Fall is a glorious time in the Northwoods. Nature puts on her finest show. Thirty-six selected artists and galleries of the Northwoods Fall Art Tour have joined forces to provide a rare opportunity for visitors and residents to add an art adventure to their autumn experience. The private studios of artists will be open free to the public Friday, Oct. 5; Saturday, Oct. 6; and Sunday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Drive the colorful back roads of Vilas, Oneida, Iron, Langlade and Lincoln counties and discover where and how artists create and what inspires their creations. Brochures with studio descriptions, driving directions and a map are available at area businesses, chambers of commerce and online at www.northwoodsarttour.com.
The art tour is organized as 34 individual open houses so that guests can select sites that interest them and come and go as their schedules allow. Tour artists are excited to meet guests, share their creative efforts, techniques and stories, welcome old friends and make new ones. Visitors will experience personal encounters with painters in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media and pastel, potters with an array of styles that are functional and decorative, photographers, weavers, quilters, stained and hot glass artists, printmakers, sculptors, gourd designers, wood carvers and jewelry designers. Each artist has developed their own unique expressions and ways of using their chosen art mediums. You might find the perfect gift, something special for your home that will elevate your space and your spirit, or inspiration to tap into your own creativity and try your hand at making art.
One thread that runs through visitors and artist’s comments is how artists are always changing, adding new techniques, subject matter, and challenging themselves to refine and develop their ideas, skills and expressions. There is always something new to see at each studio. The tour is designed to bring artists and the public together in a meaningful way that facilitates understanding through demonstrations and interaction, building connections between the artists and the viewer. Tour members must be juried into the group and commit to these goals by demonstrating at their sites during the tour. Galleries will have guest artists demonstrating. This special connection has created a bond between artists and visitors from throughout the Midwest and beyond. Many note that they schedule their time in the area to coincide with the tours.