County-wide art tour aims to inspire

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On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11-12, 53 artists across Clark County will open their doors to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a free annual event — Clark County Open Studios, a program of the nonprofit organization Arts of Clark County.

Open Studios is a self-guided tour in which artists welcome visitors into their studios to share not only their works of art, but more importantly their processes of creation. A few of the 53 artists will share a space to make 50 total locations ranging north to Ridgefield, south to the Columbia River and east to Washougal. 

Now in its fifth year, Clark County Open Studios has featured over 130 artists. This year there are 29 new artists from 2016, 19 of which are completely brand new to the tour. 

“It keeps the tour fresh every time,” said Open Studios Director Jennifer Williams. “It’s never going to be exactly the same. It also shows how incredibly prolific the art community is here in Clark County.”

The Open Studios tour is not limited to particular styles of art. Organizers, for example, have grouped the artists into 14 different categories. Digital art, glass, painting, recycled art, sculpture and wood are among the categories.

“There’s a lot of diversity on the tour,” said Williams. “That’s part of the reason it’s so great. Visitors aren’t limited to certain types of art, but they can be if they want. You can focus in on what you’re interested in most.”

According to Williams, people interested in attending the tour should visit the event website, ccopenstudios.org. Every participating artist is listed on the website with details about them and maps showing where to locate their studio.

“All the info is there as a way for tour goers to take a look at everything and customize the route they want to take,” said Williams. “You’re not going to be able to get around to all 50 locations in the two days. We’ve had people try, but it’s too big. Going in with a plan is good.”

For those who want to go, but have no idea where to start, the website features a Google map with pins on each location and four different suggested routes to take based on sections of the county: East Vancouver/Camas/Washougal, downtown Vancouver, north Vancouver and North County (Battle Ground, Brush Prairie, Ridgefield).

According to Williams, a “tour favorite,” Ann Cavanaugh, will be available in Battle Ground near Lewisville Regional Park.



“She does glass art and has been part of the tour all five years it’s been going,” Williams said. “She constantly has one of the highest draws of people to her studio.”

Another exciting name on the tour is Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, whose studio is located in Camas and features paintings.

“She’s new to it this year and is very excited,” said Williams. 

Williams said a final way for visitors to prepare for the tour is by attending a preview exhibition at the CAVE in Vancouver Nov. 3 from 5-9 p.m. According to her, one piece of work from each of the 53 artists will be on display. Drinks and music will also be offered.

“It’s a way for people to see the work in person before decided how they want to structure their tour route,” Williams said.

Williams said although the tour is heavily attended every year, speaking with the artists isn’t difficult. 

“We tell the artists to have an assistant to answer the door and do other things so they can focus on communicating with visitors,” Williams said. “They’re able to get deep into sharing their processes, answering questions and giving demonstrations.”

Williams said Open Studios is all about “being in the artist’s space.”

“Really, it’s more about getting inspired and meeting the artists than it is seeing the finished products,” she said.