With support from the California Arts Council, MORONGO BASIN CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL will revamp its current digital infrastructure (websites) to facilitate growth and ease of use among its artist community and membership. The current websites used for its arts programs and flagship program Studio Tours are in need of major fixes and upgrades to address technical and user experience limitations. This requires the assistance of external development resources which we have available to us.
The Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours (OSAT): since 2001, OSAT is a one-of-a-kind experience for residents and visitors to create a customized self-guided tour of over one hundred artist studios in the Morongo Basin, featuring a total of 225 local artists. The Art Tour is a free to attend annual event spanning three weekends in October, which builds community between artists and residents, and generates over $500,000 in combined sales for local artists. To date, it is the largest open studio event in Southern California and is a huge economic driver for the rural region of the Morongo Basin. The program is organized and directed by a combination of paid and volunteer support, all being local to the area served.