Guidelines and Fees
Guidelines
You can hold your Open Studio on either or both weekends.
You must be in your studio 11am-6pm Saturday and Sunday of your chosen weekend(s).
If you live/work outside Marin County, you can still participate by holding your event in Marin County. Reserve your space by January 30 to be included in the printed Tour Guide. Visit “Shared Space Program” for a list of available shared spaces.
Each artist must register separately and be the creator of the works they are selling and/or exhibiting.
A valid seller’s permit is required. Visit https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov to acquire one.
To be included in the MOS Tour Guide, you must complete the registration form, pay the registration fee, and submit your Tour Guide image by January 30, 2024.
This is not a juried event and any artist may participate by registering online.
Fees
The Registration Fee is $300 per artist, or $325 if paid after January 15, 2024.
Once registered, you can earn a $25 Referral Refund for each “new” artist you refer (that is, anyone who has not participated in the past 3 years). Simply ask the new artist to enter your name in the “referred by” question on their registration form. Refunds are issued between January 30 and May 30.
You must contribute 4 hours of volunteer time or pay a “buy-out fee” of $60.00. Visit our “Volunteer Requirement” page for details.
Marin Open Studios takes a commission of 30% of the sale price for works sold from the Gallery Exhibition. There is no commission for works sold from the studios.
6Artists who participate in the Shared Spaces Program may incur additional space fees that vary by location.
Important Dates
Dates, times and locations are subject to change. Many critical details and deadlines are sent to artists via email. Please take action to ensure that our emails do not end up in your spam folder.
Nov 1, 2024 Registration opens to pay $300 registration fee
Jan 15, 2024 Deadline to pay $300 registration fee.
Jan 16, 2024 $325 registration fee begins.
Jan 30, 2024 Registration deadline for inclusion in the printed Tour Guide.
March 2024 Artists proof their listing in the Tour Guide via email. Dates TBA.
March 2024 Sign up online for 4 volunteer hours, or pay “buy-out” fee of $60.
February-March Free in-person and/or online workshops for artists, TBA.
April 7, 2024 Registration deadline to be included in the Gallery Exhibition.
April 17, 2024 Artwork drop-off for Gallery Exhibition 10am-5pm.
April 20, 2024 Gallery Exhibition opens at 11am.
April 27, 2024 Preview Gala Sausalito Center for the Arts. Hours TBA.
May 4-5, 2024 Weekend 1: Artist studios are open one or both weekends, 11am-6pm.
May 11-12, 2024 Weekend 2: Artist studios are open one or both weekends, 11am-6pm.
May 13, 2024 Artwork Pick Up Day at the Gallery 10am-5pm
June 2024 Marin Open Studios artist survey and wrap up meeting, TBA.
Gallery Exhibition
The Marin Open Studios Gallery features artwork by each registered artist. It is a popular starting point for Open Studio visitors.
Location: Sausalito Center for the Arts, 750 Bridgeway, Sausalito.
Dates: Saturday April 20 through Sunday, May 12, 2024. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Hours: 11 am – 6 pm.
Each participating artist may show one art piece in the Gallery Exhibition.
Size limit for artwork will depend on the number of participating artists and the size of the gallery space. In recent years, the size limit has been 30” wide x 48” high for 2D artwork, and 50lb weight limit for 3D artwork.
Artists are responsible for dropping off and picking up their artwork from the gallery on the designated drop off and pick up days. If you cannot do this yourself, you must have someone drop off your artwork for you. Artwork that is not picked up at the end of the exhibition is subject to a storage fee of $5/day.
The gallery is staffed by a Gallery Manager and volunteer Docents. The Docents are responsible for greeting visitors, handing out Tour Guides, and talking to visitors about Marin Open Studios and the artwork in the gallery. The Gallery Manager is responsible for opening and closing the gallery and for facilitating artwork sales.
