During the event, artists and artisans (jewelry artist Emily Hickman is pictured) open up their studios and exhibition spaces to show and sell their work to the public as well as “talk story,” connect and inspire visitors through one-on-one interactions and, in some cases, live demonstrations.

The Maui Open Studios Event next month will kick off its seventh year of connecting art lovers and collectors with artists around Maui.

MOS has become a very popular event for art enthusiasts, art collectors and those seeking creative inspiration – both locals and tourists alike. Some repeat visitors now plan their trips to Maui around the MOS.

Scheduled for four weekends in February, the event follows a model that has been very successful on the Mainland for decades: artists and artisans open up their studios and exhibition spaces to show and sell their work to the public as well as “talk story,” connect and inspire visitors through one-on-one interactions and, in some cases, live demonstrations. The entire event is free to the public.

The mission of MOS is to connect the art community directly with art lovers on Maui. Since its inception, the event has featured over 80 artists every year and generated more than 8,000 individual studio visits by art collectors and enthusiasts each year.

Around $100,000 in art sales made directly between art collectors and artists have been generated by the event each year since its creation.

The Opening Celebration/Preview Exhibition for the 2017 Maui Open Studios Event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Pa‘ina Culinary Arts Center at the University of Hawaii Maui College. The public can meet participating artists (Jennifer Stephens is pictured).

The event offers a great way for art-loving locals and tourists to experience unique opportunities to connect with both local Maui artists and visiting artists.

For the 2017 event, there are over 90 participating artists.

During the event, visitors are invited to join many of the artists at the Opening Celebration/Preview Exhibition, where they can enjoy a cash bar and no-host food options, listen to live music, preview a few pieces of the artists’ work, connect with the artists and pick up a copy of the MOS Guidebook, which contains an artist directory and maps directing them to different studios and exhibition spaces around the island.

Guidebooks are available in January and then throughout the duration of the event at various locations around the island, which will be listed on www.MauiOpenStudios.com.

Visitors then design their own self-guided tours for each weekend of the month, either by referring to their printed guidebook or the online artist directories at www.MauiOpenStudios.com, which also includes a comprehensive Google map for easy use with GPS.

The Opening Celebration/Preview Exhibition for the 2017 Maui Open Studios Event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Pa’ina Culinary Arts Center at the University of Hawaii Maui College.

The self-guided tours begin the following weekend. Hours for the weekend shows are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The schedule is: Kihei and Wailea, Feb. 11 and 12; Lahaina, Central Maui, North Shore and Hana, Feb. 18 and 19; and Upcountry Maui, Feb. 25 and 26.