Location:  SE Minnesota (Winona, Fillmore & Houston Counties)
Phone:   651-307-6373 (Sue Pariseau)
Email:bluffcountrystudioarttour@gmail.com
https://bluffcountrystudioarttour.org/
Event Dates:  April 24-26, 2026
Application Deadline: January 15, 2026

Thank you for your interest in joining the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour of SE Minnesota. New artists to the tour and returning artists, please use this application.

Funding Acknowledgement:
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

Event Information:
Bluff Country Studio Art Tour (BCSAT) located in Southeastern Minnesota is a long standing juried, self-guided studio art tour taking place April 24-26, 2026. This event has a 25-year history of presenting high-quality art in and around the scenic valleys and bluffs of Bluff Country of SE MN. BCSAT invites you to apply now for an opportunity to exhibit and participate in our 25^th annual studio art tour.

Bluff Country Studio Art Tour is committed to enriching lives through arts education and experiences by continuing to engage, enhance, and inspire the creativity in our region and communities. Participating artists will present a body of work for sale and demonstrate how they create the work on display while engaging with studio visitors to create connection and community through art.

General Information:
This annual, much-loved event draws approximately 2,500 visitors each year. Participating locations see between 40-400 visitors at each of the 20+ sites. The event is funded through grants, donations and participant fees. Tour promotions include a mailer to previous attendees, printed tour maps, website, email, social media posts & ads, press releases, print media ads, radio ads, event calendars, and printed signs. Participating artists are expected to assist with tour promotion by handing out promotional materials and sharing social media messaging. As a studio art tour, our focus is to present art in working studios.

Artists Receive:
Each artist and gallery receive a page on the tour website with site specific information and a collection of images, as well as the location they are presenting shown on our website tour map. We will be mailing oversized post cards to our mailing list and creating a downloadable/printable brochure/map that will be on our website and available at artist locations during the tour. Post cards are mailed to approximately 12,000 addresses of past patrons. Additionally, the tour is promoted in print ads, TV and radio promotions, local chamber promotions and social media. Each artist is expected to provide a mailing list for the tour mailing and to distribute promotional materials to potential attendees.

• Benefits:
  Direct interaction with art lovers and collectors
• Springtime tradition, popular tour that brings visitors to the Bluff Country area of SE Minnesota
• Collective advertising directed to a tri-state area.
• Studio promotion on the BCSAT website & social media, year-round
• Opportunity to connect and build community with other local artists.

Important Dates to Remember:

Application Deadline –            January 15, 2026
Jury –                                       January 20, 2026
Email Notification –                January 25, 2026
Participation Fees Due –         February 28, 2026
Event –                                    April 24-26, 2026

Eligibility:
This event takes place in the Fillmore, Houston and Winona County area.

All art must be created exclusively by the applicant in the following mediums; ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed-media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or wood.   Reproductions/prints/cards of original artwork is allowed in additional to original works. Mass produced or work assembled from commercial components is not allowed.

As a studio tour, preference is given to studio artists in the above geographic area who will open their studios to the public. However, we understand some artists might not have their own studios. We have a limited number of locations available where artists may be hosted for the event. These host locations will be vetted to assure they are safe and accessible to the visiting public.

Minnesota artists outside the counties of Fillmore, Houston and Winona or out of state artists wishing to participate may apply to participate by being hosted at a participating studio within said counties or the shared site in Lanesboro MN (additional costs may be associated with hosted sites). Space at hosted locations is limited. Priority will be given to Fillmore, Houston & Winona artists, then Minnesota artists and if space allows out of state artists.

Participation Categories:

Artist Category - This artist category should be used by all individuals whether at their own studio, being hosted at another artist's studio or presenting at the shared site in Lanesboro (or other shared sites that may become available).

