Open Studios Art Tour

Apply to be an Open Studios Artist
Artist David Salazar in his glass studio. Photo: Crystal Birns
image

South County

October 7 & 8

North County

October 14 & 15

All County

October 21 & 22

Apply to be in Open Studios

Applications Open

March 1, 2023

Applications Close

April 30, 2023

Attend an Application Assistance Workshop

Thursday, March 16, 7-8pm: Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St, Watsonville (bilingual)

Saturday, April 1, 1-2pm: Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St, Watsonville (bilingual)

Wednesday, April 5, 7-8pm: Arts Council Santa Cruz County, 1070 River St, Santa Cruz

No registration required. Drop in. Everyone is welcome. 

Follow Us For Updates

Open Studios at a Glance

We welcome all artists 18+ years or older, from emerging to professional to apply. All applicants and participating artists must be permanent residents of Santa Cruz County.

You must submit quality digital images of a technically proficient and cohesive body of artwork consisting of seven individual pieces in your one selected medium at the time you apply. This artwork must have been created between 2020 to the present.

You must have a minimum of 15 original pieces, in the one selected medium under which you were juried, on hand on opening day of the tour.

In addition to the 15 pieces of original art in the one selected medium under which you were juried, artists may display and sell other media artwork during Open Studios.

$40 to apply (non-refundable)

$300 participation fee for returning artists. Payment plans available.

$260 participation fee for first time artists. Payment plans available.

No. You will need a “Description of Materials & Technique” which will be read by the jurors. This statement is limited to 750 characters (letters, spaces & punctuation). Be clear and succinct in describing your artwork: State the medium, state the material(s)/media when significant, state the technique/when significant. Do not include your name or any other personal details in this description.

No. 

To uphold the spirit of the tour, the majority of stops during Open Studios need to be at artist’s working studios. However, if your studio is in a remote or inaccessible location, if your studio has little or no access to parking, if your studio cannot be made open to the public, or if you’re not sure where you will be working on your art in October, you can be hosted by another Open Studios artist. Arts Council assists with finding host spaces for artists.

An Open Studios studio is defined as the artist’s regular workspace. It can be a room in your house or apartment, a space in your garage, a table in your kitchen, a space in your yard, or a studio space you rent throughout the year. See the question above for alternative options.

Find a great place to stay throughVisit Santa Cruz County.

Connect to the Arts Community

Discover other ways to get involved year-round.

Artist Opportunities

Find opportunities and resources for artists across the county.

image
Watsonville Center for the Arts

Connect with this dance and music collective in downtown Watsonville.

image
Tannery Arts Center
image

Open Studios Sponsors

image
Presenting Sponsor
image
image
Major Sponsors
image
Media Sponsor