Open Studios

I visited six artists at Open Door Studios in Evergreen today. I’d post a link to that, but they don’t have one. Here are some things I learned.

1. I really like the name of their event. “Open Door Studios” rather than just “open studios” seems more inviting and descriptive.

2. Four of the six artists were set up to demonstrate what they do to visitors. This was great! And you could tell they were getting good feedback. I’ve never before seen glass beads being made and it was very cool.

3. Bead artist Ginny Sycuro didn’t rely on the signs provided by the event management. She had her own signs made and had them hanging from her balcony and at the street corner. BIG difference!

4. A number of the artists didn’t have title cards and price tags beside or on their artworks. This is bad form when people are shopping.

5. One artist had a sign on the door that said “Please come in.” We came in and wandered all around her first floor for at least 10 minutes without ever seeing a soul. We heard people downstairs, but no one was there to greet us. Not only was it not welcoming, but we could have easily absconded with a number of items without anyone ever seeing our faces. The rest of the artists were very welcoming and had people there (spouses, friends) to help them manage visitors.

6. The studio tour needs a website or at least a single page that links to the artists. I had no idea what to expect until I visited the first artists' studio and picked up a program. Previous to that, I had received an invitation, which didn't even mention the artists' mediums or studio addresses.

Image: Here I am on the left with pastel artist Gail Posner. I really liked her inspiration walls–three walls full of postcards and ideas that wrapped around her small studio.