Emerging Artist Category - This category is designed specifically for artists who have little or no experience exhibiting and selling their work. Artists who meet these criteria are encouraged to apply; however, a limited number of Emerging Artist participant slots are available. In 2026 this is limited to 2 participants. The jury will select emerging artists. Applicants not selected will be given the opportunity to participate in the artist category instead. Emerging artists will receive mentoring by experienced tour artists as well as assistance finding a suitable location to present their work if needed.

Gallery Category - To qualify as a Studio Tour Gallery, the following criteria is required to have your gallery submitted:

• Operate as a professional art gallery, exhibiting quality standards of art.
• Be open as a gallery a minimum of one year before application deadline.
• Be registered as a business with the State of Minnesota.
• Have identifiable signage designating your gallery as a professional art gallery.
• Be open to the public with regular business hours and/or produce at least three shows a year in your gallery location open to the public and advertised as such.
• Artist demonstrations are encouraged; galleries may have onedemonstrating artist available at any given time during the tour to demonstrate their creation process.  A different demonstrating artist each day is encouraged to provide a diverse variety of mediums demonstrated. Demonstrating artists must be represented by the gallery and all sales during the event are sales from the gallery inventory. BCSAT may tour applying gallery locations before acceptance into event.
• The gallery category should not be used for a location to invite multiple guest artists to participate in the event, this practice is not allowed.

Fees (non-refundable, only collected after acceptance into event): 
Artist - $175
Emerging Artist - $100
Gallery - $350

Jury Process:
This is a Juried Studio Tour & new applicants are carefully selected to maintain the high quality and diversity of the work presented. The jury will review applications in a “blind jury” process and will view each artist's images and artist statement on an electronic device.  In an effort to maintain the quality of the art experience for the public, we reserve the right to deny participation for any reason.

After jury selection, participants are notified via email of participation acceptance.

Image Submission Requirements:
Quality images are important. These photos will be used in creation of our website, printed materials, and promotions. Low quality photos will not be used. Edit photos to eliminate wall and frames where possible.

• 6-10 images total, include one of artist working, other should represent type of work that will be presented during event.
• Name image files with last name and number (ex. Pariseau1)
• Photo 1 will be used as the artist’s feature image on the website and other promotions.

Photo Uploads

Image Requirements:
Quality images are important. These photos will be used in creation of our website, printed materials, and promotions. Low quality photos will not be used. Edit photos to eliminate wall and frames where possible.

• 6-10 images total, include one of artist working, others should represent type of work that will be presented during event.
• Name image files with last name and number (ex. Pariseau1)
• Photo 1 should be of artwork and will be used as the artist’s feature image on the website and other promotions.

Agreement

BCSAT RULES:

1. BCSAT RULES:
   1.  Application deadline is January 15, 2026.
   2.  Participation fees are due February 28, 2026.
   3.  All application fees are non-refundable.
   4.  New participants will be juried and event organizers reserve the right to pre-screen locations for eligibility.
   5. All participants shall carry appropriate liability insurance to have the public visiting their studio or showing their work at their location of participation. This is often not covered by typical homeowner’s policies so check with your agent to verify coverage.
   6. All proceeds of sales belong to the artist/gallery and each artist/gallery is responsible for collecting and reporting sales tax to the State of Minnesota.
   7. All participating locations must be open during all tour hours Friday - Sunday 10am - 5pm. Participating artists must be present throughout the event.
   8. All participants agree to allow BCSAT to use information and photos submitted for promotional purposes.
   9. All work displayed at artist locations must be the work of the participating artist and similar in nature to the photos submitted with application.  Guest artists are not allowed unless they have also applied and been approved through the jury process.
   10. Hosted locations other than the Lanesboro Community Center or another participating artist studio are subject to approval by the BCSAT application committee.  Proposed sites must be handicap accessible and must not have other items for sale by persons not participating in the tour. Each artist at a hosted location must apply in the artist category and be juried into the event. Individuals are responsible for any costs relating to a hosted site.
   11. Failure to comply with these rules may result in participant being prohibited from participating in future tours.