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17th Annual Come to Leicester Studio Tour
August 20, 2022 - August 21, 2022
Fine art and craft lovers to enjoy the work of 34 local and visiting artists in the beautiful mountain setting of Leicester, North Carolina. For the 17th year in a row, artists in this small community will open their studios to the public for the annual Come to Leicester Studio Tour. This free, self-guided event is held every third weekend in August, with this year’s tour dates being August 20th and 21st, 10 AM to 5 PM each day. Visitors choose their own tour stops using a printed full-color map of the area, along with pictures of each artist’s work. Detailed brochures with maps will be available at various locations in Leicester and the surrounding communities before the Tour, as well as at each stop on the Tour days. Bold signs along the route direct visitors to the individual stops. Visit the Tour website at http://cometoleicester.org to view all the artists and print out a map to guide your tour.
The Come to Leicester Artist Studio Tour route takes visitors through some of the most scenic rural countryside in Western North Carolina. Along the way, one can view beautiful, hand-crafted work and meet the artists who create it. Visitors will find many types of fine art and crafts, including brooms, pottery, paintings, iron work, jewelry, fiber, stained glass, mosaic, enamel, and mixed media. Tour stops include artist personal studios as well as 3 hub locations where several artists gather: Leicester Community Center, Sandy Mush Community Center, and Addison Farms Vineyard. Many artists open the doors to their home studios only on this weekend, and it is a unique opportunity to explore the beauty of our mountain community while getting a glimpse behind the scenes of an artist’s life and work.
If you’re hungry along the way, stop in at one of our food sponsors, all identified on the map: Grateful Roots, Gossett Grocery, the Salty Goat Grill, and Sawhorse. You might also want to enjoy a cider at Noble Cider or a wine-tasting at Addison Farms Vineyard, a favorite tour stop and host to several artist displays. Enjoy mountain hospitality at its finest!
Artists returning to the Tour are: Wesley Angel, Adrienne Blum, John Cummings, Joe Desousa, Peggy Eckel, Raquel Egosi, Marlow Gates, Barbara Hebert, Jean Hord, Cat Jarosz, Matt Jones, Kathy Mack, Patrick McDermott, Terri Owen, Cindy Parks, Suzanne Saunders, Nirado Sloan, Jennifer Sparks, Anita Walling, Doc Welty, Brad Worden, and Noel Yovovich. Twelve additional artists are new to the Tour this year: Sarah Bell, Kim Beller, Douglas Canivet, Beth Elliott, Brock Flamion, Judith Hallman, Julie & Tyrone Larson, Victoria Miceli, Gail Powell, Steve Schroeder, and Venessa Zadeh.
The Come to Leicester Studio Tour has for many years proven to be an enduring tradition, enjoyed equally by the artists and the community in which they live, work, and serve. Look for more information and regular updates on the Tour and the artists on our Website, Facebook, and Instagram.
