The 2012 Helena Area Open Studios Tour was expanded to two days, Saturday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23 to:

-  Accommodate the growing number of participating Tour artists;

-  Give the public more opportunities to tour the studios; 

-  Allow the participating Tour artists an opportunity to visit some of the other Tour artists’ studios.  

Artists demonstrated their work at 19 locations as they created jewelry, beads, fiber arts, painting, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, log furniture, talc-carvings, stoneware artifacts, and more.  A special children’s activity was also included in conjunction with the Tour.

This year’s featured artists included:

Ceramics - Lisa Ernst, Jim Gilman, Page Kelly, Jeremy McFarlane, Emily Free Wilson;

Fabric Arts - Andrea Atwood, Jennifer Pryor;

Jewelry - Charla Cullen, Allison Flynn, Sandy Shull;

Painters -Sally Angove, Louis Archambault, Marcy Bergmann, Carol Christensen, Kathryn Fehlig, Jim Howard, Susanna Nadia, Sheri Nagy, Cindy Rose, Jim Stevens;

Photographers - Conrad Flynn, Paul Pacini, Linda Roberts; 

Sculptors - Chip Clawson, Tim Holmes, Lyle Schwabauer;

Printmakers - Vivian Hayes, Carol Montgomery, Phoebe Toland;

Other artistic mediums - Jacque Duxbury, Jo Lee Hawkins, Shellie Lee, Steve Palmer, Jennifer Pryor, Eli Smith, Chloe Young.    

"Community Pulse" with Brian Lamoure and HPAC chair Vivian Hayes and HPAC member Jim Gilman

Video courtesy of HCTV 

Congratulations to the following Tour ticket winners who received these special gift certificates: 

• Benny's - Gary Duff
• On Broadway - Susan Brunner
• Silver Star Steak House - Ann Wilsnack
• Toi's Thai - Don Wight
• Holter Museum one year membership - Sue Brookie
• Ukrainian egg by artist Jo Lee Hawkins - Lauren Murphy

An optional "Paint A Tile" project, open to all ages, was available at Free Ceramics where visitors could paint two tiles - one for the studio and one to take home. 

A special children’s activity was also included in conjunction with the Tour.  Free Ceramics' Clay Club program offered hands-on playing with clay.  Children could be dropped off between 12 and 5pm Saturday or Sunday, and they got to make pots, sculpt animals, and got their hands dirty throwing on a wheel. 

Hope you enjoy the photos from the 2012 Helena Area Open Studios Tour!