Classes offered at the MIT W20 Student Art Studios

MIT W20 Student Art Studios Class Catalog

The W20 Student Art Studios receives exceptional interest in studio classes each semester. Because demand significantly exceeds facility capacity, a ranked choice lottery system is used to ensure the fairest possible access for all eligible students. This lottery allows students to rank their class preferences, giving them the best chance of being placed in courses that match their interests, skill level, and schedule.

For the spring and fall semesters, matriculated MIT students receive priority in the lottery. For IAP (Independent Activities Period) and summer terms, the lottery is affiliation-neutral, giving all MIT community members equal standing regardless of their affiliation with MIT.

Fall 2026 W20 Art Studio Dates

Classes begin the week of September 14 and end the week of November 16.
No classes October 12 and November 11.
W20 studios are closed the week of Thanksgiving (November 23-29).
Student access to the studios ends Friday, December 11, 4pm ET.

Stratton Student Center Fall Hours

Sunday–Saturday, unlocked from 6am to 7pm
Sunday–Saturday, card access only from 7pm to 1am

IAP 2027 Registration Timeline to be Announced

Important Notes

Payment & Confirmation: You must accept your lottery spot and pay by the deadline in your email notification. If you experience technical issues with payment but want to claim your seat, email art-studios@mit.edu immediately.

Waitlist: You must register for the lottery in order to get a spot on the waitlist for classes. If your name is not selected to register, you are automatically assigned a position on the waitlist(s) for your preferred class(es). You cannot be added to the waitlist after the lottery is closed, but you’re welcome to register for any classes that become publicly available.

Ceramics Placement: Please review the skill level guide carefully before selecting ceramics courses. To ensure a positive and productive learning experience for everyone, we reserve the right to drop students from the class if they do not yet have the necessary skills to fully engage with the course content.

Questions? Read our Studio Policies & FAQ. Still have questions? Contact us at art-studios@mit.edu

We’re excited to welcome you to the studios this fall!

Fall 2026 Classes:

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Russell Lee, Square dance in hills near McAlester, Oklahoma. Pittsburg County, 1939. Courtesy: Library of Congress/Public Domain.

FA26 Thursday Introduction to Black and White Photography | 6 Week Section

Day/Time: 6 Thursdays starting October 15, 7:30–10:00 pm *No class November 5 and November 26 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-429 Instructor: Jacob Geiger Photography started with black-and-white chemical processes, and black-and-white analog photography remains an important medium. During the semester, … Continued

Anonymous, [Studio Photographer at Work], c. 1855

FA26 Friday Large Format Black and White Studio Photography | 6 Week Section

Day/Time: 6 Fridays starting October 23, 4:30–7:00 pm *No class November 6 and November 27 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Jacob Geiger From under the dark cloth of a large format camera, discover one of photography’s most rewarding and … Continued

SAA, Ceramics. Credit: Jason Pastorello.

FA26 Monday Beginning Ceramics A

Day/Time: 10 Mondays starting September 14, 4:30–7:00pm *No class October 12 and November 23 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This class introduces students to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing. You’ll learn fundamental techniques to … Continued

SAA, Ceramics. Credit: Jason Pastorello.

FA26 Monday Beginning Ceramics B

Day/Time: 10 Mondays starting September 14, 7:30–10:00pm *No class October 12 and November 23 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This class introduces students to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing. You’ll learn fundamental techniques to … Continued

Color photograph of different types of photography and computing equipment arranged in a still life manner. The image is dark, almost to the point of the items being abstracted and obscured.

Office During Stay-at-Home Order 2020. Credit: Jacob Geiger.

FA26 Monday Introduction to Digital Photography

Day/Time: 10 Mondays starting September 14, 5:30–8:00 pm *No class October 12 or November 23 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-429 Instructor: Jacob Geiger Learn how to make and process photographs with a digital camera. This course covers camera controls, exposure … Continued

SAA Ceramics. Credit: Darrell Finnegan.

FA26 Tuesday Advanced Artistic Explorations

Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting September 15, 7:00–10:00pm *No class October 13 and November 24 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan Take your clay skills to another level while we explore challenging techniques such as altering, stretching, and cutting. … Continued

Color photograph of a brown clay bowl sitting on the pottery wheel where it was just completed.

Untitled. Credit: Jason Pastorello.

