Open Studios Art Tour
South County
October 4 & 5
North County
October 11 & 12
All County
October 18 & 19
Every October, more than 300 artists will open their studio doors to the public. Meet our local creatives, witness their artistic process and buy direct. Open Studios is a FREE, self-guided, countywide art tour. We invite you to experience the creativity of Santa Cruz County!
In-Person & Virtual Application Assistance Available
Drop-in office hours from 12-1pm on Thursdays:
March 6, 13, 20, 27, & April 3, 17, 24
In-person: Arts Council Santa Cruz County office at the Tannery Arts Center, 1070 River St, Santa Cruz
Virtual on Zoom: To join the Zoom meeting during the listed dates and time, go to bit.ly/os25-help
FAQ for Artists
All images submitted with your application must be formatted to the following specifications:
Dimensions: 1920 pixels on the longest side. To assist artists who do not have images that are 1920 pixels or larger, the system will also accept images that are at least 1400 pixels on the longest side.
- File name: Name your file, LAST name, FIRST name, AND NUMBER 1-6 (ex: Smith-John-1)
- File format: Save all images as JPEG or JPG files
- File size: Must be under 5.0 MB
- File Resolution: 72-300dpi
- Color space: RGB
Visit the ZAPP® Help Center and select the Digital Tutorials and Resources tab for a list of image sizing resources.
Artist Guide image:
Your Artist Guide image must be one of the seven and formatted to the following specifications in order for it to print properly. Please note the specifications are different from the other six image specs for the application.
- File name: Name your file, LAST name, FIRST name, Guide (ex: Smith-John-Guide)
- File type: .tif or .jpg
- File format: CMYK is the preferred format; however, RGB is acceptable
- File resolution: Must be 300 dpi
- File size: 4.667" wide x 3.777" high (1400x1133 px)
Bay Photo Film is offering Open Studios 2025 artists two special packages to get their artwork (flat art only) professionally photographed and files formatted to Open Studios application specifications!
Learn MoreSouth County: Saturday & Sunday, Oct 4 & 5 (South County includes Live Oak, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Freedom, Corralitos, La Selva Beach, and Watsonville)
North County: Saturday & Sunday, Oct 11 & 12 (North County includes the City of Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Boulder Creek, and Davenport)
All County: (optional) Saturday & Sunday, Oct 18 & 19
Hours: 11am - 5pm
We welcome all artists 18+ years or older, from emerging to professional to apply. All applicants and participating artists must be permanent residents of Santa Cruz County.
There is a $40 application fee (non-refundable) Once invited the participation fee is $325 for returning artists and $285 for first-time artists. Payment is due on June 30th (payment plans available).
An Open Studios studio is defined as the artist’s regular workspace. It can be a room in your house or apartment, a space in your garage, a table in your kitchen, a space in your yard, or a studio space you rent throughout the year.
To uphold the spirit of the tour, the majority of stops during Open Studios need to be at artists’ working studios, however we do offer hosting at several locations in South County. We also give other artists the option to be “host locations” if they have room to share. Artists requesting a host will be paired with a host location.
Yes. Seven jurors use a blind jury process to review each set of images provided by each artist; identities of individual artists are not disclosed to jurors. Materials and dimensions for each piece of art as well as your description of materials & techniques are made available to the jurors. Price information is NOT provided to jurors and is NOT considered in the jury process.
You’ll need to submit high quality digital images of seven individual pieces of art representing a cohesive body of work that shows technical proficiency in one selected medium at the time you apply. We only accept work samples created between 2021 and the present.
File format: JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIF
File size: 5.0 MB or less (under 2.0MB recommended)
File Resolution: 72-300 dpi
Color space: RGB or CMYK
Visit the ZAPP® Help Center and select the Digital Tutorials and Resources tab for a list of image sizing resources.
NEW! Bay Photo Film is offering Open Studios 2025 artists two special packages to get their artwork (flat art only) professionally photographed and files formatted to Open Studios application specifications!
Learn MoreA minimum of 15 original pieces in the selected medium under which you were juried.
In addition to the 15 pieces of original art in the one selected medium under which you were juried, artists may display reproductions of their work and sell artwork in other media during Open Studios. Reproductions should be limited to 25% of display.
Artists will be notified by email by June 1, 2025 regarding the status of their application. Notification will be sent to the email address from your ZAPP® Artist Profile. Please make sure your ZAPP® profile information is up to date with the correct email address.
- Up to two full weekends to welcome the public to your studio and sell your artwork.
Increased visibility and name recognition.
$20,000+ in print/online/radio ads throughout Santa Cruz County, Silicon Valley, and Monterey County.
Listing in the Open Studios Artist Guide & app (22,000 free Guides & free app).
Listing on the Open Studios webpage, including image and hyperlink to your website.
Social media exposure through Arts Council & Open Studios Facebook & Instagram pages, e-blasts, and Arts Council newsletter.
Preparation support for marketing and merchandising your work.
A piece of your artwork in the Preview Exhibit at the Santa Cruz Art League (optional).
Artists in remote locations of the County will have the option of displaying a second piece at the Satellite Preview Exhibit at the Porter Building in Watsonville.
- All first-time participants are offered one-on-one mentoring from a veteran Open Studios artist.
Arts Council provides professional development support to artists in the months leading up to the start of the Tour including artist workshops, support documents, a private resources page, and emails covering a variety of topics – marketing your artwork, pricing your artwork, social media marketing and more.
Artists are invited to join a private Facebook group for Open Studios artists where you can support each other and share information.
Email Bree Karpavage, Open Studios & Tannery Arts Center Manager at bree@artscouncilsc.org
Email Bree KarpavageYou can mark your favorite artists in the app, map their location, and build a bespoke tour to suit your interests.
Search for “Santa Cruz County Open Studios.”
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