This week Protostudio visited The School of the Art Institute, where I am a current graduate student, to tour some studios and see the facilities. For 90 minutes we hopped from one graduate studio to another to see work in progress and to talk to a few students. Later, we walked through the main building to see painting, printmaking, photography, and ceramics classrooms. The image above is Sarah K. walking through part of K lab, the green lab. 
Above is an in-progress installation by Ji Young Yoon in her studio, while below, is a student exiting a sculpture by Nick Parparian.
Prior to visiting SAIC, I sent the students images of artwork by Ai Weiwei, an artist without an MFA degree who has the attention of the art world. Weiwei utilizes historical materials and techniques to complicate development in China and the creation of history.
Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola Logo, 1994
Sunflower Seeds, 2010. 100 million hand-painted porcelain seeds.
Map of China, 2004. Iron wood from dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty.
ProtoStudio 