2009 Open Studios Art Tour Survey Results

2009 Open Studios Art Tour Survey Results
The 2009 Open Studios Art Tour was a success! Folks seem to be appreciating, and buying, art, even in the recession. Artists have been inspired and the event raised over $40,000 for ARTS Obispo. These funds go to support arts programs throughout SLO County such as Poetry Out Loud, Mini Grants, and Art After Dark. The following are some facts and figures from the Open Studios 2009 surveys:

* 53 survey respondents made over $80,000 in sales from Open Studios, an average of $1500 per participant, an average increase of approximately $600 over 2008
* 31 respondents reported sales for the Encore weekend in excess of $29,000, an average of $946 per participant. This is a significant increase from last year’s responses.
* The average from survey responses was 43 visitors / studio / day, higher than was reported in 2008.
* There were 59 first-time artists on the tour this year
* 73% of respondents reported having visitors from outside SLO County; this number has remained the same for several years. The majority of out-of-area visitors were from the Central Valley, So. California, and the Bay Area.
* The main reasons artists participate in Open Studios are ranked in the following order: 1 – to gain exposure; 2 - showing work; 3 - selling art; 4 - adding to mailing lists; 5 - booking commissions

Please continue to visit this blog, and our website for information on Open Studios 2010! And don't forget to share this link with your artist friends!