ARTIST MAGAZINE - November, 2007

By C. Sharp

Launch Your Own Studio Tour

Promote art, educate the public—and make money—by starting a first-class studio event in your community.

May 12, 2007  Tomorrow is our fourth annual Kirkland Artist Studio Tour (KAST). Banners are flying. Brochures are distributed. Signs are up and studios are ready ... all except mine. After breaking my ankle two weeks ago, I’m just not as efficient with one leg in a very large cast. So I’m sitting here at midnight on the floor of my studio, bagging and pricing prints, wondering what possessed me to start this crazy studio tour!

 It all began four years ago. After visiting several artist studio tours in the Seattle area, I thought, Why don’t we have a studio tour in our art-loving town of Kirkland? We have some pretty famous artists here but no organized studio tour. Why not just organize one? How hard can it be? Well it was harder than imagined but, with the help of my friend Joanne Shellan and 10 other artists, we did it! We chipped in $100 each and pulled together the first tour with only three months planning time.

Initially, we had a dozen artists and now we have over 30. Our budget has grown from $1200 to nearly $7000. Each year the tour gains popularity. Now 400 to 500 people experience the tour annually and rave about it. They buy a lot of art, too! This past year, sales ranged from $200 to $3000 dollars per artist.

I’ve learned a lot along the way and hope other artists take the initiative to launch their own tours. I’d like to share eight steps for getting a successful artist studio tour off the ground.

1. Organize a small, dependable planning committee to develop a mission statement, calendar, budget and marketing plan. Plan six to nine months ahead with a budget of at least $100 per artist. Leaders of established studio tours are invaluable sources of information. Although one complained, “How dare you compete with my tour,” most organizers were very generous.

2. Distribute a call for artists describing the application process. We ask each artist for a bio/resume and three digital images. Studios are located in Kirkland, but artists outside the area can share studio space with those who are here. Recruit the best artists who excel in a variety of mediums. One family of artists dazzled patrons by blowing glass inside a hot shop in their garage!

3. Create a postcard/brochure, map and signs. As your budget grows add posters, banners, websites and ads. The first year, we produced large postcards and cobbled together a free website. This year the talented artists on our planning committee created a beautiful brochure, artistic map, copper signs, banners, full-color ads and a stunning website.

4. Cultivate sponsors. Initially we “flew under the radar” and didn’t seek grants. Then we discovered the city of Kirkland had tourism dollars to get “heads in beds.” We now receive $4000 in grants from the city, the cultural council and our local real estate office. In-kind sponsors do printing and the Kirkland Art Center provides event insurance.

5. Execute a marketing/pr plan. Everything can be in place but, if no one shows up, you’re sunk! Besides sending out 10,000 brochures, we took out ads in a regional art magazine and wrote a spot for public radio. We sent out hundreds of press releases and posted online calendars. Promoting the same weekend each year builds a loyal following.

6. Support artists. Most artists are professionals and familiar with festivals, but studio tours have their own inherent challenges and pitfalls. CAN YOU ELABORATE IN ANOTHER SENTENCE? We hold several large planning parties. Artists share their artwork and ideas while they bend copper for signs and stamp brochures. We post tips on a private part of our website with topics ranging from pricing, insurance, credit cards, tents, taxes—and even what snacks to serve. Our mantra is “Hope for the best! Prepare for the worst!”

7. Put out lots of signs with balloons and big arrows on the day of the event. (People get crabby if they get lost!) Enlist plenty of help from friends and family. (My daughter, Erica, came home from college to help mom with the tour.) Set up a special area for the cashier, and have hundreds of bios and business cards on hand. Do a demo if you can. Sell prints/items under $50. Get to know your patrons, and enjoy the compliments and sales. Have a guest book to gather future sales, commissions and potential students.

May 18, 2007   Well, I made it through this year’s studio tour, barely. I’m thoroughly exhausted, my ankle hurts and I worked on Mother’s Day—but I’m grateful for being a part of something bigger. Sales were great, but I can’t put a price on the sense of pride I felt in helping the artists of Kirkland or hearing their touching stories.

One young woman brought her mom, an artist who’s battling cancer. She was so inspired by the tour that her goal is to begin painting again and then apply to be a part of action next year. That kind of inspiration will help me tomorrow when I already have to fill out grant applications for next year. For more information visit our website at www.kirklandstudiotour.com.