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Shari Jacobs of Studio 2 is among the many artisans featured in the 28th annual Artisans Studio Tour.

Walking into an art gallery can be intimidating. The white walls, the lights, the hush, the attendant dressed very smartly behind an antique desk. Do you say hi? Can you just come in to look? Where are the prices listed? You see yourself reflected in a window wearing your “comfortable” clothing and high-tail it out of there.

Trust us on this. Walking into the studios on the 28th Annual Artisans Studio Tour, taking place Nov. 12–13 in Charlottesville and surrounding counties, will not feel intimidating, no matter what you’re wearing, how much money you have to spend, or how knowledgeable you are about the work displayed. The studio tour is the warm, fuzzy hug of art-viewing experiences.

That said, we’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts to help you feel completely comfortable and prepared before you embark on this year’s tour. Ready?

Do feel free to wonder what the difference is between an artist and an artisan. It used to be understood that an artisan practices a craft and an artist practices a fine art. (Don’t get us started on trying to define the difference between fine craft and fine art!) The artisans on the tour have achieved a high level of mastery of their chosen medium and have a distinctive, expressive “voice” within it. All of us would be perfectly happy if you called us “artists.” That said, don’t expect to see paintings, ballet, or a symphony orchestra on the tour. We work in wood, clay, metal, fiber, and glass. Do expect to find some masterpieces.

Do plan ahead. There are 39 artisans in 21 studios on the 2022 tour, spread out from Wolftown in the north to Tye River Road in the south, and from Sugar Hollow in the west to Stony Point in the east.

Some regular tour-goers try to cover only a portion of the studios each year, but if you are new to the area, or are travelling a distance and want to see as many studios and artists as possible, do book a hotel room or AirBnB and plan to make a full weekend of it. All of the artisans, their work, and their studio locations can be previewed on the tour website: www.artisanstudiotour.com. Unless you’re very local, don’t drive alone. Bring a friend, or several. The tour is much more fun as a group activity, and carpooling saves gas. Do grab a passport at the first studio you visit and get it stamped at each studio. Leave it at the last studio and you will be entered to win a $50 credit. If you visit five or more studios, you’ll be eligible to win a $300 credit toward the purchase of art from any of the tour artisans.

Do feel free to ask any artisan questions about their work. Great questions include: What’s your favorite piece of those you’re showing today and why? How long have you been practicing your craft? How did you get started? Has Covid changed your practice in any way? Do you do commissioned work? Do you teach? If you ask Stuart Howe what moves him to make his wonderful ceramics with bright garden scribbles, he’ll tell you that “these expressions of elation represent my quest to find and embody light in life’s darker moments.”

And if you ask Fred Hean what he likes about doing commissions, he’ll say, “Some of my favorite projects have been when a customer has some beautiful, seasoned wood of their own from which they ask me to create something beautiful for them. I know then that this will become a family heirloom with its own origin story…”

And if you ask Cheri Mehler how she started making her colorful fused glass pieces, she’ll say, “I began my ‘glass’ journey in stained glass, but after taking my first fused-glass class, in Richmond, I was hooked.”

Do trust your own judgment. If a piece sings to you, sing back and buy it! Don’t let your husband, wife, interior-designer, girlfriend, dog, or especially, your cat, talk you out of it. If you happen to be downsizing but fall in love with a piece, think about what objects in your home you could donate to Goodwill in order to make room for something fresh. Do make a wish-list for yourself so that when others ask you what you want for your birthday, anniversary, or holiday, you can send them to the artisan whose work you fell in love with. Collect business cards and keep track of artisan websites for those gift-giving/receiving occasions.

Don’t feel the need to explain why you’re not buying from any given studio. We know you’re downsizing; we know you can’t afford to buy something from all of us; we know you have cats (or grandchildren, or teenagers). We just hope you have a good time and, perhaps, learn something about how fine craft is practiced in Central Virginia.

And most importantly, do have fun on the tour. We all have a lot of fun in our studios and when meeting you.

The 28th Annual Artisans Studio Tour will be held Saturday, Nov. 12 through Sunday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.artisanstudiotour.com, https://www.facebook.com/artisans.studio.tour, https://www.instagram.com/artisanstudiotour/, or contact Shari Jacobs at studiotourva@gmail.com or (540) 212-3535.

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Shari Jacobs of Studio 2 is among the many artisans featured in the 28th annual Artisans Studio Tour.

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