After being forced to hold virtual events last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bainbridge Island Summer Studio Tour will be held in person once again Aug. 13-15.
“I am hearing … about how happy people are to see the artists in person, which is one of the things we pride ourselves on,” said event manager Dinah Satterwhite, who also is showcasing her photography in the tour. “People really missed it last year.”
This will be the 21st annual Summer Studio Tour, featuring five studio locations where the work of 36 regional artists will be on display. Satterwhite said about half of the participants are BI artists.
“We do have five this year, three of them are brand new,” Satterwhite said about the studio locations. “Everyone loves going to someplace fresh. Just seeing what these artists are doing and what their space is like. It’s stuff that we might think we know about … until you really see it.”
The locations of each studio are Peaceful Spring Designs Studios on Flying Goat Avenue, Dancing Spirit Studio on Fletcher Bay Road, Sylvia Carlton’s Studio on Grow Avenue, Danis Morgan’s Studio also on Grow, and B. Home Art & Design on Madison Avenue. The specific address for each can be found at bistudiotour.com. Some regional musicians will be at some of the studios to add to the occasion.
The types of art on display will include jewelry, mixed media, pottery, wearables, watercolors, metal, garden art, oils, mosaics, acrylics, photography and glass. All items will be for sale. At each studio, there will be at least five artists showcasing their work. “We try to place them so there’s enough of a variety of stops that the customers find kind of intriguing,” Satterwhite said.
All 36 participants this year were selected through a juried process. One of the requirements is that the artists have to live on the west side of the Puget Sound because the Seattle area has so many similar events to offer, Satterwhite said.
For each studio tour, Satterwhite looks for three people in the community, preferably Bainbridge, who have a “very strong connection to visual art.” Throughout the years, jurors have been from the Museum of Art, Bainbridge Arts & Crafts, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge, among other local art organizations. She also tries to have at least one person who is an active artist that is not included in the tour or hasn’t been involved with the tour before.
“We do keep it anonymous in both directions,” Satterwhite said. “The artists don’t know who the jurors are, and the jurors do not see any names or business names on the items they are reviewing. They’re really just looking at the quality and craftsmanship. I try to make sure they’re from different backgrounds. Between those three people, they have to all agree on whether the person qualifies or not.”
Having participated in the art walk herself in June, Satterwhite said she was “very encouraged” about how many people came out. She expects similar interest from community members for the studio tour.
“I made a ton more sales than I thought I would have,” Satterwhite said about the art walk.
The BI Summer Studio Tour will take place Aug. 13 (Friday) and Aug. 14 (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The final day Aug. 15 (Sunday) will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is also a BI Winter Studio Tour set from Dec. 3-5.
