The RiverArts Studio Tour is returning on Saturday, Oct. 23 after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This marks the first time the Studio Tour, which invites the public into artists’ workspaces, is taking place in the fall rather than in April, as has been the annual tradition. More than 70 artists from Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington, and Tarrytown are participating.
Visiting hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Federal and New York State Covid-19 protocols will be followed, with masks required in all studios on the tour. As it is a family event, with all ages welcomed to attend, arts-related activities are planned for children.
“It is a wonderful feeling to once again be able to offer members of the community the opportunity to experience a diversity of art and culture and the chance to visit with the artists in their own studios and to hear their stories,” RiverArts artistic director Kate Ashby said.
The decision to hold the Studio Tour this month, rather than wait until April 2022, was formalized in June, according to Ashby.
“It was a case of sooner rather than later after going through quite a long hiatus,” she said. “We reached out to the artists and they were all for it. There is a lot of positive energy in the artistic community and they are eager to share this with people who love art and have been supportive of the Studio Tour in the past.”
Attendees will be able to see ceramics, collages, drawings, fiber arts, mixed media, mosaics, paintings, photographs, and sculpture. The studios range from industrial lofts to rooms in homes. There will also be artists sharing spaces such as the James Harmon Community Center in Hastings.
The Studio Tour website (riverartsstudiotour.com) has been designed by Patrick Harmon of Ossining and Henry Levin of Hastings, an intern for RiverArts. Included is information on the artists, a PDF map of the locations, and an interactive Google map.
Adhering to a tradition established for the spring Studio Tour, preview shows are on view at the Hastings Village Hall through Oct. 24 and at the Dobbs Ferry Public Library through Oct. 29.
An “Artist Conversation with Malcolm D. MacDougall III” is scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. at his riverfront studio behind 145 Palisade Street in Dobbs Ferry. Marie Louise Miller of Hastings will talk with the sculptor, whom Ashby described as having an “interesting way of transforming man-made objects into nature.”
The Studio Tour website (riverartsstudiotour.com) has been designed by Patrick Harmon of Ossining and Henry Levin of Hastings, an intern for RiverArts. Included is information on the artists, a PDF map of the locations, and an interactive Google map.
Adhering to a tradition established for the spring Studio Tour, preview shows are on view at the Hastings Village Hall through Oct. 24 and at the Dobbs Ferry Public Library through Oct. 29.
An “Artist Conversation with Malcolm D. MacDougall III” is scheduled for this Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. at his riverfront studio behind 145 Palisade Street in Dobbs Ferry. Marie Louise Miller of Hastings will talk with the sculptor, whom Ashby described as having an “interesting way of transforming man-made objects into nature.”
“The Studio Tour was one of the events that first inspired me to get more involved with RiverArts, but I didn’t know how much my soul needed it,” said Kristin Madden, who became president of the RiverArts board of directors on July 1. “It was incredibly moving to see our artistic community coming together again at the Studio Tour preview shows.”
There was a reception for the Hastings show on Oct. 3 and for the Dobbs Ferry show on Oct. 7.
“It was just wonderful to be in a space with all that creative energy sparkling around me again,” Madden continued, “and I’m so proud that RiverArts, and the dedicated team of volunteers that make the Studio Tour happen each year, were able to convene everyone this fall.”
Madden, a resident of Tarrytown, is vice president of Bowen & Company, a Dobbs Ferry-based event service and marketing firm.
“Our artists are so eager to get back into the rhythm of showing their work through the Studio Tour, and this was evident at the previews,” RiverArts managing director Josh Suniewick said. “At least 40 artists had their work on exhibit at the Hastings Village Hall and were there to engage with and meet each other as well members of the community.”
“So much time had elapsed with two spring tours missed,” Suniewick added. “Having the Studio Tour now also gives residents of the Rivertowns a great reason to get out and about.”
See out dedicated website site to the event HERE.
