Orange County Arts Council-Open Studio Tour 2013
What is the Orange County Arts Council Open Studio Tour?
The 2013 Open Studio Tour will take place over TWO weekends this year and will cover ALL
studios located in Orange County.
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October 12 & 13 will showcase the Eastern half of the County
October 19 & 20 will be the Western half of the County
Each artist will need to be available from 11am-5pm both days within their own studio, in a shared studio
with other artists, or in a HUB location where several artists will be demonstrating. The purpose of the Open
Studio Tour is to provide the public with a self-guided tour of local performing and visual art studios and
venues. Orange County artists and arts organizations are invited to open their doors to the public in an
effort to educate, communicate and bring about a broader knowledge of the arts. The Open Studio Tour
provides a rare opportunity for the public to observe working artists during the creative process. Artists
should be prepared to offer explanations and demonstrations of their materials and art process.
The objectives of the Open Studio Tour weekend are to:
1. Provide an educational experience to the regional community by inviting the general public to
experience the life of local artists at work in their studio environment,
2. Offer opportunities for the community to learn about the artistic process and sources of artistic
inspiration,
3. Present artists with an opportunity to market their work to the local community,
4. Encourage people to collect art by helping them begin art collections or enhance existing ones,
5. Create a greater awareness of the diversity and quality of local arts among the general public and,
6. Create connections between artists and the general public.
The Open Studio Tour provides a friendly and informal way for community members to enjoy and learn
about local art. Some reasons to participate in this event are:
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to celebrate a grand opening or a move to a new location, as well as show off refurbished studios;
to invite neighbors, clients and friends to see what you have been working on;
to offer special prices on certain pieces of work;
as a once a year open house event;
for performing arts organizations to promote their studios or venues by showcasing rehearsals,
demonstrating special choreography, and/or providing guided tours;
to distribute marketing material or take-aways detailing a unique creative process.
The Orange County Arts Council can provide assistance to anyone who is looking for ideas to engage the
public for this event.
The Studio Tour brochure will be an 8.5”X 11 folded booklet with images of each artist’s work, a physical
address of their location, their contact information and a brief description of their art. The booklet will also
contain information on how to access maps and directions through the Arts Council’s website. A
downloadable version of the booklet will also be available on the Arts Council’s website.
The Arts Council charges each participating artist or arts organization a small registration fee to offset the
cost of printing. Three thousand booklets will be distributed throughout the county in galleries, hotels, B&Bs,
businesses, eateries, art organizations, tourist information centers, libraries and at the Orange County Arts
Council offices. In addition, on Friday, October 12th, there will be an Open Studio Tour Reception where
each artist can display one piece of work, perform a piece or distribute promotional materials. This event is
also an opportunity for visitors to get a glimpse of what they might experience during the tours.
It is the Arts Council’s desire that the Open Studio Tour will open up the world of artists to everyone – from
students to the seasoned collector to the first-time art buyer or observer to the curious general public. We
believe that through education, visitors can become loyal customers and supporters of Orange County art.
PO Box 574, Sugar Loaf, NY 10981-Tel. 845.469.9168-Fax 845.469.3145-jen@ocartscouncil.org