Arts image

Art and Studio Tour

Home/Things to Do/Arts and Culture/Richmond Hill Studio Tour

2019 Art and Studio Tour

Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, 2019, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Artists Call for Entry for the 17th Annual Richmond Hill Art and Studio Tour is now open. Deadline for applying is Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 4 p.m.

Judging will take place on Tuesday March 19, 2019 and artists will be notified of the results by the end of March.

Applications can be completed online at RichmondHill.ca/ActiveRH using code: 27097. For a printable version of the application, please contact Michelle.Zikovitz@richmondhill.ca.

Why Participate?

The Richmond Hill Art and Studio Tour is Richmond Hill’s main art event of the year. Professional and emerging artists are encouraged to open their studios or request to exhibit at local community spaces to showcase their work. Richmond Hill promotes the Art & Studio Tour to residents, businesses and art enthusiasts in Richmond Hill and the Greater Toronto Area.

This free, self-guided tour attracts hundreds of visitors to the Tour sites to meet the artists, learn about their creative process and share their works of art. Artists are also encouraged to participate at other Town events, increasing their exposure to the community. The Richmond Hill Art and Studio Tour continues to showcase some of the most impressive art in Canada!

Conditions of Entry

Priority is given to, but not exclusive to, Richmond Hill residents
All art mediums / disciplines are eligible and may include: Pottery, wood, glass, fibre / textiles, photography, sculpture, jewellery, printmaking, mixed-media, painting
Artists must show only their own, professional-quality, original works. Artists are permitted to sell a limited amount of printed materials of their own work (E.g. cards.)
Artists must be in attendance and prepared to discuss and demonstrate their work throughout the Art & Studio Tour
All artists much provide a signed copy of the Agreement & Release Form (to be provided once accepted on the Tour)
Site artists must be prepared to provide evidence of $1,000,000 of General Liability Insurance on a Town General Liability Certificate of Insurance form
Artists are expected to promote the Tour by participating at various Town events and by distributing marketing materials to extend market reach

Artist Classification & Insurance Requirements

Site Artists must:

Reside or have studio space in Richmond Hill
Have a site that is suitable for displaying work and welcoming visitors
Be prepared to provide evidence of $1,000,000 of General Liability Insurance on a Town General Liability Certificate of Insurance form

Site artists are encouraged to host a guest artist at their venue:

Guest Artist A
- Requires a community space to showcase work. Locations may include: Boynton House, Covernotes, Elgin Barrow Arena, Eyer Homestead, Heritage Centre, McConaghy Centre, Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Richmond Hill United Church
Guest Artist B
- Is being hosted by a site artist; The host artist may or may not be confirmed at the time of application

Selection Process

A Selection Committee comprised of professional, accomplished artists will review your application on February 15, 2019. The Committees’ mandate is to choose artists whose work is professional in quality, from a balanced variety of mediums or disciplines. Those mediums or disciplines should reflect an interesting mix to assure a stimulating tour for visitors, and should represent the most accomplished artists working in that medium or discipline. There is limited space on the Tour so there will be a proportional guideline followed by the Committee. The Selection Committees’ decision is final. Only the work in the medium or discipline approved by the Committee can be featured and sold at the Tour.

All artists are required to submit eight (8) digital images per category of work. Two (2) of the images must meet be in high resolution jpegs (300 dpi) preferably square shaped, and identified as your preferred images for the brochure.

Artists who are new to the Tour must provide a sample of their work for the selection process. Returning artists may be required to submit a sample of their work if their work has changed, or if requested by the Tour organizers. Work is to be dropped off at the Rouge Woods Community Centre, Attention: Michelle Zikovitz, by Thursday February 14, 4 p.m. Failure to do so will constitute an incomplete application and the application will not be considered.

Important Dates

Important 2019 dates:

February 12 – Deadline for Application

February 14 – Deadline to drop off a sample of work, if required

February 15 – Selection date

End of March – notification of application status

April – Artists Meet and Greet

June – Brochure ready for distribution

July 1 – artist exhibit at Canada Day event

September 27 - 29 – demonstrations during Culture Days

October 19 and 20 – Art and Studio Tour

Application Information

Deadline to apply: Tuesday February 12, 2019, 4 p.m.
Fees: $ 198.20 (Includes HST). Full payment is required at the time of application. There are no refunds once the artist is accepted onto the Tour. $159.84 (Includes HST) will be refunded if the artist is not accepted onto the Tour.
Registration is accepted online at RichmondHill.ca/ActiveRH using program code: 27097, or in person at Rouge Woods Community Centre, c/o Michelle Zikovitz, Arts and Events, 110 Shirley Drive, Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1Y7
Digital images: In addition to the registration form, artists are required to submit eight (8) digital images per category of work. Two (2) of the images must meet be in high resolution jpegs (300 dpi) preferably square shaped, and identified as your preferred images for the brochure.
Images can be submitted electronically to michelle.zikovitz@richmondhill.ca or on USB to the Rouge Woods Community Centre, Attention: Michelle Zikovitz, by the deadline of Tuesday February 12, 2019 at 4 p.m.
Sample of artwork: Artists who are new to the Tour must submit one original piece of their art for the selection process. Returning artists may be required to submit a sample of their work if their work has changed, or if requested by the Tour organizers. Work is to be dropped off at the Rouge Woods Community Centre, Attention: Michelle Zikovitz, by Thursday February 14, 4 p.m.
Failure to comply with these requests will constitute an incomplete application and the artists application will not be considered.
Applicants will be notified of their application status by the end of March 2019.

Expectations of Artists and Organizers

All Artists are responsible to:

Prior to Tour:

Deliver application and support material to the Town of Richmond Hill on time along with complete fees and other requested material supplied as needed
Distribute artist’s share of brochures (minimum of 100) and postcards within Richmond Hill and beyond
Follow the Town Facebook page, like, comment and share posts
Participate in pre tour events
Promote tour through your own contacts, databases, affiliated organizations and galleries posting and removing directional studio tour signs, week prior to tour
Utilize your own social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to promote the Tour
Post link to Studio Tour brochure, event dates to your own web-site (if applicable)

Site Artists:

Ensure adequate liability insurance for the artist’s studio. House insurance alone does not necessarily provide adequate coverage. Town of Richmond Hill does not take responsibility for personal loss or damage due to inadequate liability coverage at the site artist’s locations.

Weekend of the Tour:

Ensure that your studio space and surrounding area is safe and prepared to welcome visitors
Maintain the studio space both days of the tour
Sell only your own artwork, accepting commissions, recruiting for classes, and offering/distributing promotional material
Offer demonstrations during the tour
Be present to the public throughout the studio tour hours indicated
Keep and report visitor statistics to the Town of Richmond Hill
Continue to publicize, promote and market the event

The Art and Studio Tour organizers are responsible for:

administration
brochure, postcard and poster production
production and maintenance of website
recruitment of sponsors and advertisers (artists are also encouraged to recruit)
publicity, promotion, and marketing (artists participation is also required)
production and allocation of directional signs
managing the budget and payments for tour related activities
secure community venues