This year’s Austin Studio Tour, which runs November 14-15 and 21-22, gives visitors two weekends to watch artists pull glowing pottery from a backyard kiln, see a sculptor chip away at a block of Texas limestone, and find out how hand-painted strips of film can become a moving picture. At some stops, visitors can try their hand at making something, too.

During the self-guided Austin Studio Tour, which runs from 11 am to 5 pm each day (hours vary by stop), Austinites can bounce around town to studios, private residences, businesses, and more to meet artists and see their work, usually outside of typical gallery spaces.

Austin arts collective Almost Real Things is producing the tour for the second year after taking over from longtime organizer Big Medium in 2025. What began more than two decades ago as the East Austin Studio Tour now spans 309 locations, with 815 artists, art groups, and hosts on this year’s lineup.

From clay firing to filmmaking to freestyle painting on an apartment complex lawn, these 10 stops offer demonstrations, workshops, and a closer look at the spaces where Austin artists work.

First weekend

Asmbly Makerspace: Community workshop
November 14-15, 11 am to 5 pm, 9701 Dessau Rd., Suite 304
Kids and adults can try basic wiring while making an LED greeting card, draw ornaments with a 3D printing pen, and build robots from recycled materials with Austin Creative Reuse. Asmbly will offer the activities on both days of its Holiday Maker Market, which is free to visit without registration. Activities are planned for both days; individual start times were not available at publication. The makerspace is wheelchair accessible, with parking available.

Visitors gather around an Austin Creative Reuse robot demonstration at Asmbly Makerspace. During this year’s tour, visitors can build robots using reused materials.Photo courtesy of Asmby Makerspace

Big Blue House: Raku ceramics
November 14-15, 10 am to 5 pm, 3010 E. Second St.
Watch Abby Rose Mandel, Lyssandra Gallup, and Carey West fire raku ceramics in the front yard of Mandel’s home studio. On both November 14 and 15, firing begins at 11 am, with pieces expected to come out of the kiln around 12:15-12:30 pm. The artists use tongs to transfer the glowing clay into buckets of combustible material, creating a reduction environment that produces flashes of color on the glazed surfaces. Finished pieces should be revealed around 4 pm each day; timing can vary with kiln temperatures.

The demonstrations are free and for watching only, with limited space available on a first come, first served basis. Visitors are encouraged to RSVP through Eventbrite. Wind or rain may disrupt the firing. Children are welcome with close supervision, and everyone must stay outside the firing zone. Street parking is available on East Second Street, without designated accessible spaces.

Coronado Printstudio: Screenprinting, photo-etching, and linoleum printing
November 14-15, 11 am to 5 pm (demonstrations at 2 pm both days), 901 Vargas Rd.
Pepe Coronado will lead screenprinting demonstrations on November 14 and photo-etching and linoleum-printing demonstrations on November 15, starting at 2 pm each day with assistance from the studio’s workshop cohort artists. Visitors can also see new print editions and work by the first cohort from the studio’s fall workshop.

The open house and demonstrations are free, with no RSVP required. All ages may visit, although the demonstrations are better suited to teens and adults. Visitors may be able to assist with printing, but the sessions are designed primarily for watching. Free parking is available on site and on the street.

Second weekend

Motion Media Arts Center at Govalle Elementary School: Film workshops for kids
November 14-15, 3601 Govalle Ave.
Kids can turn strips of film into a collaborative moving painting with media artist Faiza Kracheni. On November 14, five hour-long sessions begin at noon and 1, 2, 3, and 4 pm, with up to 25 children per session painting directly onto clear 16 mm film. On November 15, Super 8 sessions begin at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm, each combining a 30-minute camera lesson with an hour-long walk through the Govalle Cultural District. Children will work in pairs to film the tour; families can walk along, but the kids handle the cameras.

Both workshops are free, including materials, and open to all youth. Spaces are limited, with 12 children per Super 8 session; participants should register online, where registration is available in English and Spanish. The resulting work premieres at “Imagining Govalle: An All-Youth Exhibition” November 21-22, noon to 4 pm, at Canopy’s Black Box Studio, 916 Springdale Rd., Building 4, Studio 110. A youth media arts panel runs from 1-1:30 pm both days.

