FAYETTEVILLE — Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to peek into the inner workings of art studiosthis weekend in Eureka Springs.
Sixteen studios and 21 artists will participate in the fourth annual Eureka Springs Artists Studio Tour, which runs today through Sunday. It is a free, self-guided driving tour of art studios. The tour was created by artists Lorna and Craig Trigg-Hirsch, who run a studio on the tour called Fire Om Earth. Lorna Trigg-Hirsch said the tour was created to enhance art education.
"It's to bring the public into the artists' studios to actually see where and how work is made," she said.
Trigg-Hirsch said she likes the idea that the public is taken out of the gallery scene and into the private areas where the artists work.
The tour headquarters will be at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, which is where the public can find maps to the art studios. There are a few different routes that can be taken since the studios, some of which are also the artists' homes, are scattered around the area, she said.
The tour includes artists from various media, such as painting, weaving, jewelry, musical instruments, fiber art, ceramics, sculpture, photography and wind chimes. About 17 of the artists are new to the tour this year, she said.
Each artist will give a full studio tour to guests who stop in. The artists' work will be on exhibit and also for sale.
The artists will be working on their art in their studios over the course of the three days, and some of them will conduct complete demonstrations on one area of their work, she said. Trigg-Hirsch will hold a demonstration on wheel-throwing a clay drum at 11 a.m.
today at her studio, and her husband will show guests how a bamboo flute is made during his noon demonstration.
A presentation by "Arkansas Living Treasure" Doug Stowe will also be part of the tour. Arkansas Living Treasure is an award given to those proficient in their style of work who are also involved in education, she said. Stowe, a woodworker known for his crafted boxes and furniture, will hold his presentation from 2-3 p.m. Sunday at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.
Each artist studio will have a signin and an evaluation sheet. The artists' studios range from "really quirkystudios to elaborate studios to garden shade studios," Trigg-Hirsch said, adding that the response to the tour over the years has been amazing. She said the artists are always excited to find out what the reaction will be, and visitors of all ages and walks of life have loved it in the past.
Trigg-Hirsch said her love for the tour stems from being able to stay in her studio and have the public come to her, along with the rest of the artists.
One of her favorite aspects of the tour is seeing the public's realization that everything created in the studios was made by hand, she said.
Entertainment, Pages 16 on 09/25/2009