CAPE ANN ARTISANS 25th ANNIVERSARY STUDIO TOURS
Unique Opportunity to See Premier Area Artists at Work and Enjoy Scenic Cape Ann
Cape Ann Artisans is celebrating its’ 25th anniversary Studio Tour, where visitors can meet professional artists and watch them work on their creations. Artisans include painters, photographers, sculptors, potters, and jewelry makers. The tour dates are: October 11, 12 and 13, 10 AM to 5 PM. The tour is free to the public.
‘This is a great opportunity to connect with a variety of artists in their studios where the art is being made. Seeing the art in a gallery is only half the story; seeing the tools, the materials and the work in progress brings people much closer to it. Many people come back year after year, because there are always new artists and new creations in process. This is also a wonderful family event because kids get excited about art when they can see the creative process right in front of them. Touring the studios, which are located across Cape Ann, also gives people a chance to enjoy the fantastic scenery of the area,’ said Chris Williams, a metal sculptor in Essex. Williams’ sculptures grace homes, gardens and estates in New England and beyond. His work is also part of the d’cor of Latitude 43, a new restaurant in Gloucester.
Other studio hosts include potters Cynthia Curtis, Marty Morgan and Scott Place who will all have demonstrations on the wheel, spinning ‘mud’ into useful and decorative objects, each with their own unique and distinctive finish. At Marty Morgan’s studio visitors will see her large gas ‘car kiln’ which rides on a track so that it can be loaded inside the studio and fired outside. At Beth Williams’ studio a torch will be used to create brilliantly colored glass beads using traditional Venetian techniques.
Many of the artists’ studios are located in places as beautiful as their art. Judith Wright, in her breathtaking location on Gloucester’s Sunset Point, will show how she takes hundreds of tiny pieces of glass and turns them into complex and delightful images. In Bart Stuyf’s waterfront studio on Gloucester harbor, flat sheets of copper become whimsical creatures before your eyes. David Archibald of Plum Cove, Gloucester, is known for his gorgeous gardens as well as his pottery. He has an extensive collection of rhododendrons and Japanese maples. Marty Morgan said, ‘Visitors are always welcome to picnic at my place by the Mill River, where they can watch the swans and egrets.’
Catherine Wygant, who creates one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces from materials she finds, says that the Studio Tours are perfect for those who are interested in more than just the final product; the people she sees in her studio are curious about the materials and creative process she uses to make beautiful, wearable art from everyday items. ‘Selecting art is as much a creative process as creating the art. The art consumer is exercising their creativity by deciding which piece of jewelry or pottery or sculpture really inspires them, perhaps enough to want to include it in their home or in their wardrobe,’ said Wygant. ‘The Studio Tour enables visitors to really get inside the artistic process and come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the art.’
A total of 19 artists will be part of the tour. The tour dates are October 11, 12 and 13, 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free, and brochures with maps will be available at the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce; the Rockport Information Booth on Rte 127; and at each of the studios. A map can also be found on the website www.capeannartisans.com. A bright magenta Studio Tour banner marks each location.
Cape Ann Artisans
We, the artists of Cape Ann Artisans, while diverse in our art and expression, share a common sense of place on Cape Ann. Whether we were born and raised in the area, left and returned from other places, or found Cape Ann later in life, we draw our aesthetics and our inspiration directly from the color, light, and vistas of our environment. The quarries, the woods, the rocky coastline, and the evanescent light call to each of us and inevitably emerge in our work. As one of our members recalls, when he first came to Cape Ann, ‘The pull of the tide over the pebbles of Cape Hedge Beach sounded otherworldly.’ We are truly fortunate to have the extraordinary sensory offerings of Cape Ann in our daily lives and work.