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.
Monday, May 4 (9am, ET)
Class offerings are posted on the W20 Student Art Studios website.
Tuesday, May 5 (9am, ET)–Monday, May 11 (12pm, ET)
Need-based tuition waiver lottery application is open.
Tuesday, May 12 (by 12pm, ET)
Need-based tuition waiver lottery recipients are notified by email and have until Thursday, May 14 at 12pm ET to confirm their enrollment.
Tuesday, May 19 (9am, ET)–Tuesday, May 26 (12pm, ET)
Summer class lottery is open. Participants select their top three class choices (one submission per person). Modifications can be made until the lottery closes.
Wednesday, May 27 (by 12pm, ET)
Lottery results sent via email. Winners have until Tuesday, June 2 at 12pm ET to accept their spot and complete payment. Those who are not selected for class will automatically be assigned a position on the waitlist. Unclaimed seats will be released to waitlisted students.
*Summer 2026 classes begin the week of June 15 and end the week of August 3. No classes June 19 or July 3.
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? Please read our FAQ. Still have questions? Contact us at art-studios@mit.edu
We’re excited to welcome you to the studios this summer!
Day/Time: 4 Mondays and Wednesdays starting June 15, 12:30pm-3:00pm *This class meets 2 times a week for four weeks Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of drawing. Students will explore … Continued
Day/Time: 4 Mondays and Wednesdays starting June 15, 3:00pm–5:30pm *This class meets 2 times a week for four weeks Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee As a continuation of the topics and skills covered in Introduction to Drawing, … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Mondays starting June 15, 4:30–7:00pm 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 confidently create on the potter’s wheel, including … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Mondays starting June 15, 7:30–10:00pm 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 confidently create on the potter’s wheel, including … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Tuesdays starting June 16, 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
Day/Time: 4 Tuesdays and Thursdays starting June 16, 1:00pm–3:30pm *This class meets 2 times a week for four weeks Location: W20 Art Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Timothy Lee This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of oil painting. Students will … Continued
Day/Time: 4 Tuesdays and Thursdays starting June 16, 4:00pm–6:30pm *This class meets 2 times a week for four weeks Location: W20 Art Studios (W20-425) Instructor: Timothy Lee This open-format studio in oil painting is geared towards students who already possess … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Tuesdays starting June 16, 4:00–6:30pm 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 more challenging forms. Through instructor demonstrations and … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Tuesdays starting June 16, 5:30–8:00 pm 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 fundamentals, digital workflows with Adobe Photoshop, color … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Tuesdays starting June 16, 7:00–10:00pm 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. We’ll develop advanced rim treatments that command … Continued
Day/Time: Tuesday, June 16, 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 This course is designed for photographers with extensive experience in either film or digital photography. … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Wednesdays starting June 17, 4:30–7:00pm 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 confidently create on the potter’s wheel, including … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Wednesdays, starting June 17, 6:00–8:30pm Location: MIT Arts Studios, W20-425 Instructor: Jacob Geiger While the silver-gelatin process has been the dominant mode of analog photographic print-making since the 1890s, many other chemical processes have been used historically to … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Wednesdays starting June 17, 7:30–10:00pm 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 more challenging forms. Through instructor demonstrations and … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Thursdays starting June 18, 4:00–6:30pm 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 confidently create on the potter’s wheel, including … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Thursdays starting June 18, 7:00–9:30pm 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 more challenging forms. Through instructor demonstrations and … Continued
Day/Time: 8 Fridays starting June 26, 1:00–3:30pm *There is no class June 19 & July 3 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 … Continued