Would you like to join the team of artists who participate in First Saturday? If you meet these guidelines, we’d love to have you.

Guidelines

  1. Have a working studio where people see your process as well as your creations.

  2. Create your own original/individual pieces, rather than mass production.

  3. Be committed to participating and helping promote fellow artists and the event.

First Saturday is run by us, the artists, as a team. Anything you can do to get the word out helps all of us.  

Benefits

In exchange for your membership fee, we’ll create an artist profile for you on this site, provide support materials like flags and postcards to help you advertise, and will happily promote you on our social media channels, if you send us details. You can update your profile each year, if you like, and we can tweak wording & locations if anything needs changing.

How to Join

You can join any time of the year, but the renewal date is always April 1. If you join before that in a given year, you’re good until the next April.

  1. Pay your annual membership fee.

  2. Send us information for your profile on this site.

  3. Let us know if you’re open this month.

Pay Your Membership Fee

The First Saturday fee is $25 per year, per artist. Fees are due April 1.

  • Send an e-transfer to firstsaturdayopenstudio@gmail.com
    (No security question needed)

  • OR cash or cheque made out to: First Saturday Open Studios.
    Bring or send to 800 Keefer Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Y7

Create Your Profile

Every First Saturday artist can have a profile on this site. Send the following information tofirstsaturdayopenstudio@gmail.com:

  1. Contact information: your name, address, and studio number

  2. Your social media, as links: your website, Instagram, email, Facebook – whatever you use.

  3. Images: 1 of you in your studio, 3 of your art, in JPEG format

  4. Statement or biography: send us a short (150 word max) description

  5. Your medium: pick 1 or 2 from the following list.
    painting, furniture, photography, drawing, textiles, fashion-clothing, fashion-accessories, fashion-leather, assemblage, collage, paper art, clay, ceramics, film, glass, drawing, jewelry, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, public art

You may change images and update information at anytime during the year. Small text updates and location changes are free. If you want to update images, we charge an additional $10 fee. If changes are extensive or we need to rebuild your profile, the charge is $50.

Update Your Status

We update the Open This Month page a week before each First Saturday. The deadline is 8am the Saturday before First Saturday. We want to make sure it’s accurate so please, send us an email when you are opening up after being closed, or closing. Please do not have your studio say open when it is not. Nothing is worse than clients coming to a closed door!

In your email, use a subject line like this: FS your-name your-studio. For example: FS John Smith, ABC Studios. Let us know if you’re opening back up, or closed for the month. Send the email to:

You only have to let us know when you’re changing status; otherwise, we’ll assume your information from the previous month is correct.

Social Media Posts

We post news about First Saturday artists and events on our Instagram account.  Do you have some images you’d like us to use? Please share them with us! Send an email to to firstsaturdaysubmissions@gmail.com as follows:

  • Square aspect images only

  • Rename your file to your-name@your-instagram.jpg. If you send more than one image (up to 3), add numbers at the end. For example: TomSmith@SmithStudio1.jpg

  • Use FS social media as your subject line

  • Include the following information in your email:

    • Your name

    • Studio location (address, name of building)

    • Your Instagram handle

We will share your submissions during a month that you are open.

What to send? We’d love to see you in your studio, your new art, or any work in progress. Sometimes we’ll ask you for theme posts, too. Studio group photos of First Saturday artists in shared locations are encouraged, but of course we’re happy to feature individual artists in their own studios too!

Getting the Word Out

In addition to being listed as open on this site, you’ll want to let people know that you’re open. First Saturday does not have a mailing list for visitors, but perhaps you have one for your followers? Here are some suggestions, in addition to our social media posts:

  • Pick up a flag, posters, posters and business cards for your studio. Contact firstsaturdayopenstudio@gmail.com to set up a meeting.

  • Invite your mailing list or followers to join you for First Saturday. Do you have new work?

  • Offer demonstrations or workshops.

  • Work with the artists near you to encourage people to visit other area studios.

  • Make a small hand-out map of the other artists or locations near you.

  • Work with artists in your area to create a special event – maybe a sale, or seasonal show?

Getting your art out into the world is hard work. Thank you for everything you do to promote this monthly event.

Code of Conduct

Let’s all work together to make this a safe, secure, welcoming event.

Safety

Please make sure your studio is safe for visitors by having tools or any tripping hazards, stored away for the afternoon.

Security

Keep your building and neighbours in mind here.

  • If you are in a building with a locked entrance door please make sure entry information is noted on the website or on your front door.

  • Do not give or publicly post the code to your building or the location of a hidden key as that becomes a security risk for other artists in your building.

  • Use the buddy system when at all possible.  Having more than one person in the studio is just safer.  You could offer a friend art lessons and when visitors come, it could be a jumping-off point to start a conversation.  If you are in a bigger building, check on each other once in a while

Artist Care

Please be considerate of other artists in your building who do not take part in First Saturday.  Make sure your visitors know the whole building is not open.  Meet them at the door and escort them out at the end of the visit.

Notify your neighbours that visitors might be in the building. Make sure your signage does not interfere with other artists notices. 

Contact Information

Want to get in touch? Please use FS at the start of your subject line.

Note that we are run by a volunteer steering committee, who are doing their best to get all the information processed as soon as possible. We’d love to know about, and fix any issues, but it might take a few days.