The Master of Fine Arts, Studio Art Fall Open Studios at Oakland’s Mills College took place this year on December 7th,  featuring a wide array of interdisciplinary artworks in progress within the studios of 2014 and 2015 Studio Art MFA candidates Gwynessa Balvanz, Malena Lopez­Maggi, Sarah Beckstrom, David Mohr, Aurora Crispin, Dani Padgett, Veva Edelson, Christine Patterson, Megan Ender, Rachelle Reichert, Jackie Farkas, Heather Engen, Sara Kerr, Kate Rhodes, Kevin Keul, Miranda Robbins, David Kim, Lucienne Silva, William Koone, Jessica Smith, Margaret Lawless, Susan Sternberg, and Kelsey Thorne.

The Fall Open Studios event provides audiences with a unique viewing experience into the artistic process. In comparison to Spring Open Studios that occurs as a kind of finale to the academic year, presenting works of a full year’s experiences, students who open their doors in Fall are quite actually still undertaking the College’s distinguished Master of Fine Arts program– still receptive to learning, changing, and evolving their practice. Many works are in the nascent stage for the Mills Art Museum MFA thesis exhibition taking place in May next year for the graduating class. The change and process undergoing, it may be argued, is one of the most significant facets to be observed in events like this. This growth will perhaps be most acutely observed and appreciated to audiences who attend both Fall Open Studios and Spring Open Studios next year.