Meet local artists at the Calgary Artists Studio Tour

Artists from Airdrie to Okotoks are welcoming people to come meet them at their working studios from Friday May 3rd to Sunday May 5th for the third annual Calgary Artists Studio Tour.

Artist and organizer Isabel Ostrom says the event started three years ago with 12 artists and has grown in 2024 to 82 artists in 63 locations.

"The idea is actually to build a connection the artists community and the public community in Calgary and surrounding areas," she said. "There are a number of really great artists in the community that are not necessarily in art galleries, a lot of them work out of their home and they might sell in community shows or online and they also sell in galleries."

Ostrom says the tour showcases emerging artists who are new on the art scene as well as well-established, award-winning artists. The goal of the three day event is to foster connections by meeting artists in their environment and increase awareness of the arts in Calgary.

"They're invited in to have a conversation with the artist," said Ostrom. "They're able to find out about their creative inspirations and their techniques and they also have an opportunity to purchase art.

"People are always kind of surprised that they can come into someone's home," Ostrom added. "I think Calgary doesn't have a history of having studio tours so we in a way, we have to educate people what it's all about."

Located in homes and garages

Artists studios are located in their homes or garages, while some rent warehouse space in commercial buildings and organizers say each one offers a different experience for the visiting public.

Lindsay Walsh is a mixed media artist who enjoys working in layers.

"I love a feeling of place," she said. "I like a story to come through the art and I'm really enamored with Art Nouveau and that kind of period of change."

Walsh is a retired ballet artist and dancer and realized she needed to keep busy and turned to art. She's excited to be participating in her first art tour.

"We don't know if we'll be busy, I mean, we could have five people and we could have 500 -- who knows?" she said. "It's a great opportunity and I don't feel pressured to sell at the open house that we're having, I think it's more about getting people to know who you are maybe to follow you create that interest and if you've got some work that's ready and someone wants to take it home great, but I haven't felt with the other artists that it's about selling."

'Great conversations'

Mary-Jo Lough agrees. She's an abstract artist and is one of the original 12 that started the tour.

"I want to see a lot of people come in and have a lot of great conversations, I'd like to add more people to my email list so that I can stay in contact with them long term," she said. "It's a bonus if I sell a ton of work but my main goal is to have the great conversations and ongoing conversations."

Lough describes her style as colourful and busy, with lots of patterns. She says she's harnessing the inner chaos of her mind as an individual with ADHD.

"Other people can be inspired by nature and all sorts of things, whereas I find my work is very intuitive and it comes from within," she said. "Therefore, when I hear what other people have to say about my work, it helps me understand it in ways other than just my own and it's wonderful just to have more people's eyes on your work."

Lough says the Calgary Artists Studio Tour is a way to get to know an artist personally and build a connection with them and their work in a comfortable environment.

"Everybody tends to love art to a different degree, however a lot of people are very intimidated to go into an art gallery or museum," she said. "Whereas when you go into one single artist space, you don't have this fancy gallery, you may not feel that same intimidation, it's a lot more personal and a lot more relaxed so the average person can go in and you don't feel like you need to act a certain way or dress a certain way or speak a certain way so that's a really good thing as well."

The tour is free and begins Friday, May 3 from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m., then Saturday and Sunday May 4 and 5 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Learn more about it here.