Marin Arts Council Open Studios Registration

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Open Studios offers artists an exceptional opportunity to expose and sell their work to Bay Area art collectors, curators, patrons and colleagues. It also cultivates a greater public awareness of the artistic talent that exists in Marin County. Open Studios is one more way in which the Arts Council brings the artists of Marin and the larger community together.

Previous participants rate the following as the two most important aspects of Open Studios:
1. Exposure/Visibility
2. Community & connection with other artists

MAC Open Studios:

1. Two weekends in May when artists open their studios to the public
2. Artist Directory - distribution of 58,000 - with 43,000 in the May issue of Marin Magazine
3. Online Gallery - 15,000 average visits per month, up for one year
4. Open Studios Gallery - centrally located in Marin, featuring one piece of artwork per participating artist, 2,500 average gallery visitors, open one month
5. Promotion and advertising throughout Marin and the Bay Area
   

ARTIST BENEFITS
Your registration fee entitles you to the following benefits:

1. Participation in MAC Open Studios
2. Marin Arts Council membership for one year (if not already a member)
3. Studio information, one color image, web site listing in 58,000 Open Studios Artist Directories distributed throughout the Bay Area with 43,000 in the May issue of Marin Magazine (a value of $415 for the Marin Magazine listing alone), 300 dpi jpeg image required
4. Studio information, up to 6 color images, web site link, and map link in the Open Studios Online Gallery featured prominently on the Marin Arts Council web site for one year, averaging 15,000 visitors per month
5. One piece of artwork exhibited at the Open Studios Gallery centrally located in Marin, averaging 2,500 gallery visitors, open 6 days a week for one month
6. Regular e-mail updates from MAC
7. Neighborhood Artist List - list of artists in your area for exploring cross-promotion opportunities
8. Open Studios event publicity throughout Marin and the Bay Area
9. Artist Reception
10. 10 Open Studios Artist Directories
11. Event Poster - one per artist
12. Directional Posters - 6-8 posters per artist to draw attention to your studio

REGISTRATION FEES & GUIDELINES

Fees
$285 MAC members, $340* non-members by November 25, 2008
$315 MAC members, $370* non-members by January 9, 2009
*Non-member fees include one year MAC membership
Any artist registering on or after January 10, 2009 will be charged a $50 late fee and considered a late registration and are not guaranteed inclusion in the Open Studios Artist Directory. Artists registering after February 20 are not guaranteed to have their online images included in the Online Gallery launch. Artists registering after March 31 are not guaranteed inclusion in the OS Gallery.

Value
The registration fee offsets MAC's average cost of $610 to serve each artist and to market the event (see Eligibility, for more info).
Additionally, the value of one artist listing in 43,000 copies of Marin Magazine is $415 per artist, for a total value of $1,025.

Eligibility
Marin Arts Council Open Studios is a subsidized program for individual visual artists living and/or practicing in Marin County. The registration fee offsets the average cost of $610 to serve each artist. The Marin Arts Council fundraises for the balance.

Any artist or craft person working or living in Marin County may participate. All work shown must be your own. Commercial galleries and/or businesses that are regularly open to the public during business hours are not eligible in MAC Open Studios. Each artist must register and pay individually. There are no group discounts.

Refund Policy
Refunds are at the discretion of the Marin Arts Council. A minimum non-refundable administrative fee of $50 will apply.

Group Sites
Artists may group together or share spaces if their individual studios are not suitable to best display their work, however each artist must submit a separate registration form and pay the appropriate fee. (Read Eligibility, above, for more information)

MARIN ARTS COUNCIL OPEN STUDIOS WEEKENDS
Weekend I
May 2 & 3, 2009, 11am-6pm
North & West Marin*
Bolinas, Fairfax, Forest Knolls, Inverness, Kentfield, Marshall, Novato, Point Reyes, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael-north (Lucas Valley, Marinwood, Terra Linda), Stinson, Woodacre

Weekend II
May 9 & 10, 2009, 11am-6pm
South & Central Marin*
Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Larkspur, Mill Valley, San Rafael-central, Sausalito, Tiburon

*NOTE: Weekend locations and dates can shift due to registration numbers/locations

DATES and DEADLINES
November 25: Early Registration/Reduced Fees deadline
December 3: New artist Orientation/Marketing Meeting, 6:30pm, Marin Arts Council
January 9: Registration deadline
January 9: PR materials submission deadline (details to follow)
TBD: Artist Proofing of map and directory (details to follow)
TBD: Online Gallery image submission deadline (details to follow)
TBD: Gallery artwork drop-off
May 2 & 3: Weekend I
May 9 & 10: Weekend II
May 11: Artwork pick up 10am-4:30pm, Open Studios Gallery (location tbd)