PUTNEY — Every Thanksgiving weekend for the past 41 years, Vermont's most iconic open-studio tour, the Putney Craft Tour, draws thousands to the studios to meet the artisans to experience where art begins and purchase one of a kind works.
Despite the ongoing concern of spreading COVID-19, artisans on the tour - the oldest of its kind in the country, now in its 42nd year - felt it important to share their work, which brings so much joy and meaning especially during the holidays.
In lieu of cancelling the tour altogether, the event has become virtual and will come straight to art lovers on Nov. 27, 28, and 29, offering “tour-goers” the opportunity to shop and browse the Putney Craft Tour Collection from the comfort of their own homes.
The online tour will feature 19 artisans, including glassblowers, potters, jewelers, weavers, painters, and woodworkers, as well as artisan cheesemakers and winemakers.
The tour kicks off on Friday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m. sharp and continues throughout the weekend until Sunday at 5 p.m. The tour's website will be open for browsing in advance, but the artisan's online stores will not be open until that morning.
The tour will not only offer browsing and purchasing of the works of some of the state's finest artists and craftspeople, but it will help create an up-close-and-personal experience of the sort that the tour is known for.
Several of the artists will be available by appointment to share their lives and how they work via a Zoom call. And, since you can't be there in person, the tour has produced short videos of each the artists.
Many of the Putney Craft Tour artisans are offering specials and other promotions during the tour. The tour itself is offering a prize of $100 to one winner.
Tourgoers can sign up at putneycrafts.com for a chance to win. The winning ticket will be pulled on Sunday afternoon after the tour ends.
Helping their neighbors
Traditionally, the Putney Craft Tour brings important business not only to the artisans but also to other local merchants.
Putney's businesses, like many small enterprises across the country, are struggling. For years, the Craft Tour has donated a percentage of profits to the Putney Foodshelf and will continue that tradition this year.
Each year, the tour also partners with Sandglass Theater and Next Stage Arts, which will also be celebrating the rich tradition of Putney as one of Vermont's most creative communities, as it does annually.
Sandglass Theater artists Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller will conduct an hour of puppet making for the whole family. During this free, online workshop, they will create a small shadow box and animate two-dimensional puppets on a screen.
To participate, visit sandglasstheater.org for materials you will find around the house. The workshop will be available from Friday at 10 a.m. through Sunday at 5 p.m. during the tour.
Adjusting to a new format
For the older artisans, going virtual is a whole new ball game, on top of their adapting to using social media to market themselves. Some have had to upgrade their internet service so they can accept Zoom calls throughout the weekend.
“This year has been a huge learning curve,” Jeanne Bennett, jeweler and longtime tour member, said in a news release.
“I created and launched a website for my jewelry business for the first time ever,” she continued. “It has been difficult to manage the technical aspect of the website and the creative nature of jewelry making.”
The pandemic has also forced Bennett's daughters to move back home for a short period of time, and they have been a “huge help,” Bennett said.
“If it weren't for them, I would not be able to be on the tour this year,” she said.
Ken Pick, one of founders of the tour, said that “it's been challenging to prepare for the virtual tour for a technically semi-literate person as myself.”
Friends and family have come to his rescue, upgrading his studio's wireless internet capacity.
“I no longer have to go outside to find enough of a signal to take a credit card,” Pick said. “And now I can Zoom from the comfort of my studio.”
“These are challenges unsought after but, nonetheless, have arrived at my potter's wheel as I try not to spin out of control,” the artist said.
Dena Moses said she participated in the Sunapee Craft Fair virtual tour, where she gained some experience in that realm.
The Putney weaver says she totally revamped her website and changed the design and focus to online sales. She has also started to create short videos and use social media.
She says that the COVID-19 pandemic has helped her business, because “more and more people want to learn to weave.”
With that in mind, Moses is working on a whole new business and website to sell looms and other weaving products, along with educational material.
Meanwhile, the younger set has been planning live Facebook feeds and more.
For example, potter Ryan Burch created 19 one-minute videos of each artist on the tour, now available to stream on YouTube (bit.ly/589_putneycraft) and playing on BCTV.
“I lost studio access entirely for six months after the initial outbreak in March,” Burch said. “I was lucky to have enough pots in stock to still be able to sell work during that time, but for over a half a year, there was absolutely no making going on, which was an immense change of pace.”
“I redirected my ever-present creative energy into dreaming up a documentary film project, and once my studio opened back up, I did my best to hit the ground running,” he added. “Being able to make pots again feels like a breath of fresh air, and I feel so fortunate to once again have access to my beloved studio space.”
“But I still miss hugging my friends!” Burch said.