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Annual Rappahannock artists' tour set for Nov. 1 and 2
The fourth annual Artists of Rappahannock Studio and Gallery Tour next month will feature more than 50 new and returning Rappahannock artists for a perfect fall weekend of art appreciation and adventure.A donation of $10 per person is asked and the tour will be held rain or shine on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 beginning at the Fire Hall in the Town of Washington.
“Support of the tour by the Rappahannock community is the strongest ever,” said Claudia Mitchell, president of the Rappahannock Association for the Arts & the Community (RAAC), which hosts the tour each year. More than 35 businesses, organizations and local residents have committed their financial support as patrons, friends and sponsors of the two-day art tour that attracts well over 1,000 attendees each year.
Tour supporters contributing at the Patrons level ($500 and above) are also founding members of the Rappahannock Arts Fund. Patrons include R.H. Ballard Art, Rug & Home, Michelle Benecke – Century 21 Redwood Realty, The Chateauville Foundation, Flavor Magazine, Gay Street Inn, LLC, The Piedmont Virginian and The Washington Hospitality & Visitors Association.
Tour supporters at the Friends level ($250) include Linda and Bill Dietel, Christopher A. Goodine Designs in Gold & Silver, Benita and Geoff Gowen, Claudia Mitchell, Stonewall Abbey Cafe, Roy Wheeler Realty and Cheri and Martin Woodard.
Tour-goers come from Northern Virginia, the Piedmont region and Greater Washington areas as well as from within the county.
“The Rappahannock Artists Tour draws from outside the county probably more than any other event during the year,” Mitchell said. “The tour is a perfect opportunity for our businesses to present their best to a broad audience who are likely to return to Rappahannock County to experience its hospitality again and again. Not only do our talented artists benefit from the exposure to new audiences, but our shops, wineries, restaurants and inns may potentially reap the rewards as well. This is the perfect weekend to roll out that red carpet as the visitors explore our villages and scenic byways on their way to galleries and studios.”
Joanne Hilty, co-chair and member of the RAAC board, along with co-chair and artist Cory Caulfield, begin planning the annual tour with their volunteer committee as soon as the current tour closes. The committee, including artists Kevin Adams, Jeanne Drevas and Nancy Keyser, and Web master Kathy Poush, meets regularly beginning in February. Artists' applications are due by June and artists applying to host an open studio are visited and juried in order to qualify for participation. Poush creates a dynamic presence for the tour on the www.RAAC.org Web site. Publicity co-chairs Laura Overstreet and Betsy Hille buy advertising and get editorial coverage in regional media outlets. Hille also works with Mitchell on tour sponsorships, which offset the costs of producing the event.
The community gets involved in other ways. Postcards promoting the event are sent to customer databases by local artists and galleries, as well as by local inns and B&B’s. Volunteers distribute and hang posters throughout the county, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. During the Artists Tour weekend, local restaurants and community organizations offer special lunch events. A food court with sandwiches, soup and drinks will be offered outside the Washington Fire Hall headquarters. Local restaurants and specialty food businesses in Sperryville will host a food court on the grounds of The Link community center, selling barbecue and other lunch items.
And what do attendees experience on the weekend of the tour? As they arrive, volunteer docents present guests with a map of Rappahannock County that indicates the location of participating studios and galleries. The Fire Hall is dressed as an art gallery, with samples of original art by each participating artist—all for sale. The gallery offers the opportunity for the tour-goer to select types of art of particular interest and to plan the day’s adventure exploring the participating artist studios throughout the picturesque countryside of Rappahannock County.
The visitor may find not only that perfect piece of art that resonates within to take home, but a new destination with friendly people and wonderful experiences that resonates as well – and is, as we all know who live here in Rappahannock County – nature’s own masterpiece of art. For more information, visit www.RAAC.org.
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