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Who Can Participate?

The Thanksgiving Studio Tour is for full-time resident artists on Gabriola, Mudge**, Link**, De Courcy**, or Valdes Island**. All visual artists and artisans who are permanent residents of these Islands and members of the Gabriola Arts Council may participate in the Studio Tour.

Only visual artists and artisans who create original, handmade, unique, one-of-a-kind works are invited to exhibit their work on the Tour. No mass-produced products or consumable goods are permitted. The exception is material that is derived from a work of your own visual art (e.g. notecards, prints, or other reproductions).

**Note that all Artists must show their work on Gabriola Island during the studio tour.  For help finding a Gabriola-based host or gallery to display your work during the Tour weekend – please reach out to info@artsgabriola.ca as early as possible so we may help match you with a suitable host.

Our intention is to support artists to have meaningful and enjoyable contact with those on the Tour, to showcase and sell their work, and inspire a sense of community among island artists.

Cost To Participate

Studio Tour Fee: $310*

We strive to make all of our events accessible to as many people as possible. See note below for more details on financial support as part of our Inclusivity Program.

*Tour fee does not cover GAC annual membership. You must be a GAC member in good standing, and that fee is separate from Studio tour fee.

Your studio tour fees cover:

• Marketing from May to October, including social media and print media
• 2023 listing on theartsongabriola.ca (TAOG) a local creative directory and online art catalogue
• Inclusion in the printed Studio Guide, an enduring reference and planning tool
• Participation in Tour Central gallery (due to large participation there will be size limitations)

Inclusivity Program:

The Gabriola Arts Council affirms its commitment to principles of equity, mutual respect, inclusion, and diversity with a goal of nurturing a diverse and inclusive arts community. If you have recommendations for how we can support you and/or others to feel welcome in the Gabriola Studio Tour community, please let us know. 

A part of nurturing inclusion is providing financial support to those who have limited access to opportunities because of cost. Our events include an opportunity to donate to our Inclusivity program to provide reduced costs for tickets to events, workshops, etc. We extend our Inclusivity Program into the Studio Tour, offering a limited amount of financial support to artists on a one-time-only per artist basis. Please consider adding a donation to your registration in support of this program. 

As part of our Inclusivity Program artists finding it difficult to meet the financial requirements of the Tour fee are welcome to call the office 250 247 7409 and speak to the Executive Director about assistance. There are no forms or financial questions, simply a conversation about need and how we can help artists share their art practice during Studio Tour.

To help you prepare for registration we have created a handy checklist.

Please read the information below carefully for details of what you need for your registration. 

• Must be a GAC member in good standing. All Tour artists must be members of GAC. Memberships are a separate fee, not included in tour registration fee. Most artists will need to renew their membership for 2022 unless they have emeritus status or a multi-year membership. You can do this by selecting the membership renewal option in the registration form. In the case of artist partnerships (artists creating work together), each artist must have a current GAC membership. If you’re not sure whether you need to renew contact info@artsgabriola.ca prior to the registration date to inquire about your status.
  
  Renew Membership
• Written Studio Description. 15-25 words please. Choose your words carefully and make them as descriptive as possible to shed light on your work and encourage people to visit. We reserve the right to edit text for length and style. You will have an opportunity to review your listing before the brochure is printed.
• 1 digital photo of your work: Please read the following instructions carefully. If you are not familiar with image specifications, please find someone who can assist you. GAC staff cannot work with you to format your image properly.
  • Image subject: Submit a clear and uncluttered square image representation of your best work on a plain background. Photos will be printed in a 1.5″ square format. Sometimes a colourful detail or a tight crop of your work is most effective at this size. Have a look at last year’s brochure to see which photos are most effective. (Note: We require a new image each year. Resubmission of a photo previously used in the Studio Tour brochure won’t be accepted. Also, logos are not permitted in or as your image.)
  • File Size: File size must be minimum 1 MB and maximum 5 MB. For those familiar with pixel dimensions, a minimum image size of 800×800 pixels is required, but larger would be great.
  • File Format: A full-size JPG image file in its original RGB colour space is preferred, saved at best image quality with no extra image compression. TIFF format is also acceptable but please do not convert your image to CMYK colour for print—we will handle this in brochure production.
  • Dimensions: Your image will be printed in a square format - so please submit a square image (minimum dimensions 800x800 pixels). When cropping your digital image into a square, please leave an allowance for our printer’s page bleed requirements which may trim off up to 1/4” of your image on either side. If you submit an image file that is not square, GAC reserves the right to crop it for you.
  • Yes, Smartphone/iPhone images are acceptable if they meet the above criteria.
• Studio Address and Map Location Confirmation: Have a look at the 2022 tour map in the printed brochure. Was the pin location accurate? If not, please advise us on the correct positioning of your address on the map.
• Will you be a Primary Artist or Guest Artist at someone's studio? If you are displaying or demonstrating your work from your own home or studio, you are a Primary Studio. Note: Artists creating work together (artist partnerships) can be listed under the same studio, and pay one fee. Each artist must have a current GAC membership. If you display your work in the home or studio of another registered Primary Studio, you are a Guest Artist. Your Studio number will be the same as that of your host Principal Studio, your registration fee is the same, and you receive the same size and format listing in the Studio Tour brochure and on the GAC website.

If you have questions, please email carol@artsgabriola.ca prior to registration.