Toe River Arts Holiday Studio Tour

The tour includes more than 100 artists in a variety of media. Potters, painters, glassblowers, textile artists, jewelry makers, blacksmiths, sculptors, carvers and mixed-media artists throughout Yancey and Mitchell counties open their studios for the three-day weekend. Guests are invited to meet the artists, see where they create, learn more about their work and purchase items.

The studios are grouped into different geographical regions: Bakersville, Burnsville, Celo, Penland and Spruce Pine. As attendees travel from one studio to the next, they encounter area scenery and landmarks including downtown Burnsville’s Town Square, the Mount Mitchell Scenic Byway, the Quilt Trails of WNC and the organization’s namesake Toe River Valley. The renowned Penland School of Crafts attracts many artists to the area, but the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and small-town hospitality encourage them to stay.

“The tour helps us to communicate how much these artists contribute to the area,” Andrews says. “This is our opportunity to bring people into the area to experience the art on a personal level and support the artists by purchasing their work.”

Guidebooks with a list of participating artists, photos of each artist’s work and maps to the studios are available at the Toe River Arts Council galleries in Burnsville and Spruce Pine, participating studios and area businesses.