Become a Curator for Desert Open Studios
Featured image of Bernard Hoyes in studio.
2026 Sponsorship Tiers
$5,000
$2,500
$500
Contact us to inquire
Support Local Artists. Shape a Tour. Share What You Love.
Are you passionate about the arts? Do you love shining a light on unique creative voices in the Coachella Valley? We’re looking for curators to help craft a new kind of open studio experience—one that’s thematic, personal, and community-driven.
Curator's Pick
As a Curator for Desert Open Studios, you’ll design your own “Curator’s Pick” self-guided tour: a shortlist of 5–10 studios that speak to a theme, interest, or idea you care about. Your list will be featured online, in print, and across our social media platforms—offering visitors a fresh lens through which to explore the local arts scene.
Designed for local culture tastemakers to share their perspectives and give back to the arts community, this program aims to give visibility to the diverse artist studios located throughout the Coachella Valley.
Whether you’re a curator, gallerist, collector, educator, influencer, or cultural leader, this is a chance to engage with the region’s creative community in a meaningful and visible way.
Why Get Involved?
Champion Local Artists
Curators play a vital role in bringing visibility to artists who might otherwise be overlooked—especially those working from home studios or in more remote parts of the Coachella Valley. Your picks can help art lovers discover hidden art gems in our community.
Share Your Vision
This is a chance to express your perspective through a self-guided tour that reflects your interests—whether that’s emerging voices, sustainability, abstraction, ceramics, queer art, or another lens you care about. Your theme brings shape and meaning to the visitor experience.
Grow Community Connection
By sharing your tour with your own networks, you help draw in a wider, more diverse audience and connect people more deeply with the local arts community. It’s a way to build bridges—between artists, audiences, and creative circles across the region.
Curation Details & Process
Curate Your List
Choose 5–10 artist studios based on your own theme or interest.
Write a short intro
Explain your perspective and why you chose the artists on your list.
Spread the Word
Invite your audience to the tour!
Each Tour Will be
Featured on our website, on our digital and printed maps and handbooks
Promoted across social media, email campaigns, and press outreach
Highlighted through custom postcards, flyers, and signage
Paired with a community “Tour Sponsor” to help amplify reach
Timeline
Aug–Sep
Curator outreach and confirmation
Oct
Artist selection + tour content submission
Nov–Jan
Promotion, interviews, tour launches
Ready to Curate?
Ready to become a curator or know someone who would be good?
Let us know you’re interested! Apply by email with your name, bio, and a short note on what kind of tour you’d love to curate.
Join us in creating something fresh, flexible, and deeply local—while celebrating the incredible range of artists working right here in the Coachella Valley.
