This coming weekend, artists around the Verde Valley will open their personal studios for public viewing thanks to the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition and its Open Studios Tour event, taking place Friday to Sunday, Oct. 29 to 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SVAC was started 25 years ago in Sedona by a group of artists to help foster arts in the community. In the last seven years SVAC has grown to cover the entire Verde Valley.
Similarly, the Open Studios Tour began in Sedona with just 20 or so artists.
This weekend the event will include more than 40 artists from Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Cornville and Sedona. All of the locations are studio tours, so visitors will get the chance to meet the artists and see their processes firsthand.
“Often, people may only experience art in a museum or a gallery,” said Darleene Nelson, a SVAC board member and artist. “I think it’s very important that the public understands that art is a means of communication — that art reflects the time, culture and the personality of the artist. It can be decoration and so much more.”
According to SVAC President and ceramicist Mike Upp, open studio tours are a growing concept that is happening all over the country.
“The Verde Valley has become a hotbed for the arts, with fine, professional artists located over the entire landscape,” Upp said. “These are private studios owned by the working artist, not a retail gallery that represents numerous artists.”
Visitors of the open studios will be able to see work in progress, art demonstrations and make a purchase directly from the artists.
You can find a list of artists and tour maps on the SVAC website: sedonaartistscoalition.org.
