The seed originated with  Evelyn Saxby.  As a local fabric artisan, Ev had not been successful in joining existing studio tours and decided that it was time that the eastern side of the county had their own tour.Elva Bates picked up the seed and ran with it as Founding Chair.

With the help of Jack Linkert, Sabina Lohrbach and a handful of local artists the seed began to germinate.  Joanne Walsh wrote an article in the Loop Communicator in July 2002, and it poked its first shoots out of the ground when five local artists called Elva in August 2002 to discuss the possibilities.

The idea was then cultivated during the next several months by studying how other tours operated, drawing in more of our local artists and setting up an administrative structure.  There was a lot of hard work to be done before the tour could become a reality.

It finally blossomed on August 9th and 10th of 2003.  This area is unique; each of the artists featured in our tour is unique: their work is professional, diversified and affordable.

Over the years the membership has varied with the addition of new artists showing a variety of media and continues to enjoy the addition of a variety of people that come and go with time.

We are always open to new members and look forward to our 21st annual tour. Come, take the Tour for a rewarding experience.