The Route 1 corridor’s 16th annual Gateway Arts District open studio tour will be held virtually on Saturday, August 22 and is being referred to as the first Virtual Gateway Open Studio Tour (VOST).
With public health directives still discouraging large gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year organizers of the studio tour decided to share the works of local artists on a livestream platform from 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The tour will feature Maria Fenton, a multi-disciplinary artist; Rafael Rodriguez, a Salvadoran DREAMer who graduated from Northwestern High; and John Paradiso of Portico Gallery in Brentwood, who uses art like embroidery and doilies to raise questions about gender, among others.
Organizations featured on the tour include Red Dirt Studios, a warehouse arts studio and incubator in Mount Rainier; Otis Street Arts Project, an arts incubator also in Mount Rainier; and branding and design firm Designbold LLC.
The tour will open with a performance of We Shall Overcome, composed and performed by Joseph Joubert, a composer, musical director and conductor on Broadway. Renowned jazz pianist Marcus Johnson will also perform, and there will be panel discussions via Zoom.
