The Artists of Elk Run are opening their doors this weekend, offering an opportunity to peer inside their studios, learn more about how they work and talk with them one-on-one.
The nine studios that will be open this Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 7-8) as part of the Artists of Elk Run are all based in Canmore’s Elk Run district and offer ceramics, stone carving, printmaking, glass, sculpture and jewelry.
Stone carver Peig Abbott said the 10 members in the collective (painter Liz Wiltzen will not have her studio open this weekend) began working together over a year ago to help raise their profile.
Before joining forces, the Artists of Elk Run were all trying to solve the same problem: how to get people through their doors given that they work out of a relatively isolated area of town.
“We were all striving independently to see the same outcome, trying to raise our profile as individual artists and bring people through the doors; why not join forces? We’ve become a really creative strength of artists,” she said.
“We wanted Canmore and the Bow Valley and also folks from Calgary and beyond to know there is a community of artists on the other side of Canmore, so we’re really working hard to bring people outside the downtown core to explore the artists of Elk Run.
“Hosting an open house allows people to watch us work, to engage with the artists because they may not necessarily be able to engage with us on a regular basis.”
Abbott said her foot traffic tripled in a year since producing a brochure and holding their first studio tour last year.
“Hosting an open house specific to the artists of Elk Run has been amazing to generate a worthwhile (event) to get people out to explore the area,” she said.
The tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Tour brochures can be found at each of the participating studios, Canmore Kananaskis Tourism and online at Facebook.
Each studio will also sport the group’s logo: a running elk on an orange sign.
As the artist’s life is often a solitary one, Abbott said opening her studio offers an opportunity to connect with the public and draw inspiration from their enthusiasm and interest.
“It almost becomes a reciprocal engagement, where their interest and enthusiasm empowers me to want to create,” she said, adding it’s a process of sharing.
The Elk Run Artists sharing their studios during the weekend tour are Of Cabbages and Kings Pottery, Tony Bloom Studios, Rudi Peet Goldsmith, Peig Abbott Sculpture, Rayne Maker Pottery, Fireweed Glass Studio, Sunny Raven Studio, Barb Fyvie Studio and Linda Cote Studio.
For more information go to artistsofelkrun.com or Artists of Elk Run on Facebook.
