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It’s Tour weekend this Saturday (Nov. 18) and Sunday (Nov. 19, 2023)! We are busy in our studios happily getting things ready to welcome you in. Stop by any time from 10am-5pm to see all the artists in our home studios. There will be lots of new work out and also the work you already know us for. Start your holiday shopping early and buy local. We can’t wait to see you!
Download the brochure here, with all the artists listed, and a map to guide you through Portsmouth to all eight studios. Learn more about the artists using the Artist tab in the website menu at the top of this page.
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Mark your calendars for the 2023 Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour, coming up on Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19. This year’s tour features seven studios spread throughout Portsmouth hosting 15 different artists. Come and see the beautiful work on display and for sale just in time for the holidays. Download the brochure here and see the studio map here.
Comments Off on 2022 Tour runs this coming weekend!
In their 22nd year of offering visitors a glimpse into the lives and homes of artists, this is the ORIGNIAL artist studio tour on the Seacoast, showing the work of world class artists. They are opening their studios once again, being respectful of following Covid-19 best practices, to allow visitors to meet the artists, see artwork that is unparalleled, and perhaps even start a little holiday shopping.
“This tour has become one of the season’s traditions for artist and visitors alike and we expect to have a great turn-out at all our studios,” says Maureen Mills, potter and founding member of the Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour (PHAT). Featuring world class artists, PHAT offers a wide variety of work available for sale just in time for the holiday season. Including glass, clay, printmaking, jewelry, encaustic, collage and blacksmithing, this tour is sure to provide something of interest to everyone.
Since 2001 Seacoast based artists have prepared their home studios to throw open their doors the weekend before Thanksgiving inviting the public to learn, unearth hidden treasures, and buy direct from the maker. “Steve and I have done a number of other events and shows this year, and its clear visitors and guests are interested in meeting and supporting local arts and artists! Opening our studio for the community to learn more about what the PHAT artists do in our studios helps us build connections with our community while inviting them to continue to support local artists,” says Mills.
Always happening the weekend before Thanksgiving, this year’s upcoming Tour features seven in-person studios, with 15 participating artists. This is a real opportunity to learn about some of the artists and their work who may be your neighbors. Studios that are opening to the public may ask visitors to observe social distancing, limit numbers inside, and require masks to be worn. Visitors can consult the PHAT website for links to individual artist studios and their guidelines. Artists featured on the tour include Steven Zoldak, Maureen Mills, Karen Orsillo, Nancy Kanner, Emma Ashby, Dyanna Smith, Lisa Grey, Peter Happny, Susan Bates, Annie Littlefield, Bill Clarke, Lucy Clarke, Kristina Logan, Reg Logan, and Sophia Logan-Barré.
“One of the reasons people enjoy the Tour so much, and come back year after year, is they’ll see familiar artists,” Lisa Grey, print and textile collage artist says. “I also think the variety of medium, style and price range has kept people interested.” This event is self-guided and individually paced. You can spend a day or the whole weekend taking in what each studio has to offer and talking individually with the artists.
The Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour is grateful to community sponsors Piscataqua Savings Bank located at 15 Pleasant St. and Alie’s Jewelers, located at 1 Market St., who hosts a window display in their Daniel St window starting in early November to give passers-by a sampling of the Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour. The window displays are thoughtfully designed to showcase many of the participating artists.
Art is a special, thoughtful, quality gift for any holiday or celebration. Each piece by participating artists is one-of-a-kind and is heirloom quality – a gift that can be handed down from generation to generation. Making a connection with the artist brings the story behind each piece to life. Open studio visits afford time to discuss a gift with an artist who will help you make the right choice for its recipient. And while you can certainly start your holiday shopping on this tour, it is a low-key atmosphere that welcomes browsing, watching a demonstration, or just visiting too.
Stay tuned to the website for information and updates on the artists and their studios or to download the Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour map, and follow us on Facebook!
Comments Off on 2022 Brochure is here!
We are all looking forward to meeting in person this November for the 22nd annual Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour. You can find the new brochure posted here. The Tour always takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving, which falls on the weekend of November 19-20 this year. 
Explore our website to find out which artists are participating, what demonstrations are taking place in the studios, and a map for finding your way through the driving route to all seven studios. See you in November!
Comments Off on 2017 Brochure and Tour Map
The 2017 Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour runs from Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19. Mark your calendars and plan for a weekend in Portsmouth, NH to jump start your holidays!
Download the new brochure here.
Comments Off on Arts Tour This Weekend!
The time has come – this weekend is the 16th Annual Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour.
Explore the work of 14 of the Seacoast’s most talented artists during the original Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour. The Tour takes place every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year falls on November 18-20.
Artists on this free, self-guided tour continue to open their studios without an admission charge. Visit home studios to see new work, watch demonstrations and get a jump on your holiday shopping.
New to the Tour this year is oil painter Cheri Dennett. Cheri is a contemporary realist whose work spans a variety of subjects. Find Cheri’s home studio in Studio 5 on Lincoln Avenue.
The Tour is a great way to spend a few hours, the day, or the weekend exploring and supporting the work of these local artists who are sharing home studios with the community.
Artists reveal their work on Friday, November 18 from 5-8pm. The Tour continues during the day on Saturday, November 19 from 10am-5pm and Sunday, November 20 from 10am-5pm.
Download a Tour map or follow the route on google maps. Signs will be posted at each studio with numbers and balloons to help navigate the driving loop.