With the end of fall classes comes Open Studios, a one-night-only opportunity to dance, dine, shop, and discover with the School of Art. Nearly 100 emerging artists are pulling back the curtain on their studios and inviting the CMU campus and wider Pittsburgh community to explore their work and creative spaces. Ahead of this Friday’s showcase (December 6, 6pm to 9pm), students, faculty, and staff share what makes this longstanding tradition a standout moment of the year.
What’s special about Open Studios?
Sarah Yun (BFA ’25): We often share our work with peers, but Open Studios offers a rare opportunity to present it to a broader audience. What makes it even more special is that we’re not just showcasing our final products but inviting people into our process by transforming our studios into an exhibition space.
Bayu Adji (BFA ’25): I love exploring what everyone is doing, what they have nested in their little rooms, and what they want to show people. Never have I seen a boring studio in my entire four years at CMU.
Yoko Sekino-Bové (Assistant Teaching Professor of Art): Open Studios is an opportunity for me to observe what students create in their other art classes. Witnessing their growth and evolution in a wide variety of mediums provides valuable insights into their creative processes, interests, and aspirations. These observations can help me to support and guide them toward their goals.
Connie Kim (BFA ’25): It’s inspiring to witness the diverse approaches and creative expressions that each artist brings to the table. I also love how Open Studios brings us together to create an event that reflects our collective creativity.
Mimi Chuang (BHA ’25): Most of the semester everyone’s studios are curtained off and the space is quite serene. As an artist, I am very inspired by the people around me, so it’s always wonderful to be able to come to Open Studios and see everyone’s work styles and spaces.
Wendy Willis (MFA Program Assistant Director): Even though I walk past everyone’s studios every day, I don’t always get to see what they’re working on, so I’m excited to see more and learn about some of the undergrads!
Do you have a favorite memory from Open Studios?
Clayton Merrell (Dorothy L. Stubnitz Professor of Art): One of my favorite memories from past Open Studios is the year the students decided to make some giant gummy bears as a funny dessert option. They were about 16 inches tall, and looked great until the loge got hot, at which point they melted into gruesome puddles of sugary goo.
Mimi Chuang (BHA ’25): Last year, there was a little cat in one of the studios, and the student was selling cat-themed stickers and artwork.
Connie Kim (BFA ’25): One of my favorite memories from a past Open Studio was exploring each studio space and collecting unique stickers along the way. It felt like a fun, interactive treasure hunt that added a playful element to the day.
Dariyah Scott (BFA ’25): It was really fun last year to collaborate with a friend and do an audio-visual improvisation for those who came by. It was kind of a beautiful disaster that we learned a lot from, and I’m glad Open Studios gave us such low-pressure opportunities to do that.
Bayu Adji (BFA ’25): Has to be selling nearly all of my first-ever woodblock prints, and seeing what the masterful grads were doing.
Sarah Yun (BFA ’25): Minjin’s café from last year’s Open Studio — it was incredible how such a cozy and homey space was created and opened for just one night. It felt like a summer dream.
If your studio had a theme song, what would it be?
Sarah Yun (BFA ’25): My senior showpiece actually draws inspiration from this song. It’s called “Secret Garden” by OH MY GIRL.
Bayu Adji (BFA ’25): A mashup of “Teqkilla” by M.I.A. and “The Lonely One” by Alice Deejay.
Dariyah Scott (BFA ’25): Maybe something off of the Sundial album by Noname — “Oblivion” is a good one.
Clarine Lee (BFA ’25): For Lovers by Lamp.
Connie Kim (BFA ’25): “APT.” by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — it captures the energy and vibe of our creative space perfectly.
Mimi Chuang (BHA ’25): “Life Is” by Jessica Pratt. Kind of calm, kind of all over the place, and a lot happening all at once.
Tobi Aina (BHA ’25): “Blue” by Eiffel 65.
What will art look like in the year 3024?
Mimi Chuang (BHA ’25): I think art will very much be the same. But perhaps the introduction of a metaverse in virtual reality will create a new way for art to connect with others, like digital art completely made of smells.
Wendy Willis (MFA Program Assistant Director): If humans are still around, we’ll still be making the same mistakes and telling ourselves the same old stories. Maybe they’ll be done in clicks and pops and a new language that computers give to us? Maybe we will be singular with computers and just feel and sense art in a new sensory way! Or we will be back in the stone ages and sticking dead cockroaches to cave walls with tree sap. One of those two outcomes : )
Clarine Lee (BFA ’25): More interdisciplinary and hopefully not too plagued by AI.
Bayu Adji (BFA ’25): Electronic Time-Based art would be made by everyone and everything, and a thousand years is way beyond my horizon, but at least no one will be painting.
Tobi Aina (BHA ’25): Blue but better.
Dariyah Scott (BFA ’25): Realistically, I think we’ll have the same themes with newer technology. I think we’ll still use our hands, and appreciate the aspect of humanness in art. Ideology generally manages to not shift dramatically over long periods of time. So therefore, I could imagine more personalized experiences of art with the new technology spawning from new media art and more environmentally friendly ways of 2D/3D art making. What do I hope for 3024? I hope there’s art that depicts a place beyond something I could ever dream of; wonderfully immersive and full of happiness. l hope the construction of Blackness has begun to deteriorate and we move forward to a new cultural renaissance. I hope it’s full of wonderful images of how far we’ve come and how we’ve transformed beyond the constructs of race and gender. Where art is full of joy, thriving in all its diverse expressions.
Open Studios is a free, family-friendly event open to all. Street parking is available along Frew and Tech streets or in CMU’s East Campus Garage.