Greenville Open Studios is an annual event which opens the studios of local visual artists to the public. Now entering its 20th year, Greenville Open Studios began as an idea cast about during a casual conversation between a small group of artists; they discussed doing something to raise awareness in the greater community of the tremendous creative energy in the area. The idea has evolved into a full-fledged annual event.

The 2020 self-guided tour featured 133 artists and their studios. Studio locations varied throughout a 15-mile radius of downtown Greenville with Easley, Greer, Travelers Rest and Simpsonville included. Due to the pandemic, artists chose their own hours, made appointments or only participated virtually from November 7 – 30, 2020. Each of the artists also had a video of their studio which is still accessible through the Greenville Open Studios YouTube channel and the app. Open Studios catalogues for 2020 could be found at all the studios from November 7 – 30, in various retail locations and in the November 6th edition of the Greenville Journal.

The goals of Greenville Open Studios are to provide free and convenient community access to visual arts, to educate and create a dialogue between artists and the general public by opening artists’ place of work and inviting the community-at-large to participate in the creative process, and to create new marketing opportunities for artists. It is the organizers’ desire that the project will open up the world of visual artists to everyone – from the seasoned collector to the first-time art buyer to the curious general public.