Artists will also show work in a special Open Art Studios exhibition at the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. in downtown Madison, from Sept. 24 through Oct. 12. The exhibition will fill all three floors of the Overture Center's community galleries. A free gala reception will be held Friday, Sept. 28 at Overture. The reception will provide an opportunity to preview the work of artists represented on the tour, plan your weekend route and participate in a raffle and silent auction.

The event spans a wide variety of artistic mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, textiles, watercolor and jewelry. Artist demonstrations will occur throughout the weekend. Online galleries of the artwork, with artist contact information and studio locations, are available at www.maoas.com. A number of MAOAS participants are also members of PortalWisconsin.org's juried online gallery; you can view those artists here.

All Open Art Studios events are free to the public. Studio maps will be available in the preceding weeks at most area galleries, farmers' markets, at the Sept. 28 opening reception, online and at each studio location the week of the tour. Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. Open Art Studios is a great chance to design your own "studio crawl" based around a particular medium, part of the city, or whatever strikes your fancy!

Open Art Studios is a volunteer-run event and receives funding from artist fees, the Madison Arts Commission and Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission.