Art lovers around Central Texas are in for a visual treat as the San Marcos Studio Tour announces its third annual run. This year, it'll take place over two weekends: April 4-6 and 12-13. The tour is free to attend.

The tour will take place in places around town where artists make and show their work — personal studios, art spaces, and some local businesses — making it a fun way to explore the town and the art scene simultaneously. The goal is to help artists and the pubic connect and engage with each other, ultimately leading to organic support for the arts.

In addition to more typical gallery showings, hosts can organize demos, workshops, parties, cookouts, screenings, live music, moving tours via bike or foot, or more.

The open call for 2025 collected responses from more than 85 applications, so attendees can stay busy if they plan to visit as many stops as possible. In 2024, there were more than 50 stops on the tour. Although the call for artists in 2024 is over, there's still time to submit an event proposal or business sponsorship. Both deadlines are Februrary 11.

The business partnership arrangement is new this year: business sponsors can host events or showings in their own spaces and send one artist's work to a group exhibition at MotherShip Studios.

That's a good place to start for attendees who want to see lots of art at once and branch out from there. According to the MotherShip website, the team there includes "working artists, professors, university students, curators, and art advisors."

The kickoff party will be Friday, April 4, at 7 pm. Then the first weekend's tours will run from from noon to 6 pm on April 5 and 6, and the same hours on April 12 and 13. MotherShip Studios is located at Bay 5, 20027 San Marcos Hwy #80.