John Geci, artist
The Toe River Arts Council’s (TRAC’s) Studio Tour will be held throughout Mitchell and Yancey counties Friday, June 1, through Sunday, June 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The 64 participating artists throughout the region include glassblowers, jewelers, printmakers, ceramists, fiber artists, ironworkers, painters, sculptors and woodworkers. TRAC’s Spruce Pine Gallery will exhibit work from participating artists from Saturday, May 12, through the last day of the tour, giving visitors an opportunity to plan their routes. On the tour’s first evening, Friday, June 1, a reception for visitors and artists will be held from 5:30–7:30 p.m. “The exhibit at the TRAC gallery is always inspiring and is one of the few times we are all in one place together,” says participating artist Stacey Lane, who creates jewelry and has participated in the tour for almost 20 years.
All sorts of visitors come out for TRAC’s annual studio tours held in spring and fall. “We have visitors who just want to see a particular medium,” says Kate Groff, TRAC’s marketing/ programs manager, “those who are on a journey in the mountains, those who want to visit with old friends and still others who are looking for deals.”
This will be the eleventh tour for Robbie Bell of Speckled Dog Pottery. He will host three other artists— ceramist Susan Feagin and glassblowers Colin O’Reilly and Isaac Feuerman—in his studio. “For the tour,” Bell says, “we set up my studio with our pieces intermingled. This gives our visitors the opportunity to see art working together. We hope that it inspires people to broaden their collections.”
Carmen Grier, a fiber artist, will participate in the tour along with her husband Terry Gess, a potter. Mixed media artist Sondra Dorn and potter Melissa Weiss will join them as guest artists. “During this festive event,” says Grier, “we show visitors our working studios in our lovely rural setting, engage in great conversations, treat them to some nibbles and beverage and, of course, sell our work to those who want to live with it.”
To learn more, visit toeriverarts.org or call 828.765.0520 or 828.682.7215. Guide booklets for the tour are available at galleries and other venues around the region beginning in May.
