Gabriola Studio Tours
Summer Art Tours on Fridays, from 1 to 4 pm, in July and August and
Thanksgiving Tour October 9-11 from 10am to 4pm
Wine tasting at Village Liquor Store on October 9 from 4:30 to 6 pm
Mark your calendar for the Gabriola Summer and Thanksgiving Studio Tours! Island artists will throw open their studio doors to tempt your senses with a dizzying array of art, art, art!
Gabriola Island has one of the highest concentrations of artists in Canada, truly earning the title “Isle of the Arts.” Every day is a celebration of the arts in this gorgeous little hotbed of writers, actors, poets, painters, dancers and musicians.
Free, self-directed tours of home-based studios are available in the summer when Island life in the sun is in full swing. The artists open in the summer are listed in the Studio Tour brochure, which also advertises the grand weekend of art tours—the Thanksgiving Studio Tour (Oct. 9 to 11) when all the artists listed in the brochure are open from 10 to 4. And it doesn’t end there…design your own tour by contacting any of artists in the brochure to arrange your own appointments.
Art Tours are the ultimate celebration of the visual arts on Gabriola. Use the distinctive road signs to guide you to the studios—a unique opportunity to see artists up close and personal, many with national and international reputations. Rarely do art fans get such a chance to make the connection between the artist and their art in the space where it all comes together—it’s an addictive experience!
Fascinated by things that shimmer? You’ll definitely want to scope out the studios featuring our many award-winning jewellers. Or do canvases make you swoon? From contemporary to landscape, Gabriola has a painter for every taste. Driftwood furniture, woodworking, photography, leather bags, hand-woven textiles and stone work …it’s all here, waiting just for you!
And while these treasures will be with you for years to come, it is the memory of talking to the artists that will stay with you forever. Knowing where and how your purchases were lovingly coaxed into being will add so much value to anything you take home. It is truly a unique opportunity to hear an artist speak of their passion and drive to create.
Download a Printable PDF Map
Get a brochure at one of these locations.
