Press Room

Public Welcome to See, Meet, and Talk to Artists Installing, Working in the Studios, and Teaching

New York, NY (September 3, 2009)

As the only New York art museum dedicated to revealing the creative process, the Museum of Arts and Design invites audiences to meet more than 20 artists and designers this September and October. Artists at work at MAD will produce and install new works, and teach and lead special programs.

Artists Creating at MAD: 12
MAD is the only New York museum with an open studio program that allows visitors to watch the creative process first-hand, every day.

• Featured artists include ceramists, industrial designers, and installation artists: Sarah Abramson, Phyllis Kudder Sullivan, Lacey Jane Roberts, Jil Weinstock, Itamar Jobani, and Joan Lurie, among others.
• Daily session from 12 - 2 and 3 - 5 pm, and Thursdays 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Artists Installing at MAD: 6
MAD will invite the public to watch artists installing new site-specific works for Slash: Paper Under the Knife, a special exhibition about sculpture, video, and installations made entirely out of paper.

• Andreas Kocks, Celio Braga, Michael Velliquette, Tomas Rivas, and Mark Fox will install their work in MAD’s galleries on the 4th and 5th floors.
• Andrea Mastrovito will hang a massive paper installation from the ceiling of MAD’s lobby, visible to all visitors passing through and from the street.

Artists Teaching at MAD: 5
All teachers at MAD are practicing artists. They show adults and kids how to use the materials and techniques seen in MAD's galleries.

• MAD in Your Classroom, an in-school artist residency program about hands-on exploration.
• Groundwork, a class that helps high school students prepare portfolios for art school applications.
• Studio Sundays, from 2 - 4 pm every Sunday, gives visitors a chance to get their hands dirty.
• One-day intensive program on jewelry, including a workshop on forged silver and panel discussions, on September 12.
• More programs listed at MAD's virtual teacher's lounge and on its web calendar.

Artists Inviting MAD Visitors for Virtual Studio Tours: 26
Artists give MAD visitors virtual tours of their studios so they can see where and how they create the works on view at the museum.

• Full inventory of videos accessible on touch-screen kiosks throughout the galleries.
• Videos also available on YouTube and Art Babble.
• 10 new studio visits are currently in production.

For a full schedule of events, visit http://www.madmuseum.org/DO/Calendar.aspx

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design explores how craftsmanship, art, and design intersect in the visual arts today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the handmade to cutting edge technologies. The Museum's exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by creative and innovative artists. MAD's permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day.

At the center of the Museum's mission is education. The Museum's dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances and symposia related to the Museum's collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft and design are held in a renovated 150-seat auditorium.

For more information about the Museum of Arts and Design, visit www.madmuseum.org.