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.
See individual class listings for holidays, materials lists, and other important information. The spring semester begins the week of February 16 and ends May 15, 2026.
Friday, January 23 (9am, ET)
Friday, January 23 (9am, ET)–Tuesday, January 27 (12pm, ET)
Wednesday, January 28 (12pm, ET)
Tuesday, February 3 (9am, ET)–Monday, February 9 (12pm, ET)
Tuesday, February 10 (12pm, ET)
First-come, first-served registration opens for any remaining seats once all lottery registrations have been processed. Please note this may take a few days.
Payment & Confirmation: You must accept your lottery spot and pay within 48 hours of 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). If you ask to be added to the waitlist after the lottery submission form closes, you will be added to the bottom of the list.
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? Contact us at art-studios@mit.edu
We’re excited to welcome you to the studios this spring!
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Day/Time: 10 Mondays starting February 23, 4:30–7:00pm There is no class March 23 or April 20. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso In this introductory class adult students will learn the basics of wheel throwing, including but not limited … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Mondays starting February 23, 7:30–10:00pm There is no class March 23 or April 20. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso In this introductory class adult students will learn the basics of wheel throwing, including but not limited … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 7:00–10:00pm There is no class March 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. Think … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 5:30–8:00pm There is no class March 24 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 implications … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 4:00–6:30pm There is no class March 24. Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan Improve your throwing and hand-building skills in this intermediate level class. Develop confidence with your skills while we focus … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 5:30–8:00 pm There is no class March 24. Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-429 Instructor: Jacob Geiger Students will learn how to make and process photographs with a digital camera. The course will cover camera … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 2:30–5:00 pm There is no class March 24. 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 techniques … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Tuesdays starting February 17, 10:00am–12:30pm There is no class March 24. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This course is designed to assist intermediate and intermediate plus students looking to improve their throwing technique and take … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting February 18, 4:30–7:00pm There is no class March 25. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso In this introductory class adult students will learn the basics of wheel throwing, including but not limited to: making bowls, … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting February 18, 7:30–10:00pm There is no class March 25. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Marc Mancuso This course is designed to assist intermediate and advanced students looking to improve their throwing technique and take on new … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Wednesdays starting February 18, 2:00–4:30pm There is no class March 25. 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 exercises … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting February 19, 4:00—6:30pm There is no class March 26. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio (W20-431) Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This class will introduce you to the basics of wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing your creation. Learn basic techniques … Continued
Day/Time: Thursday, February 19, 8:00–9:00pm; Thursday, April 2 8:00–9:00pm; and TBD final critique date. Other dates scheduled based on student interest. Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-429 Instructor: Jacob Geiger Prerequisites: This course is for intermediate and advanced students who have … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting February 19, 5:30-8:00 pm There is no class March 26. Location: W20Art 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, students will … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting February 19, 7:00–9:30pm There is no class March 26. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan Improve your throwing and hand-building skills in this intermediate level class. Develop confidence with your skills while we focus … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Thursdays starting February 19, 3:00—5:30pm There is no class March 26. 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 handling … Continued
Day/Time: 10 Fridays starting February 20, 1:00-3:30pm There is no class March 27. Location: W20 Ceramics Studio, W20-431 Instructor: Darrell Finnegan This mixed level class is designed for those who want to advance their skill level from beginning to intermediate … Continued