Gualala Arts Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961
Important SDT 2025 Dates
Application Deadline: Saturday, March 1
Orientation Meeting (2 options): Saturday, March 8 or March 15
Publicity Materials Deadline: Tuesday, April 1
SDT Website Up and Running: ASAP between June 1 and July 1
Discovery Gallery Preview Show: Friday July 11 – Monday September 7
White Cap Preview Show: Approximately August 1-31
Sea Ranch Lodge Preview: Opening Reception at the Lodge August 20
Pre-Tour Meeting: Saturday, August 16 (pick up signs, etc.)
Tour Dates: August 23-24 and August 30-September 1
Post-Tour Wrap-up Meeting: Tuesday, September 2
Dear Artist,
The successes of the past four Tours were welcome in the shadow of the pandemic. Among other lessons, we learned that the preview shows at Discovery Gallery and WhiteCap Coffee and Tea make a big difference and that social media is important to informing coastal visitors and our local customers — raising the bar on our expectations for the upcoming season.
New for the 2025 SDT — a preview show at the Sea Ranch Lodge, in addition to the previews at the Discovery Gallery and at the WhiteCap. Here is what NCAG offers with more than thirty years of Studio Discovery Tour experience:
Ten thousand full-color brochures will be distributed to our extensive mailing list (over 4,000 names and growing) and to local hot spots – we count on artist participation in distributing our brochures to local lodging places and hot spots. Customers will have maps, directions to your studio, and an image of your artwork. And importantly, the brochures will direct art seekers to our upgraded Studio Discovery Tour website with up to eight photos of your art — up and running by July 1, 2025 — where they will get your personal view of your creations and your studio environment, as well as a broader experience of the local venue with coastal scenery. And you will continue to get this website exposure through the end of 2025. During the approaching weeks of the tour, there will be ongoing social media posts on various Facebook pages and Instagram, as well as print and radio advertising. The Discovery Gallery, in mid-town Gualala, will once again serve as the SDT Preview Show with art pieces from every Tour artist from mid-July through Labor Day. A flyer will be inserted into the Independent Coast Observer ahead of each tour weekend that will drive inquiries to the Tour website, and from there your links can direct them to your personal website and any e-commerce capability you might develop to sell online. We are also exploring paid print ads in targeted publications.
New for the 2025 tour — SAVE THE DATE postcards that will be distributed at various lodgings. Distribution of the cards will start Presidents’ Day weekend to encourage winter and spring visitors to return for the SDT. If your studio is not set up for the public, you might consider sharing space with another artist. Our records show studios that host other artists increase visitations. Artists with lots of room, let us know if you are willing to share your space. Likewise, if you are looking for an alternative space, let us know; we will try to find you a suitable match. Based on sales history and the need for space to display your art (and for customers to shop in comfort), we recommend no more than 3 artists per site.
For those of you who are returning to the Tour, we will want fresh, all new bios and artwork images, and a professional (that’s you), “Artist-at-Work” image. Keep in mind that there are probably more studios to visit than there is time to visit them all. Visitors are going to choose sites to visit based on your images and bio.
Your Information Sheet and Tour Application are attached.
Sincerely,
Your 2025 North Coast Artist Guild Board of Directors:
Tempra Board, Robyn Cota Cann, Colette Coad, Jackie Gardener,
Barbara Johannes, Bruce Jones, Pam Powell
Studio Discover Tour Application