“It’s been my honor to produce this tour for the last 20 years. Open Studios gives visitors a unique inside look at the artistic process – there’s just nothing better than meeting an artist in person and seeing where they make their art!” says Ann. This year marks the 39th Annual Open Studios Art Tour for Santa Cruz County, and it’s a special one. Long-time Open Studios and Events Director Ann Ostermann is retiring at the end of this season, marking the production of her 20th event. Ann’s knack for working with artists, paired with her valuable organizational skills, has created a beloved community event spanning across the county from Watsonville to Davenport. ~ by Bree Karpavage of the Arts Council
The big three-weekend Open Studios Art Tour begins this weekend with more than 300 artists across Santa Cruz County. For the past 20 years, the event has been run by Ann Ostermann, who has announced that 2024’s event will be her last.
The colors of autumn, we all know them: pumpkin orange, toasty brown, harvest gold.
In Santa Cruz County, however, at least in the first half of October, all those rich tones take a back seat to one big, bright, bold interloper: chartreuse green.
The color of a radioactive lime is also the official color of the Open Studios Art Tour, the three-weekend arts extravaganza presented by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, featuring more than 300 artists and their studios in every corner of the county.
By absolutely no coincidence at all, chartreuse is also the central theme of the personal style of the Arts Council’s Ann Ostermann, who has been overseeing Open Studios for 20 years. The 2024 event marks the final go-round for the “Queen of Green,” who is retiring this year at the age of 68. Read More Wallace Baine, LookOut Santa Cruz,