by NR INDRAN / INT

The San Francisco Travel Association is encouraging visitors and locals to discover the unique and talented artists based throughout the city by offering a photo contest using the mobile app Instagram during the month-long SF Open Studios.

During the annual SF Open Studios, art patrons, admirers, and collectors can venture out on self-guided tours to see as many SF Open Studios artists and their artworks as possible.   For four weekends, Oct. 13 to Nov. 4, 2012 (11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day), art lovers can visit more than 800 emerging and established artists in their studios located throughout 29 different neighborhoods of the city.    Locations and details can be found at www.artspan.org/sfopenstudios.

“Open Studios is a great way to meet the artists, often in their own live/work environment,” said Lisa Hasenbalg, director of arts and culture marketing for San Francisco Travel.  “Of course, we love technology in San Francisco so our Instagram contest is a fun way to get people out to experience the oldest and largest open studios program in the country.”

To enter San Francisco Travel’s contest, studio visitors can take a photo at SF Open Studio locations using Instagram and tag it #SFOS in the caption field.    Most artists welcome the exposure but it’s considered polite to ask permission before taking photos.  Selected photos will be displayed at www.sanfrancisco.travel.  The person who creates the winning image will receive a San Francisco “Stay & Play” package including:

An overnight stay at the Orchard Garden Hotel

$100 dining certificate

Two VIP tickets to ArtSpan’s Benefit Art Auction on March 23, 2013

Two CityPASS booklets with entry to Aquarium of the Bay, California Academy of Sciences, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium or de Young Museum and a 7-day Muni/Cable Car Passport

A pair of tickets to each of the following: Asian Art Museum, Contemporary Jewish Museum, de Young Museum,  Legion of Honor, Walt Disney Family Museum and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and four tickets to the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts.

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