Please read the entire call carefully before submitting.

All participants in the 2023 NW Art Beat Open Studios Tour must reapply to be in the 2024 NW Art Beat Studio tour.  Please read below for details.

Skagit Artists, a 501 c 3 0rganization, invites artists from state of Washington to join our 20th annual open studio tour, July 20 and 21, 2024. NW Art Beat is a free, self-guided tour of Skagit County art studios featuring juried artists. 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 located in Skagit County. The artist’s studio and location used for display must be appropriate for public visitation.

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 20 and 21, 2024, 10am to 6pm

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.  The fee for Skagit Artists membership is $60 a year and can be paid at www.Skagit Artists.com.  You must join prior to the Participation Fee Due date (March 21, 2024) 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 supports critical event advertising.  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 around June 1)

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

·       Complete 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, February 25, 2024.

Notifications of accepted artists will be on or before March 7, 2024.

Participation fees must be submitted by end of the day March 21 via NWArtBeat.com.  Link for payment will be emailed to accepted artists.

Event is July 20 and 21, 2024.

Studio visitor information must be entered by August 1, 2024.

Please answer 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.

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. Drawing on her strong relationships with artists, galleries, design firms, and construction companies, Chloe manages strategic planning, acquisitions, exhibitions, and loans for clients. 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 of Arts in History from Whitworth University and a Master of Arts 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. An enthusiastic collaborator, Chloe lectures and consults on a variety of topics, including contemporary art, museum collecting ethics, and curatorial studies. Outside of her curatorial work, Chloe spends her time enjoying the beautiful Skagit Valley trails with her dog and exploring the world with her husband.

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 the Seattle area in the mid 1990s and was immediately swept up by the art scene swirling around her. She played for years with pottery and watercolor, before transitioning to acrylics and mixed media in 2000.

Her work 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. 

Application Requirements

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.

Eligibility Criteria

Artist in the state of Washington