Artists in the second annual Open Studios.

The second Annual “Open Studios – Botetourt” was a huge success over the weekend of October 27-28. Although the cloudy skies were moving in with Hurricane Sandy, the weather didn’t stop the visitors from coming out in full force.

Visitors began arriving at the doors of the various artists’ studios promptly at 10 am on Saturday. On average 100-125 people visited each studio over Saturday and Sunday. Some participants taking the tour visited only a few selected studios while others tried to visit them all.  Our Passport card was a hit, with 250 entries collected at the end of the weekend.  Visitors obtained a stamp at each location and turned cards in at the end of their tour.  This card allowed us to gain valuable visitor information and to have the opportunity to award one lucky winner a $150 gift certificate towards the purchase of artwork from a studio and artist of their choice.  Our winner was selected and is a resident of Daleville.

The buzz in the air was positive and exciting.  The artists had consistent visitation all weekend and were able to sell multiple pieces.  Many artists said that they sold more pieces this year than last year’s event.  We are proud to be able to continue to bring awareness of Botetourt County artists and spread the word about their experiences, their studio spaces and their creativity.

We had great publicity this year and would like to thank City Magazine for helping us honor Joyce Hilliou with a memorial piece in the October issue.   We were so excited to continue to see the outpouring of support in our second year.

Magae Hartzell said:  “So many of our visitors thanked us for opening our homes and studios.  I received so many compliments on my artwork and everyone was thrilled that this has become an annual event.”

Dreama Kattenbraker: “Our visitors were kind and we had folks who drove from Union Hall, Lexington, Bedford, Floyd and Franklin County just for the tour. We also had people who came along with friends or family from California and Pennsylvania.  What a thrill it was to share my work with so many interested people for the second year.”

Thank you to all that contributed to the production and success of this event. A special thanks to our financial partnership with the 15 artists, The Bank of Fincastle and Botetourt County Office of Tourism. We are looking forward to the continuation of this great artistic event year after year.

Artists interested in being involved with the tour or people interested in being placed on our mailing list for next year should contact Catherine Herlocker with Botetourt County Tourism at 540-473-1167 or cherlocker@botetourt.org.

 Photo:

Linda Atkinson, Nancy Dahlstrom, Magae Hartzell, Bill White and Lois Bittner. Back Row:  Dreama Kattenbraker, Willie Simmons, Tina McConchie, Vera Dickerson, Ed Bordett, Tom Lawson, Jake Cress, Mark Woodie, Mark Young.

Submitted by Catherine Herlocker