MAD's Artist Studios program invites visitors to ask questions, view works in progress, and gain firsthand exposure to the creative process of resident artists and designers working on site at the Museum. The residents represent diverse experimental creative practices and participate in a wide range of intergenerational public programming. Open studio hours are held Wednesday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. During that time, the artists welcome Museum visitors inside their workspaces for conversation and close looking. 

Established in 2008, the program is widely recognized as an innovative model for museum education and has served as an important platform for nearly 200 artists and designers. Alumni of the program have gone on to highly regarded careers, and after their time at MAD have proceeded to exhibit work at MAD and other major institutions, including the Queens Museum, Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Studio Museum, among others. The MAD Artist Fellowship was introduced in 2016 to support the practice of emerging NYC-based artists from historically underrepresented communities.