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A professor looks at a painting and gestures toward it as she speaks to a student, who listens intently.

Open Studio

During Open Studio, you’ll prepare for a senior exhibition of your artwork without other distractions.

Studio Art Major

The studio art major culminates in Open Studio and the senior art show.

Students are immersed in building and exhibiting a personal body of work. The course is an independent study with a faculty mentor. Open Studio requires 40 hours each week of studio work and is taken the term before the Senior Show, where work is exhibited in the gallery of the Ford Center for the Fine Arts.

Open Studio gives students the opportunity to pursue their work without distraction in a challenging creative community that rewards intellectual and creative risks.

A group of six individuals and one dog gather around a table in a studio atmosphere. Snacks and drinks are spread out on the table.

A student works on a laptop in a studio environment. She's surrounded by paintings, paints, and a sculpture.
A person with long hair is photographed from behind as they hang a painting of an animal with blue and yellow undertones on the wall. Hands unroll a black, gray and white abstract painting.

Students Immerse Themselves in the Studio

During the winter term of their senior year, with no other courses, students immerse themselves in the studio while spending six hours each week in intensive critical exchanges with a team of faculty members in addition to weekly meetings with a faculty mentor. Studio exercises lead students to discover new creative directions, and to reassess assumptions that may hinder their development. For many, Open Studio is the pivotal experience in their transformation from student to artist.