10th Annual
Studio and Garden Tour
Driving Tour of Artists’ and
Craftsmen’s Studios
June 27–29, 2008
In 1999, Janet Spears, wife of potter Larry Spears, Shelley Frederick, and Peggy Henderson came up with the idea to showcase two of Brown County’s greatest assets: the natural beauty of the landscape and the talents of its creative people. The Brown County Studio and Garden Tour is still going strong ten years later. The free self-guided tour has grown from 14 artists featured in a two-day event to a three-day event featuring over 30 local artists at 20 studios.
Many familiar artists are returning this year, including all of the tour’s founders. At Heartworks Studio, Shelley Frederick will feature paintings and ceramics. At Hickory Hills Studio and Gallery, Peggy Henderson will display her gourds, baskets and jewelry alongside the handmade clocks of her husband, Joe. Spears Gallery will feature the pottery of Larry Spears and the photography of his son Kyle.
Other returning artists are: Dick and Dixie Ferrer at Ferrer Studio II; Chris Gustin at Homestead Weaving Studio; Joan Haab at Country Mouse Weaving Studio; Anabel Hopkins at Les Nympheas Studio; Dean Howard at Barzillai Forge; Lynn Lynch Hughes at Memories to Keep, Ink; Amanda Mathis at A.W. Mathis Primitive Paintings; Anne Ryan Miller at Anne Ryan Miller Glass Studio; Cheri Platter at Faerie Hollow Studio; Judy and Tom Prichard at Oak Grove Pottery; Greg Schatz at Schatz Studio and Gallery; Sandy Taylor at Godly Glass and Photography; Tom Tedrowe at Tedrowe Furniture Studio; and Mindy Weddle at Carmel Ridge Clayworks.
Three new studios are taking part this year, so even seasoned visitors to the studio tour will have something to anticipate.
Just northeast of Nashville on Clay Lick Road, weaver Sarah Noggle makes both practical and impractical pieces on her four floor looms.
At the Eastern edge of the county, Lost Lake Studio features the work of Michele Heather Pollock. Here visitors will find handmade books and photo albums as well as mixed media pieces and collage.
Like at many stops along the tour, visitors to Lost Lake Studio will be able to try their hand at making art. In the southeastern sector, Sharon Jungclaus-Gould’s studio will showcase her gourd art and mixed media pieces. She uses wood burning, dyes, collage, stamping and carving to create gourds whose images are drawn from nature and spiritual themes.
For the tenth anniversary of the tour, ten studios are also providing space for guest artists to display artwork and demonstrate techniques. “There are many artists in Brown County who either do not maintain a studio at their place of residence, or who for other reasons would not normally be able to participate in the tour,” explains Judy Prichard, president of this year’s studio tour. The result is an opportunity for visitors to see a wide variety of work, including vintage textiles from Barb Brooke Davis, metalwork by Brad Cox, and woodwork by Daniel and Ruth Johnson. Other featured guest artists are weaver/knitter Marla Dawson, weaver Linda Comstock-Teel, and painters Susan Ahbe, Monique Cagle, Terry Schultz, and Pat Siddiq. As a special treat, the paintings of Fred Rigley will be on display at Spears Gallery.
This year’s tour is taking place June 27–29. In addition to the usual opportunities to meet the artists and watch them work in their studios, there’s an added chance for visitors to mingle with local artists. On Friday night, June 27, there will be a free artist reception at 6:30 pm at the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
T.C. Steele Historic Site serves as headquarters for the tour. A map of studios can be picked up there, or at many area businesses, including the Visitors Bureau, Brown County Winery, Cornerstone Inn, Farmhouse Café, Flower and Herb Barn, Bloomingfoods, and The Story Inn. For more information about the Brown County Studio and Garden Tour, visit <www.BrownCountyStudioTour.com> or call the Visitors Center at (812) 988-7303.