FA26 Tuesday Beginning/Intermediate Ceramics

Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting September 15, 10:00am–12:30pm Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This course introduces you to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing while building confidence with fundamental techniques. Whether you’re new to ceramics or … Continued

SAA Ceramics. Credit: Darrell Finnegan.

FA26 Tuesday Intermediate Ceramics A

Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting September 15, 4:00–6:30pm *No class October 13 and November 24 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This course is designed to help you improve your throwing and hand-building skills while taking on new and … Continued

A hand draws with a piece of charcoal on a piece of drawing paper clipped to a drawing board

Intro Drawing by Jennie Wang. Credit Timmy Hyunsoo Lee/MIT.

FA26 Tuesday Introduction to Drawing

Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting September 15, 3:00–5:30pm *No class October 6 or October 13 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of drawing. Students will explore a variety of drawing methods … Continued

Painting of white potteries placed in a perspective

SAA Intro Painting. Credit Timmy Hyunsoo Lee/MIT.

FA26 Tuesday Introduction to Oil Painting

Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting September 15, 6:00–8:30pm *No class October 6 or October 13 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of oil painting. Students will engage in a series of … Continued

SAA, Ceramics. Credit: Jason Pastorello.

FA26 Wednesday Beginning Ceramics C

Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting September 16, 4:30–7:00pm *No class November 11 and November 25 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This class introduces students to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing. You’ll learn fundamental techniques to … Continued

MIT Art Studios: Ceramics. Credit: Jason Pastorello.

FA26 Wednesday Intermediate Ceramics B

Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting September 16, 7:30–10:00pm *No class November 11 and November 25 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This course is designed to help you improve your throwing and hand-building skills while taking on new and … Continued

Russell Lee, Square dance in hills near McAlester, Oklahoma. Pittsburg County, 1939. Courtesy: Library of Congress/Public Domain.

FA26 Wednesday Introduction to Black and White Photography

Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting September 16, 5:30–8:00 pm *No class November 11 and November 25 Location: W20Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Jacob Geiger Photography started with black-and-white chemical processes, and black-and-white analog photography remains an important medium. During the semester, students … Continued

Close up color photograph of two hands using a metal rib to shape a cylinder of brown and white marbled pottery on a potter's wheel.

Untitled. Credit: Heidi Erickson.

FA26 Thursday Beginning Ceramics D

Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting September 17, 4:00–6:30pm *No class October 15 and November 26 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This class introduces students to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing. You’ll learn fundamental techniques to … Continued

A set of cake watercolor paints sit in colorful rows within an open white case.

Watercolor painting palette. Credit: Tim Gouw.

FA26 Thursday Color Guide

Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting September 17, 3:00–5:30pm *No class October 8 or October 15 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee The perception of color is not a fixed mode of seeing but rather psychological and relative. Understanding the … Continued

SAA Ceramics. Credit: Darrell Finnegan.

FA26 Thursday Intermediate Ceramics C

Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting September 17, 7:00–9:30pm *No class October 15 and November 26 Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This course is designed to help you improve your throwing and hand-building skills while taking on new and … Continued

An oil painting of a deep pink rose. The background is lush green. A fully bloomed rose leans heavily downward. In the upper left corner of the painting there are four new buds.

Intermediate Painting by Abijith Krishnan. Credit Timmy Hyunsoo Lee/MIT.

FA26 Thursday Intermediate Oil Painting Studio

Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting September 17, 6:00–8:30pm *No class October 8 or October 15 Location: W20 Art Studios (W20-425) Instructor: Timothy Lee This open-format studio in oil painting is geared towards students who already possess foundational skills in representation and … Continued

Untitled. Credit: Heidi Erickson.

FA26 Friday Beginning Ceramics E

Day/Time: 10 Fridays starting September 18, 1:00–3:30pm *No class October 16 and November 27 Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This class introduces students to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing. You’ll learn fundamental techniques to … Continued

A person closely examining a black and white photograph suspended over a lightbox.

Marjory Collins, Examining the dots on the screen of a negative in the darkroom, 1942.

FA26 Intermediate Photography Workshop

Day/Time: Monday, September 14, 8:00–9:00pm mandatory initial meeting. Final critique and other dates scheduled based on student interest. Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-429 Instructor: Jacob Geiger This course is designed for photographers with extensive experience in either film or digital … Continued