Inside the Studio: Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour Returns

Meet 57 juried artists at work across the region

By Like Media Team

For three days this September, artists throughout the greater Gig Harbor area will open their working studios and invite visitors to see what happens before a finished piece reaches a gallery wall.

The Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour returns September 18 through 20, bringing together 57 juried artists at 23 studio locations across Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Fox Island, Olalla and Port Orchard. The free, self-guided event runs from 10 am to 5 pm each day, giving visitors the freedom to create their own route and explore at their own pace.

The tour continues a tradition that began in 1993, when a group of area artists opened their studios to the public. More than three decades later, the event has expanded considerably, but its purpose remains focused on creating direct connections between artists and visitors. That connection between artist, process, place, and visitor is central to what makes the tour special.

Unlike a traditional art show, the experience begins where the work is created. Visitors may see sketches, tools, materials, and pieces still in progress while talking directly with the people who make them. Each participating artist also provides a process demonstration, either live or through a display showing different stages of the work.

Depending on the studio, guests might see clay being formed, glass being fused or worked with a torch, wood being turned or carved, fibers being woven or felted, jewelry taking shape, or printmaking techniques in progress. Seeing that process is an important part of the tour.

A finished piece reveals the result. The studio reveals the journey. Seeing the materials, experiments and stages behind a piece can help visitors better understand the skill, time and persistence involved. It also creates opportunities to ask questions about inspiration, techniques and the challenges associated with different mediums.

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The 2026 tour represents a particularly wide range of artistic work. Visitors will find oil, acrylic, watercolor, abstract, and mixed-media paintings alongside ceramics, wood-fired stoneware, photography, sculpture, woodworking, and woodturning. There is also an opportunity to see artists who create art for storybooks, greeting cards, and puzzles.

Glass artists work in fused, blown, lampworked, stained, and mosaic formats, while other participants specialize in jewelry, copper enameling, polymer clay, encaustics, printmaking, paper cutting, cyanotype, silk painting, contemporary felt, alpaca fiber, wearable fiber art, fabric basketry, and beaded garden art.

Artists are selected through a juried screening process that considers originality, creativity, consistency, and mastery of their medium, as well as presentation and artist statements. The format gives visitors the opportunity to experience a broad mix of original work by established, professional, and emerging artists.

For those planning their first Open Studio Tour, organizers recommend starting with the brochure and online map at GigHarborOpenStudioTour.org. Because the 23 locations span several communities, visitors can group nearby studios and plan a route based on the time they have available. Some locations host multiple artists, making them useful starting points.

The tour is designed for everyone, from experienced art collectors to those simply curious about local art. Guests can follow what interests them, talk with artists, and spend as much time as they choose at each location.

The event also provides artists with an opportunity to introduce their work directly to the public, develop relationships with collectors, and sell pieces without the tour taking a commission.

For visitors, it is a chance to see the creative work being produced throughout the region and meet the people behind it. Meeting the artist behind a piece makes the art itself more personal.

The 2026 Gig Harbor Open Studio Tour takes place September 18 through 20 from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. The complete brochure, map, artist profiles, and individual studio directions are available at GigHarborOpenStudioTour.org. Check out more business spotlights here!