Open Studios Art Tour 2012
The 2012 Open Studios Art Tour will be on October 13 & 14 and October 20 & 21. Visitors will be able to visit artists countywide during both weekends!
The application window to participate as an artist or gallery has now closed. If you are an artist who applied but has not received a confirmation email, call ARTS Obispo immediately.
The 2012 Open Studios Art Tour catalog will be available to download, in print, and (for the first time) as a free app on your smart phone late summer, early fall.
I am a VISITOR and would like more information in Open Studios in SLO County.
View the OSAT Spotlight blog, featuring artists and galleries on this year's Tour. To learn more about OSAT Spotlight, or how to become a featured artist, click here.
About the Open Studios Art Tour:
ARTS Obispo's Open Studios Art Tour (OSAT) is one of the largest Open Studios in the country, with over 200 artists participating annually by opening their studios for visitors to tour during three weekend in October.
Open Studios showcases the quality and diversity of art produced in SLO County. Visitors can see and purchase a wide range of original work by local artists who appreciate the opportunity to share how, why and where their art is created.
The Open Studios Art Tour is the largest visual arts event on the Central Coast, and ARTS Obispo's largest program. OSAT helps to support ARTS Obispo's community-based programs such as Arts in Education, Art in Public Places, and Art After Dark, supporting arts and culture in San Luis Obispo County.
How can I help support the Tour? Be a catalog sponsor or buy/reserve an ad for the 2012 catalog, join the committee, or make a donation!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Open Studios Art Tour?
The Open Studios Art Tour is the largest visual art event in SLO County, and ARTS Obispo's largest visual arts program. The self-guided tour takes place each year over two weekends in October and features work from several hundred artists throughout SLO County.
Art in a huge variety of media and styles is displayed and sold by artists directly in their homes & studios, and many artists have live demos and works in progress, to see the art being created and get a feel for the process from concept to completion. Visit the Online Visual Artist Directory to view artists images now!
Tour visitors look through our full-color catalog featuring images of participating artists’ work, their contact information and maps to their studios. As one Open Studios visitor remarked, “The art means more when one talks directly to the artist”.
How do I participate as an artist or gallery on the tour?
To participate in the Open Studios Art Tour, you must be a member of ARTS Obispo at the 'Artist Directory' level. Artists and galleries fill out an application and pay an Open Studios Art Tour fee to participate. Applications for 2012 will be available to download on the AO website and in the ARTS Obispo office in February 2012. Please click here for more information. Open Studios Artist Eligibility: Artists who live or work in San Luis Obispo County or within 20 miles of the SLO County line may participate in the San Luis Obispo County 2012 Open Studios Art Tour. In order for artists from outside SLO County to participate, they must be sharing a studio in SLO County, with a SLO County artist. If you have additional questions, call us at 805.544.9251.
When and where can I buy a catalog for the 2012 tour? Catalogs for the 2012 Tour will be available for distribution mid-September 2012. The smart phone (iPhone, Android) app will be available to download for free on September 1, 2012. Catalogs are also free to download from the ARTS Obispo website on September 1.
