About
High Line Open Studios evolved out of an annual grass roots movement by West Chelsea artists organizing to open their studios to the public. This movement, starting back as early as 2000, has been spearheaded by a handful dedicated artists over the past two decades. In 2007, a group of four artists housed in the West Chelsea Arts Building at 526 W26th Street formalized the annual event under the name of High Line Open Studios.
Photo: Scotto Mycklebust, Ian Mack's studio, 526 W 26th St., Studio 723
This annual event allows area artists to open their studios to the public. Art lovers, collectors, dealers and visitors are allowed to meet the artists and see first hand where some of the world's greatest contemporary art is created, before it hangs on museum and gallery walls.
This year is the fifteen year anniversary and the post-pandemic presentation of the High Line Open Studios annual event since the COVID-19. Presented annually, twice a year, in March, and again in October with its 2-day weekend event. This year we are back to our traditional fall art season artists' open studio tour in October 2022.
On Saturday and Sunday, October 22nd and 23rd from 12-6 p.m. visitors can tour participating artists studios located in buildings throughout the West Chelsea Gallery district. The open studios tour starts at the West Chelsea Building located at 526 West 26th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenue. Visitors can pickup open studios tour map and artists information at the information center in the lobby and tour over 60 artists' West Chelsea studios in more the ten location in and around the West Chelsea art and gallery district.
Arts in West Chelsea
In the 1990s, many of New York's commercial art galleries and dealers moved from Soho and 57th street to West Chelsea. Just as artists had transformed Soho in the 1960s, West Chelsea underwent a massive change. Previously, West Chelsea had been an industrial area bustling with factories, auto body shops and garages.
Today, those garages house some of the top contemporary art galleries in the world. West Chelsea is considered the contemporary art mecca in the world. Artists, collectors, dealers, art lovers and tourists come from all over the world to check out the latest contemporary art trends on the gallery walls and to tour the neighborhood.
Photo: Scotto Mycklebust, West Chelsea Gallery