Courtesy of Southern Vermont Arts and Living and Vermont Crafts Council
Photo One: Adelaide Tyrol is the artist of “Prey and Predator,” acrylic on canvas, a piece on display at the Great Hall, a studio in Springfield, #64 on the 2015 Fall Open Studio map. Tyrol is also the artist for the column “The Outside Story” that regularly appears in this paper.
Photo Two: With a few deft strokes of the brush, Libby James captures the essence of this young cow. James is the artist at Bryn Meadow Farm Studio in Charlotte, #16 on the 2015 Fall Open Studio map.
Open Studio Weekend at sites across the state Oct. 3 and 4
Oct. 3-4 — STATEWIDE — Leaf peepers love autumn in Vermont and traveling throughout the state to view the brilliant show of reds, oranges and yellows shimmering in the mountains and valleys. Foliage visitors will also find artful surprises during their stay by meeting Vermont artisans in their studios during the fall Open Studio Weekend. The free tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and 4 when craftspeople and artists across 11 counties of Vermont will open their studios to the public. Bright yellow Open Studio signs are posted along the roads to guide visitors to each studio. Visitors experience a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the workspaces of glassblowers, quilt makers, sculptors, potters, woodworkers, printmakers, jewelers, furniture makers, and painters.
The Open Studio Map/Guide is free and available at Vermont welcome centers, galleries throughout the state, or on the Vermont Crafts Council website, vermontcrafts.com. It is easy to plan a tour with the Open Studio map: choose a section of the state to explore and find studios along the way. The destination might be a classic Vermont village with a number of nearby studios. Or, create a tour by hunting for studios with a favorite art form like pottery, woodturning, or photography. Those who prefer spontaneity can look for Open Studio yellow signs along the roads and follow them to studio locations. Visitors will find appealing works of all kinds: traditional and contemporary, functional and abstract, minimalist and complex.
Martha Fitch, director of the Crafts Council, says Open Studio is a great event because people have the flexibility to spend as much time as they want, whether on an interesting activity for a few hours or two full days of exploration. “It’s a chance to meet the artisans, share their passions and enjoy their hospitality,” says Fitch. “What better way to learn about Vermont than through the lives and works of its artists?”
Vermont Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process in which Vermont artists and craftspeople invite the public to visit them in their studios. Open Studio Weekend is also a featured event during American Craft Week, a nationwide celebration of American crafts over ten days in early October.
The Vermont Crafts Council launched Open Studio Weekend in 1993 as a way to increase the visibility of artists and craftspeople in Vermont. The event’s goal is 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 publishes a free map booklet available at Vermont welcome centers, galleries, and community centers that gives visitors an easy way to plan a self-guided tour. Regional information centers are highlighted in the guide as places, usually galleries, that give studio explorers an overview of a particular area. Each studio is numbered with the location shown on the Open Studio map/guide. Directions, addresses and contact information are also listed. A map can be requested on the Vermont Crafts Council website www.vermontcrafts.com, where an online version is available. Maps can also be obtained by calling 802-223-3380 or emailing vt1crafts@aol.com.
