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Visit North East Open Studios
Step inside. Meet the maker. Discover something unexpected.
Every September, artists and makers across the North East of Scotland open their doors and invite you in.
This is your opportunity to experience creativity where it actually happens. Walk into working studios. See tools, sketches and half finished pieces. Ask questions. Hear the stories behind the work. Understand the process, not just the finished product.
This is not a market. It is not a gallery circuit. It is access.
Explore extraordinary places
Open Studios take place in almost every type of setting imaginable:
• Purpose built studios
• Private homes and garden workshops
• Converted steadings and industrial units
• High street spaces and village halls
• Cafés, galleries and shared venues
• Remote rural locations with vast coastal and countryside views
Some spaces are fully accessible. Others may not be, and artists often collaborate in shared or alternative venues to make their work available. Each listing clearly shows where and when you can visit.
The settings are varied. The disciplines are wide ranging. The welcome is consistent.
Expect variety. Expect quality.
You will discover painting, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, printmaking, photography, wood, glass, heritage crafts and more.
You may meet established professionals with international reputations. You may meet emerging makers at the start of their journey.
Part of the joy of North East Open Studios is the unexpected find. A piece you did not plan to buy. A studio you nearly drove past. A conversation that changes how you see something.
Plan your visit
Our iconic yellow signs appear across the region every September, guiding you to each participating studio and venue.
To make the most of your time:
• Use the website to search by location, discipline or artist
• Check individual opening dates and times
• Browse the digital directory to shortlist places you want to visit
• Pick up a copy of our yellow book to map out your route
The website, book and app are also year round directories, helping you reconnect with artists, commission work or return for workshops long after September has ended.
Make a day of it
Our iconic yellow signs appear across the region every September, guiding you to each participating studio and venue.
Turn your visit into a road trip. Explore towns and villages you have never visited. Stop for coffee along the way. Meet the people shaping the creative identity of the North East of Scotland.
Creativity lives here.
Plan your route.
Follow the yellow signs.
Open a door you have never opened before.