By Lynne Hendricks
1For the 13th year, the two-day, self-guided tour will provide a unique, all-access pass to the lofts and enclaves where the artists have been at work all year. Visitors on Saturday and Sunday will enjoy a rare opportunity to take in a variety of different artistic styles and mediums while perusing the original artwork on display and available for sale.
More than 50 artists will be featured at 19 locations around Amesbury, many of whom will be on hand to discuss their work and answer questions.
"It highlights all the different artists working in the Amesbury area," Cultural Council member Mary Hichborn said.
Hichborn said tour-goers will discover an expanded group of artists at work at Cedar Street Studios at 14 Cedar St. There are 19 artists exhibiting in the circa-1871 building owned by Barbara Lorenc — from visual artist Renee Schneider and mixed-media artist Susan Sanford to potter Roger Cramer and Zimmer 360 Textile Designs.
"(Lorenc) has been renovating that building, and she's got quite a following," said Hichborn, calling it a must-do stop on the open tour circuit.
At Artists' Muse Studios at 9 Water St., award-winning and national-selling artists — such as J.C. Airoldi, Sandy Jenkins, Ann Johnson, Heather Karp, Ellen Rittgers, Lee Rowan, Robin Thornhill and Anne White — will be showing a mix of traditional and contemporary oil, watercolor, pastel and mixed-media works. In addition to being open Saturday and Sunday, the studio will host a reception tomorrow from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
As in past years, Hichborn said the tours will launch from the Amesbury Cultural Center and carriage lofts in the upper Millyard off Main Street in downtown Amesbury. Raffle items from area restaurants and shops will be up for grabs at the center, and area musicians — including guitarists Brian Avery and Abigail and Felipe Clavijo, and the contemporary Irish acoustic group Demijon Music Clan — will be performing throughout the weekend.
A hands-on art booth where children can create their own works of art will be open in the lower Millyard both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
On Saturday at the Friends Meetinghouse at 120 Friend St., Joan Baily of Baily Beadworks will demonstrate how she creates a drop earring from semi-precious stones at 1:30 p.m. Also, artist, actress and author Jane Smith Bernhardt will lead a discussion on her latest book, "We are here — love never dies," at 2:30 p.m. And local music teachers Kristen Turner and Kathleen Wooten will perform musical selections by Telemann, Bach and Mozart arranged for flute and clarinet duo throughout the afternoon.
Several artists will be showcasing their work at the meetinghouse both Saturday and Sunday, including photographers Ed Mair and Alan Ward and visual artist Peg McIntosh.
Among the other stops on the tour are Two Rivers Ceramic Studio Co. at 77 Elm St. and the home studio of artist Michael Ramseur at 25 Cedar St., unit 16.
Hichborn said it's a day suitable for the whole family.
"It is a fun event," she said. "Last year, lots of people came with their kids and just wandered around."
IF YOU GO
What: 13th annual Open Studio Tour
When: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Starts from the Amesbury Cultural Center in the upper Millyard off Main Street in downtown Amesbury and continues with a self-guided tour to 19 studio locations across town
How much: Admission is free
More: Brochures and tour maps are available at Amesbury Town Hall on Friend Street and the Cultural Council. Visit www.ci.amesbury.ma.us or e-mail co-chairwomen Su Baily at subailey13@verizon.net or Renee Schneider at rd2fly@comcast.net.
