A studio is a room or building where an artist, musician, photographer, or broadcaster works or records; it can also mean a small one-room apartment.
From Italian 'studio' meaning 'study' or 'workroom', from Latin 'studium' meaning 'eagerness, study'. Over time it became associated with creative workspaces and later with recording and film production.
The word for an artist’s workspace comes from the same root as 'study', hinting that art is serious work, not just play. A 'studio apartment' is literally a living space that’s just one big workroom for life.
Historically, art and film studios were often male-dominated spaces, with women excluded from training, leadership, or authorship roles. The word can carry associations with gatekept creative industries in which women's work was frequently undervalued or made invisible.
When referring to studios, avoid assuming the default artist, director, or producer is male, and include examples that reflect women and gender-diverse creators where relevant.
Acknowledge women artists, producers, and studio heads who built or led influential studios despite systemic barriers, and avoid presenting studio history as driven only by male figures.
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