If you’ve only ever been a casual visitor to Gardiner, you may have heard whispers about a phenomenon haunting the hamlet that sounds like “ghost doors.” No, this doesn’t refer to some supernatural apparition, but to the acronym GOST, which stands for Gardiner Open Studio Tour. Members of this group have taken on a project of painting recycled doors, each one unique and reflecting that particular artist’s style, and setting them up along the sidewalks of downtown Gardiner anytime there’s a street fair or other big public event. The GOST Doors may not be portals to another dimension in a literal sense, but they do expand public consciousness by merging the town’s identity to outdoors enthusiasts as the “Gateway to the Gunks” with the awareness that there’s a motherlode of artistic talent in the community as well.
Once or twice a year since its founding in 2013, the event that gives this loose affiliation of artists its name takes place over a weekend of freely accessible studios and exhibition spaces. The Gardiner Open Studio Tour returns from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16, with 19 artists participating this year: Carolyn Baum, Craig and Pam Booth, Anna Davis, Tiffany Dyckman, Alexa Ginsburg, Lynn Isaacson, Leonie Lacouette, Marsha Massih, Meadow, Annie O’Neill, Bruce Pileggi, Michelle Rhodes, Ron Schaeffer, Jean Tansey, Gregory Thompson, John A. Varriano, D. M. Weil and Dina White.
Joining the GOST Doors downtown as a special treat for the community in 2019 is a new mural on two walls in Majestic Park, painted by Lady Pink and Roger Smith. This installation will initiate a rotating mural art project that will be changed yearly, painted by Gardiner artists in response to suggestions from Gardiner community members.
The Gardiner Open Studio Tour is self-guided, with ample information, including a brochure and map showing local business sponsors as well as studio locations, downloadable at www.gardineropenstudiotour.com.
Gardiner Open Studio Tour, Saturday/Sunday, June 15/16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Free, Various locations, Town of Gardiner, www.gardineropenstudiotour.com
Join the family! 
