I feel that The Studio Visit at Exit Art was ideal for a first trip to ease into the semester.  Because this show was so large, it alone kept us busy for the entire class period, and there was still so much that I didn’t get to see.  I think the concept of this show is fantastic.  In the world of art, the emphasis, the real importance, is always placed on the final product.  This exhibition, however, offers a glimpse into the process of creating the art and the associated motivations and feelings.  The artists who submitted studio videos to this show are making themselves vulnerable, opening up a whole new part of their world to the general public that is rarely seen.  But this part is so important, for it gives so much perspective into how and why works of art end up the way they do.
            In high school, I participated in a club that took monthly art field trips, and the studio visits were always some of my favorite.  It’s almost as if the artist is saying to the audience “Hello, why don’t you get to know me?  See what I look like, see how I work, maybe we can be friends!” and there is something really special about that, more than just the fact that it’s not something you witness every day.  And here, in this one (albeit giant) room, there are over 150 artists all inviting you to take the time to get to know them.  What makes it even more unique is the fact that they are all posing this invitation in their own ways.  Some of them do it in a more straightforward fashion, showing you, the viewer, what a typical day is like for them.  Some of them do it in a completely abstract way that leaves you wandering what on earth just happened, but trying to figure it out only adds to the intrigue.  And some of them are actually standing right in front of you in the flesh, wearing tiny pink shorts and a pink shirt, offering you the opportunity to silk screen a shirt with one of their designs.  This certainly does not happen every day.
            I think the exhibit was really well set up.  The makeshift viewing booths provide an isolated area in which to watch a video without being distracted by the surrounding videos, yet also without being completely cut off from the rest of the show.  The somewhat translucent curtains surrounding the booths make it easy to tell if a particular booth is already occupied, in which case you can choose from one of the several other surrounding booths, one of which was bound to be empty.  Perhaps, however, you wish to share the viewing experience with someone else, much like the artist is sharing him or herself with you.  When watching a video, or really observing anything with someone else, you automatically have someone with whom you can discuss what you have just witnessed.  This discussion is important, because the other person will often have noticed things you have not, and vice versa, allowing you to open up each others’ eyes to the subtleties you would not have noticed individually.
            This exhibition is all about sharing.  Again, one of the especially unique parts of the show is the physical studios of the select artists which are temporarily located right in the windows.  This means that not only can visitors to Exit Art observe these artists at work, but so can random passerby on the street.  In fact, it is easier for people walking by outside to view these mini-studios than those inside.  These artists are, in my opinion, especially vulnerable because they are setting themselves up for anyone to see, whether they want to see or not.  I wish I could thank every one of the artists in this show for offering the world even a brief look into their private lives.