Loveland is a flurry of activity with more than 60 artists getting ready for the 10th Annual Loveland Art Studio Tour. Artists all over Loveland are cleaning out their studios to welcome guests into their workspaces. Most artists work alone and never get to meet the art-buying public, who rarely gets to meet artists and hear the inspiration behind why they create. Artists love telling the stories about the process, and think others like to hear what makes them create what they do.
We asked Billie Colson, founder of Loveland Art Studio Tour, how this all got started.
“I met with over a dozen artists 10 years ago in March to discuss putting on the event in the fall of that same year,” she says. “It was a grass-roots effort. The first year’s event artists pooled their resources and worked together on a shoestring budget to have the tour. It worked well, because the artists knew they had to be promoters too. I think that’s still an important aspect of the tour.“
Ten years later, the Loveland Art Studio Tour is a powerful representation of the creativity living right here in Loveland. We are operating as a nonprofit to put everything we can back into the artist community. It is being directed by two local ceramic artists, Carolyn Pearce and Jill Atchison, both of whom are part of the tour. On the tour you will find an abundance of mediums and styles. There are artists doing metalsmithing, ceramics, glass art, painting, pastels, sculpture, photography, woodworking, jewelry and so much more. Artists also use the tour as an opportunity to offer special pricing on their work.
Some of the artists on the tour host other artists. Artists’ studios aren’t always compatible for visitors for a variety of reasons. Many work in studio locations within a community of artists like Artspace or Loveland Art Works. Others showcase in galleries that represent them and can offer the space for doing demos, which can be hard to do in a private setting.
You can see a preview of the Loveland Art Studio Tour artists’ work at the preview show located in the gallery of the Loveland Museum from September 15 to October 21, during Museum hours. Pick up your free full-color guidebook with maps at the Museum and several other supportive locations in town.
Come join the tour and support the art community of Loveland. You may even find something that makes your heart sing while meeting the artists behind the work.
Important Dates
Art preview: Loveland Museum, September 15-October 21 in the gallery during Museum hours
Loveland Art Studio Tour, first weekend: October 13-14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Loveland Art Studio Tour, second weekend: October 20-21, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
