The free North Valley Studio Tour welcomes visitors into 20 Albuquerque studios September 19 and 20, 2026, featuring work by 46 participating artists. The self-guided weekend offers direct access to local artwork, creative spaces, and the people who bring each piece to life.
The free-to-attend North Valley Studio Tour opens 20 Albuquerque studios to visitors Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, 2026.
Across Candelaria, Los Ranchos, and Alameda, 46 artists will share the spaces where their work begins.
The 2026 lineup includes painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, fiber art, printmaking, weaving, and glasswork, with original pieces available to buy directly through participating artists.
The real draw is the conversation that comes with the art. Visitors can ask what inspired a painting, learn how a ceramic piece was shaped and fired, or hear why an artist chose a particular material. These exchanges bring new meaning to the finished work and introduce Albuquerque residents to the creative people working in their own North Valley neighborhoods.
The 2026 Tour at a Glance
The North Valley Studio Tour is a free, self-guided event featuring 46 artists at 20 Albuquerque studios. Guests can enter the route at any stop and visit as many locations as they wish.
- Tour dates: Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, 2026
- Open hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day
- Admission cost: Free
- Participating artists: 46
- Open studios: 20
- Tour location: Albuquerque’s North Valley, including Los Ranchos and Alameda
- Directions: Download the 2026 printable map or use the organizer’s digital map
No ticket is needed. Bring your curiosity, choose a starting studio, and keep a little room at home in case a painting, ceramic piece, or handcrafted work leaves with you.
Why Albuquerque Artists Open Their Studios
A finished piece can tell visitors plenty, but the studio holds the rest of the story. Preliminary sketches, clay tests, well-used tools, unfinished work, and experiments set aside for another day can reveal how an artist thinks and how an idea found its final form.
That direct exchange between artists and neighbors was central to Alameda artist Jeff Potter’s original idea. Potter founded the Alameda Studio Tour in 2011, when 25 artists opened their workspaces, offered artwork for sale, and invited the public into the creative process.
Potter died in 2015, but the artists he brought together continued the event. Studios in Los Ranchos and locations farther south became part of the route, eventually forming the North Valley Studio Tour. The 2026 edition carries Potter’s community-minded idea across 20 studios, with 46 artists ready to share both their finished work and the stories behind it.
The North Valley Studio Tour is a local, cooperative, community-based Tour, committed to promoting local studio artists, local merchants, and outreach to the North Valley community.
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Story sponsored by the North Valley Studio Tour
View the Art First at North 4th Arts Center
The North Valley Studio Tour will introduce its 2026 artwork through a preview exhibition at North 4th Arts Center, 4904 Fourth St. NW. The exhibition will be on display August 29 through September 18, placing work connected to the tour in one gallery before the artists welcome guests into their studios.
An opening reception will be held Saturday, September 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. Seeing the art at full size brings forward details that a screen can flatten or miss, including the surface of a sculpture, the texture of a woven piece, a painter’s brushwork, or the way light moves through glass.
Return September 19 or 20 to meet the artists whose pieces held your attention. The preview supplies the introduction; the studio weekend adds the voice, working process, and person behind the art.
Four Tips for the Studio Tour Weekend
Begin with an artist who already interests you, group nearby studios using the map, and feel free to change course when something catches your eye. The North Valley Studio Tour does not require a set starting point or order.
- Choose a studio you are excited to enter. Browse the 2026 artist directory and begin with work that makes you curious. Starting with a genuine connection gives the day some direction without locking you into a rigid schedule.
- Keep nearby addresses together. The route covers a long section of the North Valley between Candelaria Road and Alameda. Use the official tour map to avoid crisscrossing Albuquerque when you could be inside a studio.
- Let the artwork change your route. Several locations host multiple participants, so the artist who brings you through the door may lead you to another painter, ceramicist, jeweler, or fiber artist you had not considered. Follow the work that holds your attention.
- Remember that the studios share a neighborhood. Watch for event signs, follow posted parking directions, keep private driveways open, and take care along narrow North Valley roads.
Meet the People Making North Valley Art
Every piece on the tour began with an artist working at a table, easel, kiln, loom, or bench somewhere in Albuquerque’s North Valley. Visiting that workspace gives the artwork context and gives visitors the chance to know the person whose hands and ideas brought it to life.
That artist-to-community connection is why Hutton Broadcasting and Albuquerque.com are serving as special media partners for the 2026 North Valley Studio Tour. Through local radio and digital event coverage, Hutton Broadcasting and Albuquerque.com will help introduce participating artists and share tour information with audiences across Albuquerque and New Mexico.
On September 19 and 20, follow the map into the studios, ask about the work that catches your eye, and meet the Albuquerque artists behind it. You may arrive looking for art and leave knowing the person who made it.
Follow North Valley Studio Tour on social media for updates and sneak peeks:
North Valley Studio Tour FAQs
The 2026 North Valley Studio Tour will take place September 19 and 20, with studios open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, and no ticket is required to follow the self-guided route. Visitors can enter at any participating address and spend the day among 20 North Valley studios featuring 46 artists. Artwork may be bought separately through the individual participants.
The North Valley Studio Tour includes 20 artist studios across Albuquerque’s North Valley. The route reaches Candelaria Road, Los Ranchos, Alameda, and connecting North Valley neighborhoods. Because the event is spread among individual workplaces rather than held at one festival site, use the organizer’s printable or digital map for exact addresses. Some locations host several participants, allowing guests to meet multiple artists during a single stop.
No. The 2026 North Valley Studio Tour is self-guided, so guests can begin at any of the 20 participating studios. The numbers on the map identify locations and help with navigation, but they do not require a set sequence. Visitors can choose artists whose work interests them, group nearby addresses, or focus on one portion of the North Valley. Following posted tour signs and parking instructions will make movement between residential studios easier.
North 4th Arts Center will host a preview exhibition connected to the 2026 North Valley Studio Tour from August 29 through September 18. The venue is located at 4904 Fourth St. NW in Albuquerque. An opening reception is scheduled for September 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. The preview allows visitors to view participating artists’ work in person before returning on tour weekend to enter studios, meet creators, and learn about the ideas and materials behind individual pieces.
Yes. Visitors can buy original work directly through participating North Valley Studio Tour artists. The 2026 roster includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, printmaking, weaving, glasswork, and additional visual art forms. Prices and accepted payment methods may differ at each studio, so confirm those details with the individual artist. A direct purchase also gives visitors the chance to learn who made the piece and hear the story behind it.
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