"Last year, we were entrusted with the reins of our favorite Austin cornerstone event, as the torch was passed down from Big Medium." Natalie Earhart and Zachary Zulch, the founders of Almost Real Things, published that line in their letter for this year's Austin Studio Tour. The letter also says the 2025 tour was the largest and most complete one so far, and that the 2026 tour is bigger again.
For Central East Austin, the important part is where the tour is now run from. Both official hubs for the 2026 tour are east of downtown. One is a gallery in the Canopy complex on Springdale Road. The other is a studio building at 2324 E. Cesar Chavez St. The tour started as an East Austin event, grew to cover the whole city, nearly ended, and is now organized from the neighborhood where it began.
The year the tour almost ended
In February 2025, KUT reported that Big Medium, the nonprofit that had run the tour for more than two decades, was closing because of money problems. Its board said that "major sponsors, including the City of Austin, have redirected their funding priorities, leaving significant gaps in our budget," and that the financial problems had "become insurmountable." Glasstire also reported other pressures on the organization: the cost of a move, trouble keeping staff, and repairs after a fire at its gallery.
KUT's story included the tour's history. It began in 2003 as an East Austin event and later spread across the city. According to Big Medium's figures at the time, it drew about 60,000 people a year and featured more than 500 artists. In its closing statement, Big Medium said only that the tour would continue "in some form or fashion."
That form became clear on July 1, 2025. Big Medium's board announced that Almost Real Things, an arts group known as ART, would produce the entire 2025 tour. Zulch said ART was "honored that Big Medium has entrusted us with the legacy" of the tour.
An artist-run organizer, and a bigger tour
ART had been part of the tour for years before it took over. Earhart and Zulch founded it in 2015 as a free magazine about local artists. It later grew into events, affordable studio space and mentorship. The founders say they have been tour participants themselves since 2016.
The participant counts show how the change has gone so far:
| Tour year | Producer | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Almost Real Things, first year | More than 720 artists, art groups and hosts |
| 2026 | Almost Real Things, second year | 815 artists, art groups and hosts at 309 locations |
ART's 2026 press release says the 2025 count was the highest ever. It also says the online directory is meant to become a year-round resource. Artists will be able to keep their profiles up and post new work after the November weekends end.
Why the hubs matter on a tour of 309 stops
The two hubs are where visitors can buy the printed guide, talk with tour staff, and plan a route before heading out. Both are in Central East Austin.
ART Gallery at Canopy, 916 Springdale Rd., Building 2, #101. ART calls it "the hub for all things Austin Studio Tour." It sells official tour merchandise and hosts a group show of small works from hundreds of featured artists. Staff are there to help visitors "map out your adventure." The gallery's tour listing says it is across from the Sa-Tén coffee shop. It also warns that parking "is free but limited, especially during the Austin Studio Tour."
ART Studios & Gallery at 2324 E. Cesar Chavez St. ART calls this its "east-side HQ." It has 18 studios for artists and wellness professionals, plus guest artists in the gallery, a courtyard covered in murals, and a market of art and gifts.
The 376-page guidebook costs $12 at either hub during tour hours. It has a profile of every 2026 participant, and the cover illustration is by Aaron deGruyter.
The kickoff is Friday on Springdale Road
The tour begins at Canopy on Friday, Nov. 6, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. ART's press release lists the citywide kickoff as one of the ways the 2026 tour has grown. The ticket page lists general admission at $25, marked down from $35. Children under 13 get in free. The evening includes:
- A group show with work from more than 200 artists
- Live music from the Dave Scher Trio, Gina Chavez and Jennifer Foster, with more acts not yet named
- A full bar with cocktails, mocktails and beer
- Art activities and the official tour shop
- Food and coffee from Sa-Tén
- A copy of the 2026 guidebook with each ticket
The tour weekends
| Date | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 and Sun., Nov. 15 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 21 and Sun., Nov. 22 | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free |
Some locations may charge for special events or programs. Those charges are listed online and in the guidebook.
East Side stops, grouped by corridor
The hubs help most when you treat them as starting points. Many of the East Side stops are close to one of the two.
Near the Cesar Chavez hub
- Splinter Group, 3508 E. Cesar Chavez St., open all four tour days.
- East Austin Alleyway Art Crawl, 1717 E. Cesar Chavez St., an outdoor art crawl through public spaces, open both weekends.
- Tillery Springs, 638 Tillery St., open all four days.
East Sixth, East Seventh and Rosewood
- Haus Obscura, 2511 E. 6th St., a contemporary gallery and fine-art print studio with shows and artist events, open both weekends.
- WURSTA & the wrst gallery, 1021 E. 7th St., an artist studio and showroom with a gallery that features women artists and the Shed Collective, open both weekends.
- Quimera Gallery, 1815 Rosewood Ave., a group show about cultural storytelling, identity and place, open both weekends.
Springdale Road and points east
- Art For The People Gallery, 1023 Springdale Rd., Building 2A, on the same road as Canopy, open both weekends.
- Bolm Studios, 5305 Bolm Rd., Bays 8, 9 and 10, open all four days.
- Boggy Creek Farm Art Market, 3414 Lyons Rd., a market of local artists at the urban farm, with food among the listed activities. It is open Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, only, so it fits the first weekend.
The first weekend has the most options for an East Side route. Boggy Creek Farm is open only Nov. 14 and 15, and both hubs are open on both weekends. On the first weekend, one route could start at Canopy, stop on Lyons Road, and end on Cesar Chavez.
A coffee stop on East 12th
Canopy is across from Sa-Tén. For a stop farther north, El Tigre Coffee Roasters moved this fall from its trailer at 1614 E. 12th St. into a bungalow at Camp East. Community Impact reported that the new shop at 2909 E. 12th St. opened Sept. 25. It serves pastries and specialty coffee drinks made with house-made syrups, and it has indoor seating, Wi-Fi and more seating out back.
Camp East was developed by El Tigre owner Tatanka Guerrero. Its other tenants are Cork & Screw, Sammataro Pizza and Slowpoke Tattoo. The coffee shop's walls show work by local artists, including Guerrero. El Tigre is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, so on tour Saturdays it closes before the studios do.
The full 2026 list of participants is on the Austin Studio Tour site, and visitors can save favorite stops and share the list with friends. ART also takes tax-deductible donations for the tour at atxstudiotour.com/give.
The team at Travis Real Estate follows the East Austin studios, galleries and small businesses that make up the neighborhood. If something you see on the tour starts a conversation about where you live or work in Austin, we are glad to talk. Contact Us.
