Anticipating the 10th Annual South Orange and Maplewood Artists Studio Tour: the Art Adventure for all ages

The 10^th Annual South Orange and Maplewood Artists Studio Tour will held be on Sunday, June 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. taking place throughout South Orange and Maplewood. The Tour is free, and will include over 60 artists’ studios, galleries and group exhibitions.

Participating artists will be at their studios or local exhibition spaces to discuss their work. Selected works will also be available for purchase. The event is self-guided, allowing people to set their own pace and choose select locations to visit. An interactive map is available on the Studio Tour’s website at www.studiotoursoma.org, for those who want to plan ahead. In addition to the Tour itself, there will be various pre and post events and activities for participants of all ages.

Collectively opening on May 9, local businesses in South Orange will host art exhibitions featuring artwork by participating Studio Tour artists for a new project entitled, “ABC = Art & Business Connection.” Participating businesses include: Gutten Parts at 213 Valley St, (1st Fl) hosting sculpture and paintings by Russell Christian; Spark House Studio at 15 Scotland Rd displaying photographs by Steve Vaccarielo; and Robyn Ross at 67 South Orange Ave exhibiting collages by Luis Alves. All exhibitions will be open through June 2, and more hosting businesses may still be added. Updates will be available on the Studio Tour website.

There will also be a Signs of Spring Butterfly Scavenger Hunt for which Rebel Yarns, an artist group, with the help of Seth Boyden Elementary students will crochet orange butterflies and hang them up around town and in local businesses. These orange butterflies will be ready for discovery on May 9^th, participation rules and updates can be found on the Studio Tour website. Prizes will be given to the winners at the Studio Tour after party, which will take place at South Orange Performing Arts Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  A cash bar and light refreshments will be available for the party attendees. All are welcome to attend.

Finally, the Pierro Gallery of South Orange will present “SOMA: Engaging Art”, an exhibition that features selected works by Tour artists that are interactive with an audience. The exhibition will include a special project entitled, “TEN: The Soul of SOMA,” a collaborative work of art created by local artists to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Tour. The exhibition’s purpose is to celebrate the artists, as well as the creative community of South Orange and Maplewood that has grown in the Arts during the last 10 years of the Tour. The exhibition will be open to the public from May 23 until June 23.

For information and updates about the Tour, activities and events, to meet the artists, and to plan the trip, please visit www.studiotoursoma.org. Information will also be available at www.thebaird.org.

The South Orange and Maplewood Artist Studio Tour is one of the most important and renowned art celebrations in the northeast. For 10 years, the Tour has drawn art lovers from all over the Metropolitan area, featuring painters, photographers, sculptors, ceramicists, jewelers, craftspeople and multimedia artists. The Tour allows individuals and families of all ages to take on an art adventure unlike any other, celebrating a diversity of art and culture that ties the South Orange and Maplewood communities together.