PUTNEY — Margo Torrey, one of the founders of the Putney Craft Tour 35 years ago, says she's amazed how her idea for arts patrons to visit artists in their studios has grown and flourished.
“Initially we were just a small group of people who work in craft, 13 of us, who gathered together in a building in downtown Putney to show the public what amazing artists lived in this town,” she says.
“The great idea of a tour came a couple of years later … for providing visitors an opportunity to see inside the studios where these craftsmen and women work.”
During Thanksgiving weekend - Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 1 - from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, blacksmiths, glass blowers, potters, jewelers, weavers, woodworkers, artisan cheese-makers and more will have the welcome mat out.
The simply curious, shoppers, and collectors can come in, ask questions, sip hot cider and discover for themselves or someone else that one-of-a-kind gift, directly from the artisan who made it.
Visitors are invited to meander the beautiful Vermont countryside, following the tour map to find these prominent craftspeople, and view the works at the very location where they're conceived and created. In some cases, the settings showcase how to most gracefully incorporate original pieces into a home.
Tour visitors may start at the welcome center at The Gleanery, 133 Main St., where they can round up maps, directions, and view exhibiting artists' work.
Volunteers will be on hand to provide information about the tour, the artists, and Putney, noting where to stay and dine. Maps, coffee, and restrooms will be available as well.
Glass artisan Robert Burch told The Commons in advance of 2012's tour that the Putney Craft Tour is the oldest and most successful open studio tour in Vermont.
“There are phenomenal people on this tour,” he said of its several nationally and even internationally celebrated artisans.
All participants must be juried in order to be allowed to join the tour, with some waiting years to get in. “We don't want to let the tour get too large,” Burch added, explaining that organizers want to make sure it all fits into a comfortable, manageable, inspirational weekend.
Ken Pick, one of the organizers of this year's Putney Craft Tour, calls the event “a great cultural treat for visitors and locals alike.”
With 26 studios, Pick says, there's ample opportunity to spend “just a couple of hours or a couple of days exploring our beautiful countryside of rolling hills and meandering roads, all colored in the muted tapestry of the late fall.”
Each studio offers the visitor a reflection of the personality of its artist and the work created inside. Many participating craftspeople offer demonstrations, and are happy to talk about their work and the process of its creation, Pick adds.
And talking about it is at least half the fun. Although Torrey, a spry octogenarian, no longer opens a studio on the tour, she says she's making a point of attending her colleagues' open studios.
“As in all other years, I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she says. “I am bringing along some relatives from out of town who will have a great time in store for them.”