If you participated in the 2022 NW Art Beat Open Studios Tour presented by Skagit Artists, you do not need to reapply this year.  Participation expectations and fees will apply to all participants in the 2023 NW Art Beat Open Studios Tour.  Please read below for details.

Skagit Artists, a 501 c 3 0rganization, invites artists from Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties to join our 19th annual open studios tour, July 15 and 16, 2022. NW Art Beat is a free, self-guided tour of Skagit County art studios featuring juried artists from these five counties. This event showcases the extraordinary talent of local artists and gives the public an insider view on how it all happens.

Art must be shown in a working studio or a business located in Skagit County. The artist’s studio or location used for display must be appropriate for public visitation. Active, working studios that share space with a gallery may be included, but work must be presented in the studio space itself.

Following conditions must be met to be shown in a business: 1. The business must purchase a $250 sponsorship. 2. The sponsorship must be received by May 1, 2023. 3. The artist(s) must conduct one scheduled demonstration each day. 4. The artist(s) using a Business are responsible for arrangements with that Business.  Skagit Artists is not a party to the arrangement. 5. Rented spaces will not be accepted.

If you do not have a studio in Skagit County, or your studio is not appropriate for public traffic, please request to be hosted by another artist as part of your application. Skagit Artists will assist artists that request to be hosted in finding a suitable space. If your application is accepted and a suitable studio in which to show your work is not available all fees will be refunded. Artists are responsible for insuring their own work and space for the tour.

Studio Tour dates: July 15 and 16, 2023, 10am to 6pm

Application Information:

Applicants may only submit through Café at www.callforentry.org

Applicants submit 4 jpeg images per Café’s requirements that represent actual work that will be offered for sale.

Fees:

Non-refundable application fee for Skagit Artists members and non-members is $35. If invited, the participation fee is $175 for Skagit Artists members and $250 for non-members (plus a refundable sign fee).  The fee for Skagit Artists membership is $55 a year and can be paid at www.Skagit Artists.com.  You must join prior to the Participation Fee Due date (April 1, 2023) to be considered a member for this event. Sign fee is $75 and is received in the form of a check at the time the signs are distributed.  The check is returned when the signs are returned.

Lodging Tax Funds:

In addition to Sponsorships and your participation fees, we receive Lodging Tax funds from local governments.  These grants support advertising that is critical for the event’s success.  Number of studio visitors and how far they travelled is required information to obtain the committed funds after the event therefore we have a requirement for each studio to collect the data (See below).

Required Time Commitment:

The success of NW Art Beat depends on each participant actively supporting the event.  We do not have a staff to do the work needed to have a successful event.  Each participant, Skagit Artists members and non-members alike is expected to do the following:

·       Collect and turn in studio visitor information.  An easy-to-use online form is used to collect the information needed to support Lodging tax grant applications and post event submittal requirements.

·       Distribute tour guides and hang posters (Will be available near June 1, 2023)

·       Promote event using your contact lists and social media, and sharing NW Art Beat posts

·       Commit to a task that promotes the event in addition to those above (Sign up for tasks will be conducted via email after participation fees are collected.  A task typically requires 10 hours or less to complete.)

Important Dates and Deadlines:

Deadline for Application is 11:59 Standard Mountain Time (SMT) per Café rules, March 3, 2023.

Notifications of accepted artists will be on or before March 17, 2023.

Participation fees must be submitted by end of the day April 1 via NWArtBeat.com.  Link for payment will be emailed to accepted artists.

Event is July 15 and 16, 2023.

Studio visitor information must be submitted by July 24, 2023.

Please select one of the following:

__ I have a studio in Skagit County, and I am willing to host another artist.

__ I have a studio in Skagit County, and I am not able to host another artist.

__ I am requesting to be hosted at a studio in Skagit County.

­__I will showcase at a business in Skagit County.

We recommend that studios host another artist if possible because locations with more than one artist get more traffic.

Jurors:

Chloé Dye Sherpe

Chloe Dye Sherpe is the Curator for The Lumiere Group. Her curatorial interests are diverse, including the intersection of art and climate studies, and supporting the work of Indigenous artists throughout the United States and Canada. She earned a bachelor’s in History from Whitworth University and a master’s in Art History from the University of Florida. In her previous role as curator for the Museum of Northwest Art, Chloe exhibited the work of over 150 artists and organized the museum’s first national traveling exhibition.

Jennifer Bowman

Jennifer Bowman is an award-winning Puget Sound artist who has exhibited professionally for 25 years. Her works appears in private, public, and corporate collections, nationally and internationally, and in various publications: Washington’s Heirloom Birth Certificate, North-light Art books and 48 Degrees North.  She has been festival poster artist for Edmonds, Anacortes, Skagit Tulip Festival 2004 and 2020, Whidbey Island Races and Anacortes Windermere Regatta.

See www.JenniferBowman.com for paintings, profile and complete gallery list.

Alicia Harvey

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Alicia Harvey moved to Washington state in the mid 1990s.

Her acrylic artwork has appeared in group shows around the area, including Seattle, Edmonds, and Everett. She has consistently presented demonstrations and taught workshops at Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials (both in Seattle and Bellevue), as well as at artEAST and The Workshop in Issaquah. 

Her work has appeared in Best of Acrylics: Acrylicworks 8 (published by Golden Peak Media) and 14-Day Portrait Challenge Book (published by Brooklyn Art Library). She recently chaired the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS) 82nd Annual International Open Exhibition. She is a current member of NWWS and the Women Painters of Washington.

Application Requirements

1. Must be an artist from Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties in Washington State.
2. Applicants submit 4 jpeg images per Café’s requirements that represent actual work that will be offered for sale.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Must be an artist from Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties in Washington State.
2. Art must be shown in a working studio or a business located in Skagit County.