You’re probably familiar with a frantic undergrad student’s workspace of scattered textbooks and notes, but a PennDesign Masters of Fine Arts student’s workspace is more an assemblage of every material and art supply imaginable. For one night only, 31 studios will be open to the entire Penn community (with snacks!) on April 11, so that you can actually visit them and experience the creative spaces yourself. Most Penn students unerstand the comfort of working in a consistent location (if one more person declares they can’t work anywhere but Huntsman/Fisher/4th floor Van Pelt…), but for these students in the two–year MFA program, each personal studio is a place to call “home.”
What accumulates to about 40 hours each week is spent in the studio—the bulk of the PennDesign experience. Toisha Tucker, a second–year concentrating in conceptual art and painting, explained that as an MFA candidate, “you try to develop your ‘artistic voice.’” While that may be similar to the “critical thinking skills” we pursue as undergrads, it’s a far more interesting journey to witness. Meticulous mockups and inspirational texts are pinned to Toshia’s studio’s walls. Her current project, a humidifier that disperses volcanic ash throughout the space, will soon be put into action.
Claire Bidwell, a first–year, is excited to have people enter her workspace: “I have two things that I’m working on right for final reviews, and I might throw a couple other things up, just because there are going to be people around. I just think it’s fun to talk to people who aren’t in the program and just get their reactions.” She’s concentrating in painting and is bold with her materials, which include glass, wood and gold leaf. She uses them to reflect her musings on the “highly aestheticized image culture” found on the internet. Laughing, she also mentioned: “I’ve been using sprinkles…and sometimes I paint with a cake icer.” She plans only to sweep up the excess sugar before open studios event, naturally.
Theo Tucker, a first–year digital photographer, is more traditional: he covers a gamut of subjects and edits a little. “Only the basics: color balance, lightness, darkness,” he shrugged. He welcomes visitors to his workspace: “I’m just leaving it as is, I think it’s a way to see a work in progress. I want people to see what it’s really like.”
The oft–overlooked Morgan Building will serve as the hub for the night, but there are also open studios in the nearby Franklin Annex building and Duhring Wing of Fisher Fine Arts. Come for a unique chance to explore painting, sculpture, mixed media, installation, and conceptual artwork—not pristinely displayed in a museum, but in the midst of creation and surrounded by other projects. Fling is almost upon us, and something tells me you won’t be doing work anyway.
Event Details:
UPenn MFA Open Studios Thursday, April 11th, 5:30–7:00 p.m.
Morgan Building 205 S. 34th St.
Franklin Annex 3451 Walnut St.
Fisher Fine Arts Library, Duhring Wing 236 S. 34th St.
Sponsored by the MFA Arts Lounge and GAPSA
