Columbus Open Studio & Stage is back

August 31, 2018

12:00 AM

Columbus Open Studio and Stage is a two-day event where the Columbus creative community opens its studios and stage doors to the public in an effort to highlight the creative process.

Columbus Open Studio and Stage is a self-guided tour of various artist studios and performing stages. The studios offer finished artwork, works in progress and live demonstrations, where attendees have an opportunity to speak with creatives about their process from idea inception to completion.

Establishing that personal connection between artist and spectator is the driving force behind the event.

“You only see finished work in a gallery, but I’ve been collecting art for years and I know all of the artists whose works I’ve bought, and it makes me feel special,” says Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, communication and events for the Greater Columbus Arts Council. “You’ll see artists at work and see the creative process, which I think is really cool because people who have previously participated loved meeting the artists and getting that extra little bit of a connection.”

The concept of Columbus Open Studio and Stage emulates cities’ studio tours from around the country, which all have their own personality. For example, Austin, Texas, has a studio tour that spans two full weekends, is completely free and has close to 500 sites around the city.

“At the time, we launched Art Makes Columbus, which is about engaging and getting to know the artists, and I thought Columbus Open Studio and Stage was the perfect event to get the campaign involved in,” Goldstein says. “In preparation for Columbus Open Studio and Stage, the four artists who created it did a lot of research, and when they came to us I thought it was important to have a performing arts component and a community component.”

Columbus Open Studio and Stage Community Arts Partners are multi-disciplinary arts organizations that regularly offer free public programming and workshops to promote art in the community. During the event, partner locations like the Cultural Arts Center, Transit Arts and Columbus Metropolitan Library offer special free programming to the public.

Some of the stages and performance venues attendees will have the opportunity to explore include the Short North Stage, Shadowbox Live, Express Live, Lincoln Theatre and Palace Theatre.

“Even though the purpose is to engage the art community, we want the artists to sell art,” Goldstein says. “Last year, artists sold over $25,000 worth of art, and we take no cut or percentage from that, it goes straight to the artists.”

Also returning this year is the Piggyback App, which is a virtual map that helps guide attendees through the tour.

The 2018 Columbus Open Studio and Stage event takes place Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tour maps can be purchased online at www.columbusopenstudioandstage.com for $10 each, and one map admits one person, while kids 12 and under are free.