Organizing
a Studio Tour
- © Carolee Clark, "Mill Pond"
30" x 30", acrylic
I’d like to take credit for coming up with
the idea of a Studio Tour but that wouldn’t be truthful. I actually
went on a Yamhill Studio Tour about 14 years ago and had a blast! There
were all sorts of wonderful artists who had opened up their work spaces
and gorgeous country to meander through between sites. I wanted to be
on this studio tour!
Since I don’t live in the Yamhill area, I asked two of my artist friends
if they would be interested in doing this. We decided that it would
have to be localized to Philomath which is a small town of about 4,500.
If we included nearby Corvallis we would be on the furthest reaches and
feared that no one would drive the extra few miles to get to us.
We approached Wild Rose Gallery in Philomath to see if they would like
to be on the tour and to ask about their take on local artists. The
owners Kathy Byram and Suzanne Cutsforth were terrific to work with and
receptive to the idea. We came up with nine artists and two local
galleries.
Where do we begin? No one had done anything like this but we pooled our
talents and it came together. We split up the responsibilities of
getting a postcard designed and published, developing a map, posters and
road signs. Someone organized a newspaper article and advertising, a
website and designed a survey for visitors to fill out about their
experience on the tour.
The artists busied themselves to get their studios “visitor ready”
putting away things that could be tripped over, toxic art supplies and
marking private areas. They also doubled their efforts at getting
inventory completed and labelled.
One of the best things we did for ourselves was the “Pre Tour.” We went
on the tour a few days beforehand to see what all of the studios were
like and the work that was to be presented. It was a so much fun. This
was important knowledge as visitors asked questions about other studios
(where, how, what, who) and this was fresh in our minds. We were
excited about the other studios and that was contagious.
Twelve years later, the number of artists has ballooned to 36 (we all
have guest artists now) and 15 studio sites. Our website has improved,
we did away with the postcard this year moving to a trifold pamphlet
that has the map, a list of the artists and a short explanation. We
have more highway signs and it now runs two weekends instead of just
one. It is still artist run, and the work is still high quality. It is
pretty amazing for a small town of 4,500. I’m very proud of the group.
For the artist, there are good and bad things about the tour. It is
important to get ones work in front of people and helpful to meet those
that are interested, hear their comments and answer questions. People
love coming into different studios and see where the art happens.
Several hundred people walk through your work space. This can be a
little disconcerting and tiring, no matter how much the artist loves to
talk about their work. It is a lot of work with meetings and deadlines
to organize the event.
I don’t do the tour every year, but I’m so glad that this event has
taken on a life of its own.
Oh … and if you go on the tour, wear shoes that slip on and off … some
studio hosts ask that shoes be removed!