Artists must be available to participate during all listed hours and days of the event.

All artists applying for the Calgary Artists Studio Tour (CAST) must commit to participating during the entire duration of the event, which runs over three days. The scheduled hours are Friday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Full participation across all three days is essential to ensure a consistent experience for visitors and to support the development of our marketing materials and maps.

Art enthusiasts planning to attend expect all of the studios to be open during these times, often traveling long distances to enjoy the event. By working together, we can ensure a positive experience for visitors and support our fellow artists. 

What Does CAST Consider a Home Studio or Creative Space?

At CAST, a "home studio" doesn't have to be a formal space. We understand that many artists work from various locations, whether it's a kitchen table, a corner of a room, or anywhere else that inspires creativity— and that's perfectly fine! To showcase your status as an active artist on the CAST tour, we encourage you to set up a small “working space,” complete with a demo or display of your artistic practice. This setup is a wonderful opportunity to spark conversations about your creative process and share your passion with visitors!

What do I present to the public during a studio tour?

During a studio tour, the artist presents their creative process, tools, and work-in-progress pieces to give visitors an inside look at how their art is made. They also showcase finished works, share the stories behind their inspiration, and demonstrate techniques to help visitors appreciate the effort and skill involved. While artists can sell their work during the tour, it remains a studio tour rather than a marketplace, emphasizing the authentic, behind-the-scenes experience of the artist’s studio practice. The goal is to provide an engaging, educational, and inspiring visit that highlights the creative process.

It’s not just Calgary – it’s Calgary & area!

We warmly welcome artists from outside Calgary to participate if their primary studio is within a 50km radius of Calgary City Centre. Each participating artist must have their regular home base within this radius, even if collaborating with others and/or using an alternate location for the tour.

Locations within 50Km of Calgary’s center: Cochrane, Bearspaw, Airdrie, Crossfield, Balzac, Chestermere, Langdon, Indus, Strathmore, Okotoks, De Winton, Priddis, Millarville, Bragg Creek. 

Safety First!

To ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience during the CAST event, please verify your home or business insurance includes the necessary coverage for this occasion. By completing the Artist Application and agreeing to the liability waiver, you acknowledge your responsibility to have the appropriate insurance in place for the duration of the tour. This helps us create a safe environment while allowing the CAST committee to focus on celebrating the arts!

Collaborating Artists

Artists are welcome to collaborate with other artists in a single location for the tour! If you're teaming up with another artist, please keep in mind the following requirements for participation:

- Each artist must complete the application and pay the $50 fee by the March 15th deadline

- Each artist's primary studio must be within a 50km radius of downtown Calgary.

- Collaborating artists must still showcase their tools, work-in-progress pieces, and demonstrate their creative process during the tour (through video, progress pieces, live painting, etc.). This helps preserve the true spirit of the studio tour and ensures it remains an inspiring, authentic experience rather than turning into a traveling market.

We look forward to celebrating your collaboration and creativity!

Artist Website

An artist website is a vital tool for creatives as it allows you to showcase your work, market to new audiences, gain a following, and make connections and sales.  CAST aims to build relationships between professional artists and the public, and having a website helps achieve this goal.

If you don't have a website you can use a free CANVA account to easily create one for yourself!

Artist Social Media Account

To enhance your visibility as an artist, it’s essential to have a dedicated Instagram or Facebook account focused solely on your art practice. Please note that personal accounts or alternate business accounts, even if you occasionally post your art, will not be accepted. 

Our CAST volunteers are here to support you with marketing graphics, engaging reels, and posts to share, along with helpful wording for your newsletters. Together, through collaboration and co-promotion, we can effectively spread the word about the exciting CAST event and reach a wider audience!

- Your artist profile on the “Meet the Artists” page of the CAST website, posted until the end of the calendar year. After that your name, photo and links to your website and socialmedia will remain.

- Your artist profile on the TOUREKA! app

- Regular contact with the planning committee via email

- Comprehensive private reference area on the website offering everything you need in one place

- Marketing materials including postcards and posters

- Invitation to artist networking events

- Free virtual (Zoom) training leading up to the CAST weekend

- Introduction to "new to you" collectors

- 100% of the proceeds from your art studio sales over the event

Marketing package including:

- Backlink "Do Follow" to your website and social media profiles

- “Do Follow” links are links that point back to your website for human eyes, Google and other search engines to crawl (view).  Do follow links increase page rank of your website and help push your site further up to first page of google searches. Do follow links are part of any great websites’ organic search strategy.

- Social media marketing graphics to use on your accounts

- Paid marketing 

- Promotion through the CAST social media accounts for a full year