The studio tour celebrates its 10th anniversary
Local Stanislaus County artists will open their studios to the public during the 10th anniversary Artist Open Studio Tour.
The self-guided workshop tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 23 and 24. A free booklet, available online and in print, contains photos of the art and descriptions of the 41 artists on the tour.
Tour participants can plan their itinerary to visit artisans and makers of jewelry, ceramics, paintings, woodworking, mosaic, textiles, photography, and metalwork. Artists can show visitors the tools and materials while demonstrating some of their skills.
Attendees of the Stanislaus Artist Open Studio Tour will have the chance to see artists demonstrate their skills, such as Turlock painter Rhett Owens.
Visitors can buy directly from artists while supporting the local artistic community. Additionally, visitors can enter a free drawing to win an artwork created by artists Rhett Owings, Barbara Gill, Randy Crimmel or Richard Bradshaw.
Artists will post directional signs to their studios or outdoor spaces. The tour booklet will be available at the Carnegie Arts Center, 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, Mistlin Gallery, 1015 J Street, Modesto, or online at www.stanislausaos.com.
Artisans of all kinds will open their workshops, including Modesto mosaic designer Karen Kingsbury.
The first Artist Open Studio Tour was organized in 2010 by Alice Richards, who provided seed money and organized the artists for the Central California Art Association. The Mistlin Gallery hosted potlucks for the artists and distributed materials for the artists. The Gallo Center for the Arts hosted previews for Open Studio artists in the lobby. The first tour card was $10 and included 30 performers and a “passport” with entry form to win an artwork. The tour repaid Richards and became self-sufficient. However, COVID canceled the 2020 tour and the booklets were discarded. Following COVID guidelines, the tour resumed in October 2021 and became free to the public. This year’s event features eleven artists who took part in the original 2011 inaugural tour.