Creating and Using A Local Map

The Vermont Studio Tour Map works well to bring visitors to a local area and, with the signs, to get them to your studio, but local groups have found that creating a local map can keep visitors in the area and pass them on from studio to studio.

The Ripton-Middlebury group developed a four color brochure as an outgrowth of their local Open Studio group. They have distributed it year round.

Depending on the graphic design skills of those in the local group, the map can be a simple sketch or more of a production in itself like the one from Brandon below:

BrandonOpenStudioMap2007.pdf

Another great and free way to make local maps is available at Google Maps.

Elissa Campbell has listed the following steps:

1. Go to: http://maps.google.com/

2. Click on “Sign in” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

3. Create an account/log in.

4. On the left side of the screen, click on the “My Maps” tab.

5. Click on ‘Create new map”.

6. Fill out the “Title” and “Description” fields. Click on “Save”.

7. In the open field at the top of the screen, type in the address of a

location you want to add to your map. Click on “Search Maps”.

8. Your location will appear on the map. Click on “Save to my maps”.

9. You can now edit the information on this location. Add a title (I used

the number of the studio, followed by the name of the location, as listed in

the official map.

10. In the “Description” box, you can add the artist names, if they weren’t

part of the title.

11. To add a website to the listing, type the text you want to use for the

link, then highlight it. Click on the button with a chain on it. Fill in the

URL, then click on “OK”. You MUST keep the http:// in the web address.

12. To add an image to the listing, click on the icon that looks like a

picture (the last one in the row). Your image must be hosted online to be

able to add it. Fill in the URL, then click on “OK”. You MUST keep the

http:// in the web address.

13. When all of your information has been entered in the “Description”

field, click on “OK”.

14. Repeat steps 7-13 for each location you want to add.

Note: There does not yet seem to be a feature where you can organize the

locations you add to your map – you must enter them in the order in which

you want them to appear.