FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) MFA Program to Hold Open Studios Current MFA students in the School of Art's Art, Photography and the Integrated Media programs at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) are pleased to announce the annual Graduate Open Studios Day. For one afternoon, Sunday, April 15 from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m., graduate students will open their creative spaces to the public. Those who attend will gain insight into the diverse practices happening at CalArts — a place where students test the boundaries of contemporary art. The open studios event provides a rare opportunity for visitors to CalArts to preview works in progress and converse with artists in a comfortable and informal setting. Each artist will be present in her or his studio and available to answer questions and discuss their artistic practice. Visitors to Open Studios are invited to bring objects, goods, and services of all kinds for trade and barter at the Trading Post, which will be open from 2-4 p.m. The Trading Post is a project by MFA student Daniel Pineda in which he creates an alternative to the marketplace with a zone of non-monetary exchange. Beginning at 7 p.m., a post-event reception will offer musical performances, drinks, and food. Visitors are invited to relax and enjoy the culture and atmosphere of this vital art making institution. The MFA program in Art, Photography, and Integrated Media at CalArts has produced an impressive range of influential contemporary artists. Notable CalArts alumni range from graduates from the 1970's such as David Salle, Matt Mullican, Jack Goldstein, Lari Pittman, Eric Fischl and Mike Kelley to Liz Larner, Cathie Opie, and Stephen Prina in the 1980's, and more recent alumni Ruben Ortiz-Torres, Sam Durant, Andrea Bowers, and Rodney McMillian. Directions: the CalArts campus is only thirty minutes north of Downtown or L.A.'s Westside by freeway, adjacent to Interstate 5 at the McBean Parkway exit in Valencia. A campus map showing the open studios is available online and will also be available in the main lobby upon arrival. Visitors are encouraged to preview students' work. The nation's first art institute to offer BFAs and MFAs in both the visual and performing arts, CalArts is dedicated to training and nurturing the next generation of professional artists, fostering brilliance and innovation within the broadest context possible. Emphasis is placed on new and experimental work and students are admitted solely on the basis of artistic ability. To encourage innovation and experimentation, CalArts' six schools — Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music and Theater — are all housed under one roof in a unique, five-story building with the equivalent of 11 acres of square footage in Valencia, California, just 30 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles. Contact: Margaret Crane CalArts/Gallery at REDCAT Media Relations Manager