Philomath Open Studios Tour, or POST, marks its twentieth anniversary with this year’s iteration. Pre-tour, they’ve been offering a special exhibition celebrating the milestone. It features work from artists on the tour and from the past. It’s at the Giustina Gallery at the LaSells Stewart Center at OSU. But hurry, it closes October 20.
The Benton County Museum is also celebrating POST’s twentieth with an exhibition of work by current artists and posters from each of the past twenty years of tours. It’s running now through January 2026.
So, how did all this start. It was the brainchild of Carolee Clark, who had just done the Yamhill County tour, and she believed the same sort of thing could be successful in Philomath. Next, she, Signe Davis and Donna Beverly took that idea to Suzanne Cutsforth and Suzanne Byram at Wild Rose Gallery. They thought it was a great idea and that was the beginning.
Fast forward to this year’s tour
This year’s tour includes 36 artists in 13 locations. Studios and other display venues will be open from 12 to 5 pm on four days these next two weekends. That’s October 18 and 19, and October 25 and 26. The tour is free, and visitors can create their own tour by starting at any studio.
There’s a website with a full map. The website also offers profiles of participating artists, with statements and multiple images of their work.
Brochures featuring a map and artist data and images are available at the Arts Center in Corvallis, the Benton County Museum, and other galleries and locations throughout our fair burgh. There are also the distinctive yellow signs with the POST hand logo that mark venue locations.
As always, the tour provides an opportunity to visit with the artists and learn how they make their art and what inspires them. As in the past, artists new to the tour will be joining with more familiar faces to provide a colorful array of artistic media. This year you will find ceramics, fabric painting, glass, jewelry, metalworking, mixed media collage, painting in many media, pastel drawing, pen and ink, photography, printmaking, and woodwork.
All work exhibited will be for sale. Artists participating include: Jenny Armitage, Rebecca Arthur, Maria Bellando, Afon Blinov, Phil Coleman, Dale Donovan, Jess Felix, Deb Friedlander, Deb Garley, Anthony Gordon, Leslie Green, Jeff Gunn, Linda Herd, Erin, Nick, Sue, and Bruce Heys, Carol Houk, Ann Lahr, Jean Lawrence, Marilyn Lindsley, Courtney Marchesi, Emma Marliave, Kris Mitchell, Greg Nicol, Ken Pate, Judith Sander, Melissa Saylor, Merrill Sommers, Pat Spark, Debby Sundbaum-Sommers, Mark Svendsen, Leslie Tejada, Steve Terhune, Sandra Wilson and Vicki Wilson.
Oh, and here’s their website again: https://www.philomathopenstudios.com/
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