MFA candidates in the Visual Arts Division of Columbia's Graduate School of the Arts will open their studios to the public on Saturday, December 15, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Artists will be present to greet visitors and discuss their work in an informal setting geared to provide the kind of contact and exchange rarely found in a gallery setting. In all, 46 students will open their painting, printmaking, sculpting and digital media studios to art critics, artists, gallery owners and the University community during this event. All three of Columbia's studio buildings, Watson Hall, Prentis Hall and the Studebaker Building, will welcome visitors.

"The students have been working around the clock to ready themselves for what promises to be an exciting new event in the Visual Arts Division," said Jon Kessler, chair of the Visual Arts Division. "This gives a chance for the students to turn the private space of their studio into a public forum for the day, to get feedback from the other students in the University and the arts community in New York. In turn, it gives the outside a chance to come in and experience the incredible vitality and richness of talent and ideas that our students in the program share with each other."

The Visual Arts Division's alumni include some of today's most interesting emerging artists, including ChanShatz, Sue De Beer and Tim Gardner. The Visual Arts Division, with Kessler as chair, has started a new chapter in its mission to foster emerging trends and aesthetics with a dynamic roster of faculty and students. With the addition of Dana Hoey, Kara Walker, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Coco Fusco to the full-time faculty and the recent growth of art spaces and communities in Harlem, the Visual Arts Division is in the midst of a flourishing artistic environment.

Maps of the individual studio buildings will be available in the lobbies. The locations of the studio buildings are as follows: Watson Hall, at 612 West 115th Street (between Broadway and Riverside Drive) Prentis Hall, at 632 West 125th Street (between Broadway and Riverside Drive) The Studebaker Building, 615 West 131st Street (between Broadway and 12th Avenue)