Arts Benicia's 2013 Open Studios

What: Benicia Artists Open Studios event

When: May 4 & 5, 2013, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Where: Arts Benicia Gallery
991 Tyler St #114
Benicia, California 94510

Activities in conjunction with the show:
Group Exhibition at Arts Benicia Gallery
April 18- May 5, 2013

Family Art Day
Sunday, April 21
1:00-3:00 PM


More than 50 Benicia Artists to Open Studios
to Public on May 4 & 5
Each year the community of artists and artisans in the East Bay city of Benicia welcome visitors to experience an Open Studios event the first weekend of May. This year, the Open Studios event, sponsored by Arts Benicia will take place Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5. This is a unique opportunity to meet with artists in their studios and home workspaces to see new and exciting works of art. More than 50 studios will be open to the public for those two days, as visitors are afforded a rare opportunity to engage directly with artists in their live and work spaces.
In concert with the Open Studios event, the Arts Benicia Gallery presents an exhibit by the artists who have opened their studios to the public during the Benicia Artists Open Studios May 4 and 5. The group show will be on view from Thursday through Sunday from April 18 to May 5. This exhibit provides an excellent representation of all the artists’ work, and an ideal way to plan which studios to visit. Open Studio Maps are free and available at Arts Benicia.
Benicia is home to painters, sculptors, photographers, woodturners, illustrators, metalsmiths, ceramicists, jewelry designers, and world class glass artists throughout the city, primarily concentrated in Benicia’s historical Arsenal district. The Benicia Artists Open Studios event is prime opportunity for art lovers, as nearly 100 artists live and work spaces are housed in the Arsenal district, a relatively small and walkable area. In contrast to most open studios events, visitors are able to park their cars and walk to dozens of artist studios each day, making it possible to see numerous and varied works of art. The opportunity to view the intersections of so many different art forms provides a glimpse into why the Benicia arts community has garnered a reputation as a place where artistic expression flourishes.
In conjunction with Open Studios, Arts Benicia is hosting the Mosaic Project. Now in its third year at Arts Benicia, the Mosaic Project is an amalgam of a community outreach project and organizational fundraiser. Members of the community were invited to design 7 x 7” art panels, which were generously donated by Ruszel Woodworks; each tile will be installed to create a large scale “mosaic” in the Arts Benicia gallery during the Open Studios group exhibition. Every panel is a unique work of art, and each is available for purchase for $25. Patrons are invited to purchase panels by raffle; not knowing which original work of art they will receive only adds to the excitement. To conclude Open Studios on May 5 at 5:00 PM there will be a public raffle drawing for each of the panels. The Mosaic Project engages the entire community in the process of making art, and results in original art that is affordable and accessible for everyone.

For more information about the Open Studios event, please call Arts Benicia at (707) 747-0131, e-mail info [at] artsbenicia.org, or visit http://www.artsbenicia.org.