Hoboken is marking 45 years of its Artist Studio Tour with a poster exhibit installed along the main stairway at City Hall, timed to a weekend when the free, self-guided walking tour sends visitors through studios, galleries, and public art across the city. The 45th annual tour runs Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, from noon to 6 p.m., with hours varying by individual venue.
According to Hudson County View, the City of Hoboken is hosting a reception celebrating the exhibit installation on Thursday, November 5, at 3 p.m., ahead of the weekend tour. Mayor Emily Jabbour invited residents and visitors to come see the exhibit and celebrate the artists, saying the posters showcase the creativity and history of Hoboken's Artist Studio Tour, per the outlet's report.
The exhibit at Hoboken City Hall, located at 94 Washington St., is open to the public and offers a look at the tour's history through four decades of artwork, the report notes. It includes the original 1981 poster, designed by artist George Miller, alongside 15 additional posters designed by local artist McKevin Shaughnessy, whose work is also featured in a separate retrospective exhibition titled In Retrospect: Selected Works by McKevin Shaughnessy at the Hoboken Historical Museum.
A Weekend of Open Studios Across the City
Per Hudson County View, this year's tour includes participating venues such as Neumann Leathers, the Monroe Center, Right Angle Framing, Barsky Gallery and its annex, Roig Gallery, Studio & Story, the Hoboken Historical Museum, and EDG Gallery. Patch describes the event as a free, self-guided walking tour of artist studios, galleries, and public art, and cautions that hours for individual studio tours may vary depending on the venue.
The tour has grown considerably since its earliest days. In 2016, the mile-square city featured over 100 local artists across more than 30 studio locations, according to a report from nj.com. Five years earlier, the 31st annual tour in 2011 showcased work by more than 150 artists displayed in private residences, industrial buildings, and storefronts, nj.com reported at the time.
Debate Over the Original 1981 Lineup
Painter Tim Daly, who participated in the inaugural 1981 Hoboken Artists' Studio Tour alongside artists Fulda and Richard Kocher, told nj.com in 2011 that there were only about eight or 10 artists in the original group. That account differs from others on record: a separate telling in the same nj.com piece described about a dozen artists inviting the public into their workspaces when the open-studio tradition began in 1981, while a 2016 nj.com report put the number at 13 different local artists living in the city that first year. The exact count from that founding tour remains disputed across the record.
Museum Reception and Silent Auction Precede the Tour
The Hoboken Historical Museum, located at 1301 Hudson St., will host an anniversary reception on Friday, November 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to Hudson County View. The reception will feature opportunities to meet participating artists alongside a silent art auction, which will run through Sunday, November 8, at 2 p.m. A portion of the auction proceeds will benefit the museum, Patch reported.
Together, the City Hall exhibit, the museum reception, and the weekend's open studios form a multi-day tribute to a tradition that has shaped Hoboken's identity as an arts destination for 45 years running.
