The contents of this page are subject to change until March 28.
Artist registration for the 2026 Open Studios Tour will open at 9 am on March 30th and close at 6 pm on April 12th.
Content Guidelines
All artwork featured in the tour must be family friendly. Art that includes depictions of violence, full nudity that could be considered pornographic, political themes, symbols of hate, or content intended to inspire hatred is strictly prohibited
No AI Generated Art
Your artwork must be created by yourself and not created partly or completely by AI. The only exception is that for photographs AI based noise reduction and object removal tools are permitted. Those are permitted because their purpose is to remove rather than add elements.
Guest Artists
If you do not have a studio from which you can show your art you may be able to participate as a guest artist.
Shared Studios
The registration process for shared studios has changed since 2025. If two artists are showing at the same address they must submit a single application and pay a fee of $200.
FAQ
We have an FAQ for common questions regarding eligibility, sharing space and requirements for participation. The decision of the Board is final regarding eligibility.
Application Process
The application process is the same as last year with a slight modification for shared studios. The applications will be reviewed after the close of the registration period. If approved you will be asked to make an online payment to complete your registration. The number of studios and galleries will be limited to 50. See the FAQ for information about how those 50 artists and galleries will be selected if we are oversubscribed.
The registration fee is $125 per individual artist, $200 for two artists sharing a studio and $300 for a gallery. There is also a fourth category of registration, a studio collective which has a $300 registration fee. A studio collective is a creative space which three or more artists use as their creative space, but some or all may live elsewhere.
Registration is open to artists whose studio is in Washington County or galleries located within Washington County. The minimum age to participate is 18. You will be required to open your studio or gallery and be present to the public from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday October 18, 2026. You will need to demonstrate the process by which you produce your artwork.
To register you will need to complete an online form, submit three photos, have your application approved and pay for your registration. See the section “How To Apply” for details.
Be sure to read our photo guidelines ( which are similar to last year ) to ensure that your photos are of acceptable quality as failure to provide photos meeting the guidelines by the application deadline will void your registration.
Use our contact form if you have any questions.
Participating artists’ studios will be listed on our “map guide”, which is a folding map that has a list of artists on the reverse side. Each studio/gallery/studio collective will receive a supply of the guides that are free of charge to the public and the artist, to hand out prior to and on the day of the event.
The Washington County Open Studios tour is a product of the participating artists. Monthly planning meetings provide volunteer opportunities and will bring you up to date on next steps. Materials such as signs and map guides are distributed in late August.
Fundraising supplies money that allow us, as volunteers, to print map guides, yard signs and organize the event. We ask each artist to assist with obtaining sponsors for the tour from their local area. Our organization is a 501-c3 non-profit; financial support may be tax deductible.
How to Apply Online
Applicants will first complete an application form and submit three photos.
A link to the application form will be added before registration opens.
How to Submit your Photos
After completing the registration form and reading the photo guidelines e-mail three photos of your work to rm.wcaa.photos@gmail.com. Add rm.wcaa.photos@gmail.com to your contacts to prevent mail from us ending up in your promotions or spam folder. You will be emailed a confirmation letting you know that we got your photos. If you do not receive a confirmation within 48 hours please contact us using our contact form. No money is due until your application has been approved.
How to Pay
If your application is approved you will receive an email from Chris Goldthorpe (chris.goldthorpe@washcoart.org ) with instructions on how to pay the registration fee online. Add chris.goldthorpe@washcoart.org to your contacts to prevent this email from ending up in your promotions or spam folder. It is our intention to let all applicants know whether they have been accepted by April 30th.
Social Media
All artists who have an account on Facebook or Instagram can follow us there at https://www.facebook.com/Washcoart and @washcoopenstudios .
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