Sales are between the buyer and the artist. Buyers pay the artists directly. Artists are responsible for collecting and reporting sales tax. Seller’s permits may be obtained at https://www.cdtfa.ca.gov.
Marin Open Studios requires a 30% commission of the artwork sale price for any piece that is sold through the Gallery. Artists pay the commission directly to Marin Open Studios at the time of sale.
The Preview Gala at the Gallery is subject to COVID restrictions and may or may not be held. The event kicks off the Marin Open Studios weekends. Meet collectors, art lovers and artists from the community.
The Preview Gala date is Saturday, April 27th from 5pm-8pm (actual hours TBA) at Sausalito Center for the Arts, 750 Bridgeway, Sausalito.
Maximize your Open Studio
Marketing your art creates buyers for your work, and Marin Open Studios gives you great exposure through our ad campaign, tour guides, signage, website, gallery, promotional emails, and other media. You can dramatically increase your exposure with some of these simple and effective marketing strategies!
Start by uploading images
During registration, follow directions and tips to upload your image for the Tour Guide. This is the key image that attracts visitors to your studio. It should “read” well at small size. To maximize available space, a square or slightly horizontal image is best.
After registration, log on and follow directions and tips to build your personal artist page with multiple artworks, a bio/statement, and a link to your website if desired. This is the place where online visitors browse the art and artists – don’t miss out!
For a chance at extra exposure, send us a few professional quality 2mb images of your artwork, and/or a few “action images” of yourself working in your studio or talking with studio visitors. Email to info@marinopenstudios.org by April 1, 2024.
These images may be chosen for use in general publicity for the event.
Submit your story
If you have an idea for a feature story / publicity angle, email your story to info@marinopenstudios.org. We choose a few stories each year.
Announce your event
- Create a postcard with your favorite image and your Open Studio info, and mail it to your list two weeks prior to your event. Leave some for the Galley Exhibition files, and offer them at your event. Takeaways are an important reminder to collectors of the art they admire.
- Post the marinopenstudios.org event to your website, mail postcards, and send multiple emails to your emailing list. Try Paperless Post to make your email invitations stand out.
- Enhance your mailings with MOS logos and graphics – available upon request.
- Use Social Media
- Facebook and Instagram are powerful marketing platforms and a crucial element to Marin Open Studios digital strategy. On Facebook, you can post art, broadcast live from your studio, advertise and create event invitations. On Instagram, you can capture a younger audience of art lovers with short videos, polls and post captions with hashtags. Once you create an account on one or both, be sure to “like” and “follow” the Marin Open Studios Facebook and Instagram Pages.
Selling art on social media takes time and practice. To learn more, watch our marketing workshop series on our YouTube channel. - Place a link to your marinopenstudios.org profile on your social media bio. This will give your art more exposure and drive more traffic to the website.
- Videos are great for publicity. If you have a video of your creative process on your YouTube page, send the link to info@marinopenstudios.org to be included in our YouTube channel playlist.
Patch.com and Nextdoor.com are neighborhood networks that you can join and then post your art, your open studio event, and Marin Open Studios.
Meetup.org is another great place to post your Open Studio. - Place Signage
- Place the Marin Open Studios directional signs in your neighborhood. Signs should have your name and/or artist number, your address and arrows.
Tips during the day of the event - Make sure your studio is clean and inviting. Offer light refreshments and consider low-volume background music.
- Display a variety of work, but don’t overwhelm. You can create a catalog or slide show on your computer of additional work. Offer your art at a variety of price points.
- Display your business cards, brochures/postcards and email sign-up list in a prominent location. Displaying an Artist Bio is also helpful for visitors who want to learn more about you and your art.
- Follow up – Email thank you notes to the visitors who signed up for your mailing list. Let them know the dates of upcoming exhibits. Offer to meet regarding commissions. You never know when a previous visitor will be ready to purchase.
- Participate in our storefront window and other exhibitions during the year, and remember to sign up for next year’s Marin Open Studios. It takes consistent marketing to create a pipeline of interested buyers.
