They’re back! Those insanely popular weekends of October when everyone is invited to free, self-guided tours through the handiwork of hundreds of artists.
Open Studios marks its 40th year of inviting the public to a hands-on arts crawl. An offer we can’t refuse. And if you require a bit of nudging, some additional temptation, don’t miss the preview exhibits now running at the Santa Cruz Art League and Pajaro Valley Arts through Oct. 19.
Launched in 1985, Open Studios is a feast for the eyes, a chance to treat yourself and/or plan ahead for holiday gifting. But it also generates over $1 million annually in direct sales to artists, local shops, restaurants and hotels. Participants look forward to earning a large portion of their annual incomes during those three busy weekends.
Newly at the helm this year, Program Manager Bree Karpavage welcomes everyone to Open Studios. “We are excited to support over 340 artists this year from Watsonville to Davenport. Come discover where the magic of artistic inspiration happens and take home something special that speaks to you!”
Many of those showing their handmade arts and crafts return to this art crawl year after year. There’s wearable art by Christina MacColl (#184), whose colorful must-have designer coats, dresses and jackets show off a bold sense of color and cut under her Grant Designs label (showing with the whimsical sculptures by clay artist Brooke Matteson).
Printmaker Bridget Henry (#336) has been brightening interiors all over the country with her woodblock prints highlighting compelling themes and compositions peppered with spiritual and environmental imagery. Charles Prentiss (#18) is an icon of Open Studios, showing new and renewed views of his immediate La Selva landscape in robust oil paintings that reawaken the spirit of the Golden State. Also returning are the poetic color field dreamscapes painted by the tireless imagination of Hildy Bernstein (#327). And of course it’s impossible to imagine Open Studios without a chance to check out the mesmerizing blown glass works from Peter Vizzusi (#27).
And ah, the jewelry! The sophisticated collectibles from OS veteran Ann Wasserman (#137), the grand bejeweled statements by Andrea Mekkoudi (#142) and Musi Hunt (#156), sensuous pearl designs from Elizabeth Clar (#153). But I digress. The moody abstractions from Janet Trenchard show the range of acrylic painting in skilled hands (#166). Collectors of innovative photo and mixed-media visual statements will want to stop by the incredible studio of Sara Friedlander (#167). And on and on.
Ann Osterman, who began producing the program in 2004, knows all about how Open Studios became such a beloved fixture of our yearly celebrations.
“The tour started out in 1986, one weekend featuring 86 artists,” Osterman recalls. “It grew over the years and went from that one weekend to two and then to three weekends, one for North, one for South, and the last weekend where artists from throughout the county could participate. The tour is special because the public visits the artists in their working studios. This separates it from other festivals where artists simply present their work. The artists are asked to show process so the public learns more about how the art is made. People who don’t have an accessible studio, or have limited parking or aren’t able to invite the public into their space have the option of being hosted by other Open Studios artists. This helps them and it keeps the ‘studio’ in the Open Studios tour!”
Osterman stepped down last year, passing on the torch to new executive director Jim Brown, but the memories are vivid.
“Many participants confessed to me over the years,” she says, “that Open Studios represented up to 80 percent of their annual income. Some artists really built their business through Open Studios—the first that comes to mind is Marie Gabrielle. A supremely talented watercolor artist whose art really resonates with the public.”
What worked best, Osterman believes, was keeping it to the first three weekends in October. “It makes it easy for artists to know what other months and events they can enter, and the public knows when the tour will take place. I think the public just loves seeing actual studio spaces, seeing pieces that aren’t yet complete, seeing pieces that have failed. It’s truly fascinating! And even if you just leave with a greeting card or some small item, you have met the person who made it.”
Asked what she doesn’t miss about running the show, Osterman admits she doesn’t miss the deadlines “and the physicality of that last month of the prep, September, when we moved thousands of guides to outlets, set up and took down the booth at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival, did the staging, and installation of the Preview Exhibit and held the big public reception at the Art League. I had it all down to a science so it wasn’t stressful, but it was exhausting! Right now, this is the mellowest September I’ve had in 20 years!
“I am filled with pride for the job I did producing Open Studios. By the way, I inherited a wonderfully run program. Buff McKinley produced it before me and she had done a great job. But eventually we really did have to make some adjustments: When I started, artists filled out a four-page paper application and turned in slides for the screening. All the data from the applications had to be entered into a database. The slides had to be loaded in trays for the screening. It was terribly laborious.
“In 2012 we switched from the committee screening the applications to an online jury system,” Osterman explains. “That was a good shift for transparency. The only hitch was artists had to apply online. The first year of the Guide it sold for $6. Starting in 1999 the Guide was an Artist Guide/Calendar that cost $20. It stayed that way through 2013. In 2014 we published an Artist Guide without the calendar, still selling it for $20.
“Finally we reached out to Jeanne Howard at Good Times to see about printing and distributing an Open Studios Guide for free. They agreed and the change transformed the tour. No one has to have $20 to go see the artists. It is truly an art-for-all event!”
Open Studios Tour Dates
Oct. 4–5: South County artists (south of SC Yacht Harbor)
Oct. 11–12: North County artists (north of SC Yacht Harbor)
Oct. 18–19: All County, featuring 250+ artists across the region
Sat.–Sun. 11am–5pm
