An upcoming art tour will let participants combine fall foliage viewing and harvest activities with purchases from local artists across Vermont.
Bright yellow signs will mark the studios of craftspeople and fine artists across the state during the 2017 Fall Open Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The Vermont Crafts Council is coordinating the event and timing it to correspond with American Craft Week, a national celebration of craftwork that takes place from Oct. 6 to 15.
Organizers describe the event as “a statewide celebration of the visual arts and creative process, offering a unique opportunity for visitors to meet a wide variety of local artists and craftspeople in their studios, and purchase high-quality, handmade artwork.”
The self-guided tour features the work of glassblowers, jewelers, printmakers, potters, furniture makers, weavers, ironworkers, painters, sculptors, quilt makers, and wood carvers. Many participating galleries will host gallery talks and feature special exhibits in conjunction with this event.
The Vermont Crafts Council publishes a free map with directions to participating sites. The map is available throughout the state at Tourist Information Centers, galleries, and studios, as well as on the VCC website or by calling 802-223-3380.
The VCC launched Open Studio Weekend in 1993 to increase the visibility of artists and craftspeople in Vermont and to foster an appreciation for the creative process and the role that artists and craftspeople play in the vitality of Vermont's communities.
The Vermont Crafts Council is a nonprofit organization serving the state's visual arts community.
19 county artists participate
In Windham County, two sites will serve as regional information centers, designed as places to “give studio explorers an overview of a particular area,” according to the council website.
• Vermont Artisan Designs & Gallery 2. 106 Main St, Brattleboro; 802-257-7044.
• Rockingham Arts and Museum Project. 9 Canal St, #115, Bellows Falls; 802-463-3252
The following sites are listed on the official tour, marked on the official map by the number in parentheses. The site and brochure offer full directions for most participants; those with a fractional number are late additions to the tour and are not included. Directions for all participants, and more information about some artists, can be found at the tour's Bennington and Windham County Map and Links page at vermontcrafts.com/OSW/benningtonwindham.html.
• Vermont Artisan Designs & Gallery 2 (#37). Distinct, unique, eclectic Vermont crafts. 106 Main St., Brattleboro; 802-257-7044.
• Colorquilts - L. Carlene Raper (#38). Hand-dyed quilts, pillows, wooden puzzles. 62 Spruce St., Brattleboro; 802-246-1313.
• Zak Grace Glass (#39). Hand-formed and blown glassware and art. 446 Williams St., Brattleboro; 802-251-0402.
• Lesley Heathcote Studio (#40). Pastels of animals, birds, and landscapes. 32 Larkin St., Brattleboro; 802-257-0951.
• Orchard Street Pottery - Walter Slowinski (#41). Wood-fired salt-glazed pottery; encaustic paintings. 658 Orchard St., Brattleboro; 802-257-1030.
• Naomi Lindenfeld Clayworks (#42). Nature-inspired, colored clay pottery. 330 Meadowbrook Rd., Brattleboro; 802-258-6475.
• Center for Digital Art - Michel Moyse (#43). Projected art, video art on monitors, paintings. 81 Pleasant Valley Rd, Brattleboro; 802-257-7605.
• Partridge Road Pottery - Ahren Ahrenholz (#44). Wood-fired functional stoneware pottery. 228 Partridge Rd, Dummerston; 802-257-4060.
• Greg Moschetti (#45). Landscape oil paintings from imagination. 623 Kelly Rd., Dummerston; 802-689-0676.
• Chris Lann Designs (#46). Contemporary handcrafted fine sterling jewelry. 1420 Sunset Lake Rd., Brattleboro; 802- 254-0383.
• JMB Glass - Josh and Marta Bernbaum (#47). Functional and decorative handmade glass. 119 Hescock Rd., Brattleboro; 610-812-3434.
• Laughing Lizard Studio - Jen Wiechers (#48). Playful paintings, encaustics, mosaics, and jewelry. Weichers will be showing her work at Josh and Marta Bernbaum's studio at 119 Hescock Rd., Brattleboro; 802-258-8054.
• Rob Cartelli Ceramics (#49). Porcelain pottery, functional tableware, gifts. 299 Dover Rd., South Newfane; 802-249-6411.
• Darlene Eisenhuth (#49.5). Smile-inducing, repurposed assemblage. 911 Dover Rd., South Newfane; 802-348-7141.
• Diane Echlin Ceramics (#50). Ceramics, stoneware pottery, jewelry. 428 S. Wardsboro Rd., Newfane; 802-365-7874.
• Caryn King Studio (#50.5). Paintings of animals, mixed media, giclées. 16 Miller Lane, South Newfane; 802-380-7006.
• Sherwin Art Glass - Christopher Sherwin (#51). Unique collectible, hand-sculpted, blown glass. 33 Bridge St., Bellows Falls; 802-376-5744.
• Mark Goodenough Metalworks (#52). Fabricated sheet-metal wildlife sculpture. 4 Meeting House Rd., Bellows Falls; 603-313-0192.
• Ailyn Hoey (#53). Charcoal, oil and pastel landscapes. 4 Meeting House Rd, Bellows Falls; 802-376-6333.