Point Reyes Open Studios

About the Point Reyes Open Studios

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The Point Reyes Open Studios Group (PROS) was established in 1997 to promote the work of artists living around Tomales Bay. Realizing the wealth of talent in the communities of Point Reyes Station, Inverness Park, Inverness, Olema and Marshall, the group's founders sought to bring local artists together to form a group with an identity distinct from artists living in the rest of Marin County. A key aspect of PROS identity is stated in their vision statement, "to act as a resource and support for group members and other artists."

Today PROS has over thirty members including ceramicists, photographers, sculptors in stone and wood, painters, printmakers, fiber artists and artists who work with recycled materials. The group is made up of emerging artists and those who have enjoyed long and successful careers, those who exhibit locally and those whose work is in collections and galleries around the world. While much of the work produced celebrates the natural beauty of the Point Reyes wilderness area, a diversity of styles is represented by the group including representational, figurative, abstract, impressionistic, realistic, functional and fun.

The group's main activities are two open studios per year: one over Thanksgiving weekend and one over Memorial Day weekend. These two events are organized, implemented, publicized, advertised and paid for exclusively by the members of the group. The group receives support from the Point Reyes community. Local merchants and innkeepers display and distribute brochures to area visitors. The area newspaper, the Point Reyes Light, runs a feature article on the group the week of the open studios, and in 2003, the first PROS group show was hosted by Point Reyes Books.