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Kevin Gleason
In 2000, a group of founding member artists banded together for,
the then novel idea, of an Open Studios Tour. They sought to
revive the tradition of patrons visiting artists in their studios
and promote Santa Barbara as an arts destinaton..
Since that time, the Santa Barbara Open
Studio Artists Tour has doubled in size and open studio tours
have gained popularity across the country as a way for artists
to showcase their work, for communities to attract visitors,
and to give art collectors the opportunity to purchase directly
from artists.
Santa Barbara Studio Artists are distinguished
from other open studio tours in that their membership is juried
and the participating artists are top professionals in the visual
arts. Many of their works have been showcased on the walls of
prestigious galleries, museums and private and corporate collections
from New York and Los Angeles to Paris and elsewhere.
Today, regional, national and international
collectors, interior designers and gallery owners plan trips
to Santa Barbara during the Open Studios Tour weekend to view
and purchase premier one-of-a kind art works.
The Tour features a treasure trove of world-class
original art and a view inside Santa Barbara's leading artists'
private studios. The two-day self-guided driving tour steers
visitors to artists' studios through the stunning back roads,
charming neighborhoods and estates of one of the most beautiful
coastal cities in the world. Tour guests may discover an award-winning
wonderland of landscape, contemporary, and figurative painting,
as well as sculpture and assemblage.
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