BELLOWS FALLS — This Memorial Day weekend, May 29 and 30, local artists will continue the annual statewide open studio tour tradition.
Art in Bellows Falls, a collective of artists will gather at 33 Bridge St. in that village.
There, visitors will find Chris Sherwin and Nick Kekic in their glass studios, Scott Morgan's painting, and Judy Lidie's handmade soaps.
For just this weekend, Clare Adams will offer painted glass, and Jeanette Staley will show her collage, home decor, and more. Others may join.
This group of local artists began meeting about 10 years ago with Robert McBride, founding director of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP), to encourage artists to participate in the annual open studio tour and collaborate on the marketing events focusing on the arts throughout the month of May.
When the pandemic shuttered open studios and other arts events last year, the group continued to meet monthly. Although the Vermont Crafts Council chose to postpone this year's statewide event until Saturday, June 19, the group decided to maintain the Memorial Day weekend tradition on its own.
The collective has developed a Facebook page, facebook.com/ArtinBellowsFalls, which provides a space for local artists to post work they would like to share and lets visitors to the area discover the region's creative community.
The Exner Block, renovated in 2000 and home to RAMP (ramp-vt.org), provides 10 affordable living- and workspaces for artists, as well as commercial spaces, including Canal Street Gallery and Mindy Fisher's painting studio.