This year’s event is dedicated to the late Pilar Pobil and provides a chance to visit her home at 403 8th Ave.

Now in its 11th year, the Avenues Open Studios tour continues to draw visitors into one of Salt Lake City’s most iconic neighborhoods with an ethos as open as its name suggests. “No Judging, No Censoring, and Everyone Welcome” is the event’s Statement of Purpose, and organizer Anne Albaugh credits that casual, inclusive atmosphere for its enduring success.

This year’s tour features 27 artists, some showing in homes outside the Avenues proper with the help of host families. Visitors can expect to encounter a wide range of work—paintings, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, and more—displayed in the very spaces where the artists live and create. Albaugh notes, “I think the people who come to this show are very interested to come where we work and live. They like the idea of art and day-to-day living occupying the same space.”

Albaugh herself will show 24 paintings alongside her original jewelry, with a new focus on the Great Salt Lake. Six of her works feature the threatened inland sea, including large-scale canvases like “Lake Effect” (48” x 48”). “The Lake has always felt like a big story to me…hard to shrink down,” she says. Like many Utahns, she worries about whether state leaders will have the will to protect the lake from further decline: “The apartment buildings will never be full if we are all breathing poison dust.”

Other artists also embrace the tour’s informal spirit. Painter Nuha Moretz will share her nature-focused artwork, inspired horizons, aspens, and mountains. “My pieces aim to capture the quiet beauty of nature in a simple, serene way—inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and feel a sense of peace,” she says. Because her basement studio is difficult to access, she’ll be showing outside in her backyard, where natural light highlights the colors and textures. She’s also sharing the space with Sarah Fulton, whose work spans ceramics, textiles, and jewelry.

For Moretz, the outdoor setting makes the experience uniquely memorable. “ It allows for personal connections between artists and visitors, giving everyone a chance to explore art in a welcoming, approachable way. From what I’ve heard, people love the intimate, outdoor experience—it turns art viewing into a shared, inspiring moment.”

With its neighborly spirit and commitment to inclusivity, the Avenues Open Studios continues to be a gathering place for artists and audiences alike, celebrating art not as something separate, but as something that flourishes in the everyday.

Art off the Grid: Avenues Open Studios, Friday, September 19, 4–8 PM and Saturday, September 20, 11 AM–7 PM

15 Bytes

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.