For more than two decades, artists in and around Philomath have been inviting the public into their private creative spaces to see where the magic happens.
Over the next two weekends, the 20th annual Philomath Open Studios Art Tour and Sale will feature 36 artists across 13 locations. An informative brochure combined with distinctive yellow POST signs will guide visitors through studios showcasing everything from ceramics and glass work to photography and mixed media collage.
“A wide variety of artwork to look at depending on where you decide to go,” said Debby Sundbaum-Sommers, one of the event’s co-organizers.
The free, self-guided tour will take place over four days — Oct. 18-19 and Oct. 25-26 — with all venues open from noon-5 p.m. each day. Visitors can start at any location and create their own routes.
By the way, organizers refer to the 2025 tour as the 20th because the event was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.
“There used to be a little gallery in Philomath called the Wild Rose,” Sundbaum-Sommers said when asked about the event’s origins in 2003. “This one particular artist went on an art tour in Yamhill County and she felt like we could do this in Philomath.”
That artist, Carolee Clark, partnered with a few other artists and the concept quickly gained momentum. In the beginning, artists paid a fee to participate but local businesses also purchased ad space that went on posters and in brochures.
Sundbaum-Sommers said that over the years, Philomath Open Studios stopped asking businesses to buy ads and opted instead to raise participation fees. She added that the Benton County Historical Society has always been supportive and has hosted several exhibits for the organization at the museum.
The artists sell their work to those with an interest but beyond bringing in some dollars, Sundbaum-Sommers said there are other benefits.
“One is to meet the people that come back every year, which is delightful,” she said. “Another is to meet the artists — I mean, we have new artists in our group this year that I’ve never met before. So for us, that’s a fun part of it.”
Those touring may experience something different at each stop, including one-on-one interactions with the artists. Demonstrations may or may not take place depending on the space and materials.
“A host artist like Debi Friedlander, who is out at Lumos, can demonstrate her PhotoFusion stuff because she uses colored pencils along with the photographs that she takes,” Sundbaum-Sommers said. “The potters don’t demonstrate because it’s too messy. In the past, I’ve had a guest artist and I have a small studio, so there’s really no space to demonstrate.”
Even if it’s not possible to do an actual demonstration, Sundbaum-Sommers said there’s always plenty of information to share to give visitors a sense of the process.
“I came up with a way to show people how I do a certain kind of monotype, which really helps them understand,” she said. “Very few can actually show the process also because usually the studios are cleaned up to put on the event and most of the way that we work is kind of messy.”
Sundbaum-Sommers has been participating since the tour’s second year — minus one year when she took a break. She said this will be her final year.
Before hitting the road, Sundbaum-Sommers suggested starting at Philomath Museum where a special exhibit opens Saturday. The collection, on display through January, features work from current host and guest artists along with pieces from past participants. Current artists’ works will be tagged with their studio numbers.
“So people see something they really like, they can look on the brochure map and see where it fits into where they want to drive,” she said.
Tour brochures can be downloaded from PhilomathOpenStudios.com or picked up locally at the Philomath Museum, Philomath Community Library, or the recently opened Green Heron Gallery at 1233 Main St. Brochures are also available at five Corvallis locations and one in Albany.
The website includes a map with studio locations, artist information, profiles of participating artists with statements and multiple images of their work.
The 2025 tour will feature work in ceramics, fabric painting, glass, jewelry, metalworking, mixed media collage, painting in various media, pastel drawing, pen and ink, photography, printmaking, and woodwork.
In addition to Sundbaum-Sommers and Friedlander, other participating artists include Jenny Armitage, Rebecca Arthur, Maria Bellando, Afon Blinov, Phil Coleman, Dale Donovan, Jess Felix, Deb Garley, Anthony Gordon, Leslie Green, Jeff Gunn, Linda Herd, Erin Heys, Nick Heys, Sue Heys, 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, Mark Svendsen, Leslie Tejada, Steve Terhune, Sandra Wilson and Vicki Wilson.
