Benicia Artists Open Studios 2010 May 1, 2010

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 (a non-profit visual arts organization, gallery and arts education center), will take place Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2. 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 70 studios will be open to the public for those two days, as visitors are afforded a rare opportunity to talk personally with artists whose work they admire and to see their favorite or soon-to-be favorite artists at work. In concert with the Open Studios event, the Arts Benicia Gallery, located at 991 Tyler Street, Suite 114, in Benicia, will present an art preview and group exhibit of the Benicia Artists Open Studios on view from April 22 to May 2. The exhibited artwork includes art of a variety of media by the artists who have opened their studios to the public. This exhibit is an excellent representation of all the artists work, and an ideal way to plan which studios to visit. Maps are free and available at Arts Benicia. On May 1 and 2, the gallery will also host a variety of concessions, as well as Dalt Williams Jazz for All Occasions jazz trio. Included among the artists opening up their studios on May 1 and 2 will be Benicias world-famous glass artists, who will provide demonstrations of the centuries-old art form of glass blowing. Within the citys three art glass studios Lindsay Art Glass, Smyers Glass, and Nourot Glass Studio you can see first-hand the process of turning molten glass into exquisite works by masters of the art. The glass artists of Benicia create bowls, stemware, vases, paper weights, coasters, lamps, clock cases and other types of one-of-kind collectibles. The studios open during this event will highlight the work of artists utilizing a wide range of media, including paintings, ceramics, textiles, drawings, sculpture, glass, jewelry, printmaking, photography, and mixed media. The opportunity to view such a cross-section of art forms provides a glimpse into why the art community has earned for Benicia its reputation as a place where artistic expression flourishes. Benicia is home to painters, sculptors, photographers, woodturners, illustrators, metalsmiths, ceramicists, and jewelry designers, with studios scattered through the city, but primarily concentrated in Benicias intriguing Arsenal arts district. The Arsenals Open Studios event is prime opportunity for art lovers, in part due to the Arsenal's nearly 100 artists being concentrated into a relatively small, walkable area. In contrast to most open studios events, visitors are able to park their cars and walk to dozens of artist studios, making it possible to see much more art.