About the Tour
Who we are
A group of talented artisans in the scenic Ozark Mountains will welcome you into their private working studios for the 12th Annual Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour on September 13, 14 & 15, 2013. Their studios-often in or alongside their homes-will be open on Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and on Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
You will get a rare glimpse into the unique spaces where these artists create baskets, paintings, brooms, pottery, stained glass, turned wooden bowls, candles, weavings, photographs & more!
This free self guided driving tour showcases the creative artists in and around Mountain View, Calico Rock, Pineville, and Fox, Arkansas. All studios are located within 30 miles of the Historic Court House Square in Mountain View.
A little bit of history
The first “Off the Beaten Path” Studio Tour was held on September 17 – 19, 2002. There were 15 studios on the tour, all located within 30 miles of the Court Square in Mountain View. The tour was offered free of charge to the public then, and it still is today. It is funded by artists’ fees, the sponsorship of local businesses, and lots of volunteer labor!
Each year new artists have been added to the tour through a peer review process which considers the type and quality of work produced and the geographic location and accessibility of the artist’s studio. Eligible studios must be within 30 miles of the Court Square in Mountain View and are limited to artists who have private working studios.
An open studio tour such as this provides visitors a unique opportunity to connect with local artists and craftsmen in their working environments. It allows the visitor to see not only what the artists make but to see how their lives and working spaces reflect and influence their work.
The “Off the Beaten Path” Studio Tour showcases the creative artists in and around Mountain View and provides an opportunity for visitors to purchase work directly from these artists. When you choose to buy a handmade product, you are not only buying a unique piece of art but you are supporting Arkansas artists who make their living creating unique traditional and contemporary crafts with their own hands in their own studios in the beautiful Ozark mountains.
Some philosophy
“When you buy from an independent artist, you are buying more than just a painting. You are buying hundreds of hours of experimentation and thousands of failures. You are buying days, weeks, months, years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You aren’t just buying a thing, you are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a private moment in someone’s life. Most importantly, you are buying that artist more time to do something they are truly passionate about; something that makes all the above worth the fear and the doubt; something that puts the life into the living.”
— Rebekah Joy Plett
