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Artful Eyeful
One hundred artists will once again welcome the public into their studios for the annual tour—the acronym stands for Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour—beginning the last weekend of this month. Now in its ninth year, the event, founded and run by a handful of volunteer artists, draws thousands of visitors from around the city and beyond. (Because many artists have lost their studios in Tribeca, TOAST now includes galleries in Soho, Chinatown and the Lower East Side.) The artists are on hand to answer questions about their work and many greet their guests with complimentary refreshments. Among the daytrippers are curators, gallery owners and serious collectors. One TOAST artist, John Haro, moved his studio from New Jersey to Tribeca a few years ago largely because he wanted to join TOAST. He recalls receiving a phone call six months after last year’s tour. “The guy said, ‘I was at your studio in April and I’m starting to collect now. I’d like to come by and pick something up.’ It was very exciting.” “My most interesting sale,” says abstract painter Sara Abalan, “was a man who walked in, took one look at a large painting leaning against the wall and said, ‘Oh, my God, that would be perfect for my dining room!’” The painting, priced in the five figures, was delivered to the buyer the following week. There is a style and medium for every taste—drawings, paintings, textiles, collages, ceramics, photography and more. At 28 Warren St. you will see Marjorie Auerbach’s paintings of swimmers in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, while farther north, at 38 Walker St., Carolyn Oberst displays her images of vintage dolls and toys that, she describes as “an expression of our current, perilous times.” At nearby 50 White St., Regina Silvers, one of TOAST’s founders, fills her canvases with delicate flowers and lush scenes from nature. “When you go to an artist’s studio, you get to see sketches, alternative pieces, earlier work—all the supportive work that goes into a piece,” Silvers notes. “You get to see a depth of an artist that you don’t see in a group or even a solo show. It’s a totally different experience.” TOAST takes place Fri., 4/25, 5–9 pm; Sat.–Mon., 4/26–28, 1–6 pm. For a map and examples of the artists’ work, go to toastartwalk.com. There will be group shows at the Synagogue for the Arts, 49 White St., (opening April 3) and at the 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. (opening April 18), and a nightly slide show at Franklin Station Cafe, 222 W. Broadway from 4/9.
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