About Us

The free, self guided Studio Tour began in 1995 as a "grass-roots" effort by 7 artists and artisans. They wanted to raise the awareness of the public at large concerning the quality of art that was being created in the region of Sussex County bordered by Bethany Beach, Dagsboro, Selbyville and Fenwick Island. As most of these individuals were full-time working artists, they also wanted an opportunity to sell their art and craft. The tour has always been free to the public.

In 2000, the group decided that each participating artist would donate a work to be raffled off with all proceeds to go to art education programs in the Indian River School District. The raffle, dubbed "Art in the Hat", has been well received by tourgoers. To date, raffle sales and excess dollars from the general fund have allowed the group to give over $63,000 to our local schools.

The first tour was attended by more than 400 people and the number of attendees has continued to grow over the years. The tour has also grown in the number of participating artists, but it is still the "grass-roots" operation of its origins. Each artist donates time and talent to making the tour a premier event for this area. The support of the community, the attending public and coverage by the various media outlets in the area have added greatly to it’s continued success.