Join PDXOS

Interested in Joining Portland Open Studios?

Every year Portland Open Studios invites you to be part of a highly regarded juried tour featuring over 100 talented artists from the Portland Metro Area. This cherished event provides a unique opportunity to open your studio to the public, offering an intimate glimpse into your creative process.

Held annually on the 2nd and 3rd weekends of October, this event is free and self-guided for visitors who can use the online tour directory or navigate our mobile-friendly maps. As a participating artist, you'll engage with the community through demonstrations and displays of your workspace and art.

Applications open every February 1st. To apply, submit an application along with a $25 application fee. Upon acceptance, a $250 participation fee is due, with all fees directly supporting tour marketing, advertising, and infrastructure. In March a new panel of esteemed jurors reviews and scores submissions. Approximately 100 top-rated artists are invited to participate in the October tour.

For decades, Portland Open Studios has been a premier and highly anticipated annual arts event, attracting visitors from both the local community and beyond. Join us for an inspiring artistic journey and share your creative magic with Portland's thriving art community.

Eligibility

Open to residents of Portland, Oregon who work in all visual media except film.

Artists are required to open their studios (a studio is any workspace which the artist is permitted to open to the public and where the artist can demonstrate their working methods—living rooms, garages, etc. are permissible) for all tour hours of both weekends.

Studio addresses must be within Portland city limits. 

Artists must have an educational element, such as documentation of methods or demonstrations of technical and creative processes.

Artists should self-promote their participation in any manner as long as any mention of their studio address includes information about Portland Open Studios.

Application

The application asks for an artist bio, artist statement, and an explanation of how you will demonstrate your art process during the studio tour.

The application asks for an artist bio, Artist Statement, and explanation of how you will demonstrate your art process during the studio tour.

Submit 4 images for the jury at the specifications listed below. If accepted, these images will be used for PDXOS online and print advertising. You will not be able to resubmit images or make changes after submitting your application.

• File format:  JPEG only
• File Dimensions: 4 by 4 inch Square at 300 dpi (1200 x 1200 pixels)
• File Size:  5 MB maximum

Application Jury Procedure

Your four images and artist statement, will be judged by the year's jurors. While some of the application questions are required in order to obtain information for the tour guide and some are asked for potential use in publicity or demographic information, none of the identifying application questions are seen by the jurors.

Four jurors from the art community will score each artist based on these criteria:

• Quality of work: Is the art visually engaging, skillfully executed, thought-provoking, etc?
• Professional Presentation: Do your photos have a clear background, good angles and lighting? Is your written communication clear? Is your application thorough?
• Consistent Voice: Are your submitted art pieces stylistically and thematically consistent? Please note that the jury will be looking for consistency here, not versatility, so if you work in multiple mediums or styles, it is best to choose one to showcase.

The combined jury scores determine which artists are invited to participate.

What PDXOS Offers Accepted Artists

• A dedicated profile page on the PDXOS website, featuring a website link, artist statement, the four images you submitted in this application, and social media links.
• Access to the Portland Open Studios Artist Portal, which includes access to all previous recordings of professional development workshops, panels and discussions.
• Signature yellow yard signs directing visitors to studios are lent to each artist.
• Invitation to two essential artist meetings providing tour information, professional tips, and the opportunity to connect with other accepted artists.
• Cross promotion and announcements about the event will be published via Portland Open Studios social media and other advertising venues leading up to the tour.
• Coordinate self-promotion with Portland Open Studios using social media resources provided to you in the PDXOS member portal.
• Opportunity to participate in Instagram artist takeovers before the event, to promote yourself and your work via the PDXOS Instagram page for one day.
• Artists may be invited to engage in additional marketing and art sales opportunities with PDXOS including but not limited to art exhibitions, news coverage, interviews, and art workshops or classes.

Scholarship Opportunities

Kimberly Gales Emerging Artist Scholarship:

Artists under 30 years of age are encouraged to apply for the Kimberly Gales Scholarship to Portland Open Studios. Recipient will have their participation fee waived.

Molly Cliff Hilts Scholarship for Historically Marginalized Artists:

Artists of all ages from historically marginalized communities are encouraged to apply for the Molly Cliff Hilts Scholarship to Portland Open Studios. Recipient will have their participation fee waived. See application below for details about additional requirements. 

2025 Calendar

February 1: Artist applications open
February 10: Zoom Info Session for interested applicants
February 28: Artist application submissions close at 5 pm (PST)
March 25: Accepted artists will be notified by email
March 31: Deadline for accepted artists to confirm participation
May 1: Deadline to pay participation fee in full
May 15: Zoom Artist Meeting, 6 pm—Receive relevant information about the tour and other events for the year. Q & A. Opportunity to volunteer as Community Leader for your artist community.
September 5: Preview Show Party open to the public. Portion of artwork sales benefits PDXOS. Yard sign distribution. 6-8 pm.
October 11, 12, 18 & 19: Weekend dates of studio tour. Studios open 10–4.

Miss the Deadline?

To be notified when it's time to apply, join our newsletter below!

Consider Volunteering

We are always looking for engaged members of the community, artists and others, to support our mission.

Are you excited by the idea of working with the artists in our Portland community to help put on this enriching cultural event? If you have specialized skills to offer, or if you'd like to join our Resource Council and be called upon to volunteer your time, let us know.

If you would like to get involved, please EMAIL US.