Open Your Eyes Studio Tour – Putting the Spotlight on Rural Artists

Northwest Connecticut Arts Council

Amy Wynn

Towns (2-5), CT

Project Dates:

3rd or 4th weekend in June

Tags

2013 CCX presenter, Event, Marketing, Networking, Workforce

Posted Date:

Jan 9, 2013

The Open Your Eyes Studio Tour, now in its 4th year, evolved from various efforts to engage the general public in discovering and exploring the cultural assets that, in a rural area, are quite spread out. This annual event features the artists, from a group of 2 – 5 municipalities selected on a rotating basis, in the Council’s 25-town service area. Over a weekend in June, the public is invited, for free, to visit any of the Tour’s 30 – 40 artists in their creative spaces in order to gain an appreciation for the creative processes. The artists include weavers, photographers, painters, sculptors, woodworkers, black smiths, basket makers, architects, glass blowers, multi-media installation artists and more. The Tour has helped artists in a variety of ways and has a growing audience.

Project Goals

What were the project goals?

The project’s goals are to put the region’s artists in the spotlight and to “open the public’s eyes” to the creative forces in our area. The Tour aims to help the audience member find a connection to creative work that speaks to them - more than seeing it on a wall and liking it, but understanding how it was made, the story behind it, where it was made, and about the person who created it. Our hope is that, through this connection, the audience might want to tell others about their experience, follow an artist’s progress, study with that artist, create work of their own, or purchase work about which they know the “inside” story. The intention is to give the artist a boost that reverberates beyond the Tour weekend.

Have they changed over time?

The goals have not changed, although additional goals for enhancing the experience of the artists and the public, and increasing the economic impact the tour have emerged each year.

Who are the project partners and stakeholders?

The stakeholders are the Arts Council and the artists, primarily. Certainly the event sponsors and the local businesses have a stake, in that the event's success presents positive results for them (economically and regarding good-will and investing in their community).

Project Specifics

How was the project implemented? What were the steps taken?

In the past, the Council had observed a few local efforts by artists doing open studio weekends, but the level of visitation was very low – perhaps 10 or 20 visitors at most per artist. The Council recognized that a central coordinating entity and strong promotion would give such artists the attention they sought and deserved and would perhaps give them a boost toward greater success for their independent efforts for future tours. We did not attempt to cover our entire 25-town service area for the studio tour, because our previous experience with region-wide cultural tours proved it would dilute the exposure for the individual artists and be overwhelming for the general public. Each year the Council and the Tour committee reach out to artists in the selected towns, inviting them to participate. There are requirements stated in a registration agreement that help an artist determine if he or she is ‘ready’ to open their creative space and spend two days interacting about their art and creative process with the public. There is a modest registration fee. Pre-tour visits are done for each studio. Preparation suggestions are shared by the Council with the Artists. Promotional materials are gathered and the website, press releases, social media pages, the map, etc. are designed. Promotion is key to the event’s success and is a shared responsibility between the Council and the artists. The Council uses the Sponsorship funds for promotional materials, multi-state advertising, e-mailings, and mailings. The map/brochure is the main promotional piece. The artists help in distributing materials, promoting the event via their networks (word of mouth, farmers markets, social media, email, mailings, etc.). There is a preview party two weeks prior to the tour where the artists and a sampling of their work is on display for the public and sponsors to learn more about the tour, the artists, suggested itineraries, and more – basically to generate excitement about the tour. Suggested routes with detailed directions and plenty of directional signs are used to ensure that visitors have an easy time finding the studios while exploring the region. Tourists sign-in at each studio so we can gather attendance numbers. We survey both artists and tourists post-event to get feedback.

Have they been refined over time?

Refinements over the years have included requiring that all participating artists open their studios on both days of the Tour, the addition of the preview party, hosting a pot-luck for just the artists and the committee two months prior so that they can meet one another and share ideas for cross promotion, and the development of a perks-package to convince Tourists to sign-up in advance (see “obstacles” below for further explanation). In year two, we also added an information table at one of the Tour sites.

