Fairbanks Art Studio Tour
Inviting the public into the places where art actually happens.
The Fairbanks Art Studio Tour is a first-of-its-kind event in Fairbanks, Alaska. Created and presented by Fairbanks Brand Studio in collaboration with local artist April Knox, the tour invites the public into working studios across town to meet artists where they create.
For one weekend, the public is invited into kitchens-turned-print-shops and garages-turned-glass-studios. Spare rooms held looms, canvases, kilns, and carving tools. The community didn’t just see finished work on a gallery wall. They stepped into process.
PURPOSEThis was an initiative by Fairbanks Brand Studio to bring people together through an appreciation of our Fairbanks art community.
MISSIONTo use our branding, story-telling abilities, and ecosystem to create, organize, and curate an Art Studio Tour that engaged community with the artists we know and love in a new and intentional way.
My Role
As part of Fairbanks Brand Studio, I helped:
Conceptualize and shape the event from the ground up
Build the narrative and visual identity
Coordinate artists and studio logistics
Develop the tour map and printed materials
Plan and execute the kickoff event
Work with sponsors and community partners
Facilitate communication between artists, businesses, and attendees
Host and guide the weekend experience
The Kick-Off Event
We launched the weekend during First Friday, a citywide art night where businesses host local artists. This allowed the tour to begin within an existing cultural rhythm.
The kickoff event served as:
A central gathering point
Ticket check-in and map distribution
A preview of participating artists
A way to make part of the weekend accessible to the broader public
Because an event like this cannot be entirely free, we wanted an entry point that still welcomed everyone.
The Tour
Over the next two days, attendees traveled across Fairbanks to visit:
Home studios
Shared creative spaces
Pop-up studios hosted by local businesses
Some artists demonstrated their process.
Some offered hands-on experiences.
All opened their doors.
The result was slower and more personal conversations about art. Not just what it is, but how and why it’s made.
The Impact
Dozens of artists opened their studios to the public
More than 50 community members attended across the weekend
Artists retained 100% of their studio sales
New connections were formed between artists and collectors
Local businesses were integrated into the creative ecosystem
