Quick Take
Open Studios has begun. For the first three weekends of October, Santa Cruz County artists are opening their studios — inviting us into the places where the work gets made. This year, close to 350 artists are participating, including 69 newcomers, with a new preview exhibit at MK Gallery offering a first look at what’s to come. There’s also a new app to help art lovers find artists and plan their studio-hopping adventures across the county. We stepped inside the preview to meet some of the artists and get a taste of the work and creative energy waiting behind those studio doors.
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Walk into an artist’s studio and you never quite know what you’ll find.
OPEN STUDIOS 2026
South County: Oct. 3-4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
North County: Oct. 10-11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
All county: Oct. 17-18, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
More info: Click here
It might be a garage packed with hundreds of canvases. A backyard transformed into a wonderland of sculpture. A spare bedroom turned into a ceramics studio – or simply an artist sitting at a workbench, making something.
That is part of what makes Santa Cruz County’s Open Studios so mesmerizing.
For three weekends every October, we get a peek into the artist’s process as hundreds of local artists open their spaces to the public. We get a look at – and a chance to buy – finished work but we also get an inside perspective on where and how it gets made, moments of inspiration and a glimpse into how to live a more creative life.
The tradition, put on by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, has become something of a model for open studios elsewhere, and one of the best ways to get oriented is to start with a look at the work all in one place, at the preview exhibit.
This year, that preview has a new home at MK Gallery, at 703 Front St. in downtown Santa Cruz. The show has close to 350 artists – 69 of whom are participating for the first time.
There’s also a new Open Studios app to help navigate the artists and plan visits across the county.
We stopped by the preview to see what’s new, meet some of the artists and get a taste of the magic that will happen when those studio doors open.
