Open Studios Art Tour

October 11-12 and October 18-19, 2025

The San Luis Obispo County Open Studios Art Tour, a program of SLO County Arts Council, takes place each year over two weekends in October, National Arts and Humanities Month. Free to the public, fine artists and crafters open their studios to showcase their art and share their processes. Visitors create their own self-guided tours using the catalog of participating artists.

 FAQs for Artists

  • We welcome all artists 18 years or older, from emerging to professional. Applicants must be current residents of San Luis Obispo County and must be present at their studio during the weekends of the tour that they register for.

  • An Open Studios studio is defined as the artist’s regular workspace, retaining the atmosphere of art-making with materials, equipment, works-in-progress, and processes visible. This can be a room in a house, a space in a warehouse, a garage, or something different altogether.

  • Your body of work should be well-developed and demonstrate your competency, proficiency, and skill in your craft. We recommend a minimum of 10 original pieces on hand for opening day of the Tour, though you may also sell reproductions, prints, cards, and other media.

  • The Open Studios Art Tour is a chance for artists to show a majority of their work in the space where it is created. It is not just an art show - visitors are looking to get an intimate experience of the creative process in addition to viewing artworks. To uphold the spirit of the Tour, the majority of stops during the Open Studios Art Tour need to be art artists’ working studios.

  • If your studio is in a remote or inaccessible location, has little or no access to parking, cannot be made open to the public, or if you’re unsure where you’ll be working on your art in October, you can be hosted by another OSAT artist. Artists are encouraged to arrange a host ahead of time (your host must be applying to the tour) - do not apply to the tour until you have secured a location! The SLO County Arts Council will try to help you find a host studio if you would like assistance.

  • Artists for whom 3 or more of the following characteristics are true are not eligible for OSAT: commercial or retail location, retail signage, employees and/or paid apprentices, the majority of business is by “drop-in” rather than by appointment.

    • Up to two weekends to sell your work and your services (i.e. workshops), while keeping 100% commission

    • Exposure and building relationships with the public

    • Increased visibility and name recognition

    • Listing in the official Open Studios Art Tour catalog with contact information

    • Listing in the print and digital Open Studios Art Tour maps

    • Provided directional sign, posters, flyers, and other promotional materials

    • Preparation support for marketing

    • Advertising and publicity in local and regional publications/media

    • Help educate the public as to the value of your artwork and what time, training, tools, and equipment go into producing quality original artwork!

 FAQs for Visitors

  • Open Studios Art Tour allows artists the chance to display a majority of their work in one place. Visiting studios during the tour gives you the chance to interact with artists on an intimate level and go deeper into their process. As Arroyo Grande artist Tania Alexander puts it, “the Open Studios Art Tour is the one time people from across the county come into my art space and view my creative process for themselves, allowing me to closely connect with those that make my art their own.”

  • Catalogs are located at partnering businesses and galleries across the county! The list of places will become available once the catalog is released in fall.

  • To help visitors plan their route, the catalog contains color indicators that show if an artist’s studio is open on the first, second, or both weekends. All artists on the tour are required to be open from 10am to 5pm.

  • We create digital maps via Storymaps and Google Maps that are linked on the Open Studios Art Tour website in advance of the tour weekends in fall. The catalog also lists the complete street address for each artist studio, so you can plug it into the navigation app of your choice!

  • We recommend leaving your pets at home. Studios are filled with breakables and valuable art and many artists may not allow your pet inside.

Participating in this tour will be an incredibly meaningful experience. It will enable me to share my work with a broader audience and connect with a community that values creativity and open dialogue. Being part of a collective celebration of art and expression not only reaffirms why I create but also inspires me to keep pushing the boundaries of my practice. This tour is more than an event—it’s a vital space for visibility, connection, and growth.

Barbara Clark, 2025 OSAT Artist

2024 Open Studios Art Tour

Catalog of Artists

Click on the cover image to browse the digital catalog of artists who participated in the 2024 Open Studios Art Tour!

The 2025 catalog will be available Fall 2025.

The 2024 Open Studios Art Tour in the News

“Even chilly peak-a-boo fog couldn’t hold down the audience in Los Osos for the first Saturday of SLO County Arts’ Open Studios Art Tour on October 12.”

Thank You 2025 Tour Sponsors!

Media Sponsor

The SLO County Arts Council advances the visual, literary, and performing arts countywide.