A participant works directly on a strip of film over a light box during an analog filmmaking class at Motion Media Arts Center. The center will host free youth filmmaking workshops at Govalle Elementary during the tour. Photo courtesy of Motion Media Arts Center

Both weekends

2324 ART Studio and Gallery: Film modification
November 14-15 and 21-22, demonstrations at 1 pm and 1:15 pm, 2324 E. Cesar Chavez St., Studio 10
Moving images and hand embroidery offer two views of how an artwork takes shape in this shared studio. Dolphin Brown will show a short sequence tracing natural-world footage from its raw form through abstraction into a finished moving-image artwork, with sound developing alongside the image. Elena Lipkowski will demonstrate how she builds embroidered imagery stitch by stitch through thread, color, line, and texture.

The brief demonstrations are free, with no ticket, RSVP, or registration required; they are demonstrations rather than hands-on workshops. The studio is open 11 am to 5 pm, with parking behind the building.

Casa de Las Ofrendas: Latine creators showcase and workshops
November 14-15 and 21-22, 8703 Alderman Dr.; workshop times below
Artist and Las Ofrendas founder tk tunchez will show handmade flower crowns and jewelry alongside a series of free workshops led by local Latine artists and creatives. Each instructor will also display their own artwork on the day of their workshop.

Bieke Campos leads a beginner-friendly skull still-life oil-painting workshop November 14, from noon to 2 pm, for ages 13 and older. Ángel Avila teaches found poetry and collage November 15, from 5-7 pm, with materials provided and room for 10 participants. That session extends beyond the tour’s usual closing time.

Eddie Martinez leads an open-wall spray-painting workshop November 21, from 1-3 pm, that's open to all ages with adult supervision for children. On November 22 at 1 pm, tunchez teaches flower-crown making for up to eight participants, with materials provided. All four workshops require an RSVP; registration information is available through Las Ofrendas’ Instagram bio.

Cat Quintanilla: Sculpture garden and studio gallery
November 14-15 and 21-22, 11 am to 5 pm, 43 Pillow Rd., Sunset Valley
Cat Quintanilla will hand-carve native Texas limestone and demonstrate the basics of cartonería, Mexican paper sculpture, during all four tour days. Hector Baltierra and Sara V Baltierra will also demonstrate and discuss stained glass and mosaics intermittently across both weekends. The artists will work on pieces on and off throughout the show; no additional sign-up is required.

Hector Baltierra and Sara V Baltierra will demonstrate stained-glass and mosaic techniques at Cat Quintanilla’s Sculpture Garden during the tour.Photo courtesy of Cat Quintanilla

Hacienda Sertodo: Copper studio
November 14-15 and 21-22, 11 am to 5 pm, 3615 Oak Springs Dr.
Watch Jonathan Beall and the Sertodo team forge copper and remint copper pennies, with free demonstrations starting at noon and continuing throughout the day during both tour weekends. No RSVP or registration is required, and there are no age limits for watching. Visitors interested in learning the techniques can sign up for separate classes.

On November 14 and 21, Stephanie Villard of The French Fold will lead communal apple-butter making in a large copper kettle over an open flame. Watching requires no reservation; participants can reserve a 30-minute stirring slot

Metropolis Apartments: Showcase featuring current and former residents
November 14-15 and 21-22, noon to 6 pm, 2200 S. Pleasant Valley Rd.
A four-bedroom apartment doubles as a pop-up gallery at Metropolis, where eight artists will show their work. The lineup includes Joseph Leonard, whose satirical paintings mix classical art with pop culture, and Justin Marx, who works in acrylic, mixed media, and beadwork. Visitors can also stop by the clubhouse for a rotating display of work by current and former residents and spot murals around the complex.

Longtime resident Jefferson Bright draws on memories of Liberia, the deserts of the Middle East, and everyday life in Austin for his paintings. During the tour, he plans to set up outdoors and invite visitors to add to a collaborative painting, as he did last year. Metropolis hasn’t announced a time for the group painting.

Resident artist Jefferson Bright gets a collaborative painting started outside Metropolis Apartments during the 2025 Austin Studio Tour.Courtesy of Metropolis Apartments

Randall Soileau: Stained glass studio
November 14-15 and 21-22, 11 am to 5 pm, 506 Bellevue Place
Behind the historic Adkins-Tharp Home in his backyard studio, Randall Soileau will demonstrate glass cutting and assembly throughout the tour. Visitors can also try cutting glass themselves, with demonstrations and activities offered free. His original stained-glass windows and lamps fill the home’s front and back porches. Street parking is available.

The Austin Studio Tour’s online directory includes a map and filters for activities, media, and accessibility. Check individual profiles for participating dates, special programming, and any workshop requirements before visiting.