photographers and artists who graduated from colleges where they had access to all the same equipment, Ms. Boerema said. At the beginning of their careers, many emerging artists can't afford the equipment needed to continue their work, she said.

"When students get out of college, that's kind of when the ball gets dropped," she said. "Unless they've already embarked on a career where they've got all the graphic design programs they need they'll have to pay for it on their own, and that's quite an investment."

Mr. O'Keefe-Odom said that, if he had purchased all the equipment he used at the lab, he would have spent about $10,000.

"It doesn't make good financial sense to go out and buy equipment that isn't used often," he said.