Obstacles

What were your major obstacles?

It has been challenging to gather data regarding the number of visitors to each studio. We have had a sign-in sheet at each studio every year and have been able, for the most part, to collect a great majority of the Tourist information. However, it is burdensome for the Artist to have to ensure that each visitor signs in and it has been an excruciating process for the Council to decipher the handwriting on the sheets. This past year we created a pre-registration perks package for tourists which included personalized stickers that eased the sign-in process at each studio, along with special offers to eateries on the tour route, discounts to evening entertainment and overnight accommodations, a full tour info packet, and a tote bag. We will be trying some new things this year, including the modestly priced perks package and a choice of a free, day-of registration that provides coded sign-in stickers.

Who or what was instrumental in overcoming these obstacles?

Surveys taken with the artists and the tourists have provided helpful ideas, feedback and guidance to improve the sign-in process.

What top three suggestions would you give to others attempting a similar project?

Do not take on too much territory, as you are likely to dilute the exposure you are seeking for your tour sites. Make sure you do not have an outlier on the tour route – a site that is alone, off the beaten track; if you do, make every effort (with that outlier’s help) to identify other artists nearby and convince them to join the tour (there is power in numbers regarding drawing an audience). 2. Be prepared to be very supportive to artists. Many, although not all, have limited knowledge and interest in packaging and promoting themselves. You will have to hand-hold, and coach many of them. Make sure they understand that you will be there to guide and help them, but that they MUST do all they can do to partner in promoting the event. If they do not commit and follow through with this, it is unlikely they will see much traffic. 3. Especially if it is a free event, you have to be creative and assertive and consistent in your marketing of the Tour. Be everywhere you can be in the public eye for many weeks prior to the tour. Everywhere people turn, they should see and hear about this event – make it a “not to be missed” experience.

Project Impact

How has this project contributed to creative community building?

Beneficiaries of this event include the artists, the towns’ businesses, the region and the general public. Based on feedback from the artists, they feel better able to promote themselves, have made what they feel are long-lasting connections among the visitors, and have sold work both during and after the tour. Some have received invitations to exhibit in galleries because of the tour and others have gained a number of students as a result. The spotlight that the Open Your Eyes studio tour places on the artists has revealed to both local and out-of-area tourists the wide variety and number of high caliber professional and amateur artists in the region. Visitor comments consistently remark on how amazed they are at discovering these creative forces in these pastoral communities. Many of these same people have become collectors of a tour artist’s work, or have been inspired to study or make art, or (if they are out-of-towners) have returned to the area because they enjoyed exploring the region. This spotlight also illustrates to businesses and municipal leaders that the artists are contributors to their community, both economically and regarding the quality of life in their town.

How did it achieve your original goals?

The Tour has achieved our original goals, and each time we have presented the Tour the achievements are broadened. Year one saw 400 unique visitors who enjoyed their choice of visiting 24 artists’ studios over two days. Year two saw over 500 such visitors who selected from 40 artist studios to visit. Year three had over 700 unique visitors choose among 33 artists’ studios. Because the Tour is about the one-on-one experience with the artists in their creative spaces, we do not encourage visitors to attempt to go to every studio – it is not a race or a contest; rather we urge them to do their homework (which we facilitate) so that they can select the studios that they feel they will enjoy. Any hosting artist on these tours did not see every Tourist, but they did see and speak to many, many people over the weekend. This past year, the average number of visitors to an artist’s studio was 80 people over the weekend. It’s exhausting, but the artists have said that it was worth it.

Were there unexpected impacts?

We were surprised that • Tourists came from 14 different states as well as Canada • 20% were repeat tourists • 58% of the Artists sold work • We have heard from artists a year later about commissions and sales that were the direct result of contacts made on the tour. • A grass-roots network developed: Artists on the 2012 Tour benefited from the pre-tour Potluck and, as a result, have developed new colleagues who now call upon each other for professional and social reasons

Creative Economy

Upcoming Event

Open Your Eyes Studio Tour – Putting the Spotlight on Rural Artists