Ames Artists’ Studio Tour
The 2024 Ames Artists’ Studio Tour will be held on Sat., Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun., Oct. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. During this free, self-guided tour, patrons may choose to visit any number of the 13 participating studios and discover the original art – paintings, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, and so much more – created by Ames area artists in their studios and workspaces. Visit the artists in any order you please. Find more details, including a map, on the Ames Community Arts Council’s website: www.amesart.org.
This year, the Ames Artists’ Studio Tour is headquartered at Little Woods: Herbs & Teas (136 Main St.). Throughout the weekend, the Little Woods staff and Arts Council volunteers will be ready to answer your questions and lend a helping hand.
THERE ARE SIX STUDIOS IN DOWNTOWN AMES:
314.5 Studio (314 ½ Main St., Second Floor) features the work of Evan Hume (photography), Raluca Iancu (mixed-media), Kim Moss (installation and wall-based art), and Tina Rice (painting).
KHOI Community Radio (622 Douglas Ave.) Visit KHOI during the studio tour to record a testimonial and check out their beautiful location.
Kristin Roach (138 Main St.) Kristin is an artist, naturalist, and apothecary owner.
Melissa Stenstrom (Melissa Stenstrom Fine Jewelry, 507 Main St., Suite 1) Melissa makes jewelry using silver, gold, gemstones, and pearls.
Barbara Walton (Holy Dog Art, 312 Main St., Second Floor) Barbara began experimenting with encaustic painting in 2002. An ancient technique which predates oil painting, the traditional medium is pigmented molten beeswax transferred with a brush.
Worldly Goods (223 Main St.) showcases the work of Fair Trade artisans from over 50 countries worldwide.
IN CAMPUSTOWN, visit Creative Artists’ Studio of Ames [CASA] (130 S. Sheldon Ave.) CASA is an artist collective working in clay, fiber, encaustics, metal, paper, ink, and watercolor. CASA’s mission is to provide space for artists to work, to learn, and to share their expertise with the public. While at CASA, visit the gallery to meet artist Tunde Odunlade and see his unique work on display.
TWO ARTISTS IN NORTH AMES are in a shared studio space. Linda Hardie (Hardie Clay Studio, 5847 Arrasmith Trl.) Linda combines wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques to create unique coffee mugs, butter dishes, bowls and other functional pieces. Hardie’s studio tour will feature clay demonstrations on the potter’s wheel and with hand-building. Participants will be invited to try their hand at the wheel as well.
Valerie Williams (Daily Dish Pottery, 5847 Arrasmith Trl.) specializes in stoneware bowls that are functional, light, and graceful.
Sean Thornton (3010 Green Hills Dr., SATURDAY ONLY) will be joining the tour for his second year. Coming from an artistic family, Sean is a traditionally trained painter who moved to Ames in 2022.
Find beautiful furniture and smaller woodworking pieces on the EAST SIDE of Ames. Bill Rickard (Prairie Rivers Woodworking, 328 S. Hazel Ave.) Bill is a woodworker who will be showing his work, including furniture, assembled art, and greenwood carvings, as well as providing demonstrations of traditional greenwood carving.
And finally, in WEST AMES you will find artist Art Ciccotti Art Ciccotti (Ciccotti Art Glass, 2306 258th St.) Art’s work has roots in Venetian glass working techniques. Visit and enjoy live demonstrations during the tour.
Visit the Ames Community Arts Council’s website (www.amesart.org) for an interactive map and more information about each artist.
The Ames Artists’ Studio Tour is coordinated by the Ames Community Arts Council [amesart.org] and is supported in part through local option tax funds provided by the City of Ames Commission on the Arts.
