SEATTLE IS ABOUT to turn itself into a giant art gallery. “Art Detour,” the first citywide tour of artists’ studios, will open to the public the doors of more than 150 artists and 16 major artists’ buildings this weekend. It’s an opportunity for art lovers to meet artists face to face, see their work in progress, build relationships—and improve their collections.

Art Detour

Throughout Seattle

September 17-19

The number and diversity of the participating artists alone make this a can’t-miss event. Most of us see art only in galleries—but art shown there is only a tiny fraction of the meritorious work done in Seattle. Hundreds of gifted artists, working on their art every day, are all but invisible because they are unrepresented by dealers.

Even for working artists, much of the art scene is inaccessible. “Ideally, artists would be able to keep in touch with other artists—what they’re working on, what they’re excited about,” says Gilbert Neri, an artist at Noodleworks Studios. “But we’re all busy and it’s hard to keep in touch. Art Detour is like a common resource.” As for the Detour’s worth to the public: “It’s at least some inkling into the creative process—making an invisible culture visible.”

Seattle painter Sarah Savidge came up with the Art Detour idea after returning from New York and being struck by the balkanization of the arts community here. “Different artistic communities were existing alongside each other, like parallel universes,” she says. “There was no one center—no bull’s-eye. I thought a citywide tour could be that kind of bull’s-eye.”

Savidge also thinks the public should be able to meet artists in their studios. “It’s in the studio that you can see the human context of how art is made, how the process captures the artist’s imagination and creativity. Seeing art in a gallery is like only hearing part of the conversation the artist is having with her materials; when you’re in the studio, you hear the whole conversation.”

Art Detour kicks off with a party at Wan Hua Foods, a noodle factory sharing space with Noodleworks Studios at 802 6th Ave South, on the edge of the International District. The party and studio tour lasts from 6 to 10pm. A $5 suggested donation gets you a map and 32-page brochure that serves as both your tour guide and ticket for admission to the artists’ studios and buildings in Georgetown, Ballard, and the Duwamish and Rainier Valleys. The map is also on the Web at http://www.drizzle.com/~eyespy/artdetour/maps/bigmap.html.