The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council is calling artists and artisans in Bantam, Cornwall, Goshen and Warren to participate in its first Open Your Eyes studio tour weekend, being held June 26 and 27, 2010. Artists will open their creative spaces to the public to show their work and discuss their creative processes. Artists may participate for one or both days. Registrations for artists are being accepted through April 23, 2010.

A special initiatives grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism was received by the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council in 2009 to support the planning, implementation and broad promotion of the event. The Open Your Eyes studio tour is a pilot program and is intended to be repeated in the future in another set of towns within Northwest Connecticut Arts Council's 24-town service area.

The event aims to shine a light on the many artists who live, work and contribute so much to our region. The Open Your Eyes tour recognizes that when the the public learns first hand from the artists about what is involved with the making of a work and the 'story' behind it, a deeper connection and involvement with the art work happens, believes Amy Wynn, Northwest Connecticut Arts Councils executive director.