The 2018 Ames Area Studio Tour will be held
Saturday, October 6 - Sunday, October 7
2018 Call For Artists
Click Here for Application Information
Additional 2018 details coming soon!
Saturday, October 6 - Sunday, October 7
2018 Call For Artists
Click Here for Application Information
Additional 2018 details coming soon!
Click the following links, or scroll down for more information!
Meet the Artists Studio Tour Maps Studio Tour Headquarters FAQ
Meet the Artists Studio Tour Maps Studio Tour Headquarters FAQ
Visit our blog or Facebook page for additional information, updates, and more photos!
2017 Ames Area Studio Tour Brochure (PDF) | Static / Printable Map (jpeg) | CASA - Street Construction Access Map (PDF)
2017 Ames Area Studio Tour Brochure (PDF) | Static / Printable Map (jpeg) | CASA - Street Construction Access Map (PDF)
Meet the 2017 Artists
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Alexander Recording Kompany
622 Douglas Ave, Ames Music Recording Studio The Alexander Recording Kompany is a full-service recording studio in Ames that’s dedicated to providing the highest quality, professional recording, mixing, and mastering to musicians and businesses. Since opening their doors in 2009, they've had hundreds of satisfied clients, recorded a wide variety of genres, and amassed an impressive collection of professional, industry-standard gear. In October 2012 they purchased their current location on Douglas Avenue and spent 7 months renovating the location from the ground up to ensure excellent sound isolation, high-quality acoustics, and an aesthetic, comfortable atmosphere. From their over 500 sq. ft. live-recording room, to their sleek, professionally equipped control room, the visual and acoustic design of the studio has consistently wowed customers and guests from the moment they step through the door. Owner and engineer Dennis Haislip, and other members of the A.R.K. team, will be offering tours of the studio and sampling studio recordings throughout the Studio Tour. Visit the 'Alexander Recording Kompany' online: www.arkames.com |
Brainmill Maker Lab @ Reliable Street
4625 Reliable St, Ames Collective Space / Varied Works Reliable Street is a collective space in Ames that works across the disciplines of art, design, and business seeking to strengthen the connection between the public and place-making. Reliable Street encourages a working environment that is both interdependent and collaborative. The intention is to actively involve the public as both participant and collaborator in the on-going creation of the project. The concentration of Brainmill Maker Lab is on new media: film, sound, and technology. The lab is a combination of metal and woodworking tools, plus computer stations. Future plans include incorporation of new machines such as CNC and 3D printers. Visit 'Reliable Street' online: www.reliablestreet.com |
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Erin Carpenter
2901 Arbor St, Ames Pottery Erin grew up in the farmlands of Illinois, spending her non-school time exploring the fields, timber and creeks, accumulating scars in old barns, playing softball and swimming, fawning over spring kittens, and making home crafts including counted cross stitch, painting, and drawing. After graduating from Iowa State University with a bachelors in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Studies, Erin turned her focus to a new love—taekwondo. She currently co-instructs the APR Taekwondo program with her husband. She loves coaching the competition team and looks forward to the national championships every summer. Missing the creative process and reward of working with her hands, Erin went looking for a new artistic outlet and took a wheel-throwing workshop in the winter of 2012. Clay became an addiction, and she quit her day-job to be a full-time potter in 2015. Her current work is influenced by organic textures, art-deco/nouveau patterns, and gothic architecture. One line includes semi-functional, pierced fruit bowls and vases—these are useable, but extremely delicate and many hours are invested in each piece. The other line of work is similarly influenced, but has layers of surface decoration, notably mishima (underglaze inlay), water etching, and gold luster. Visit 'Erin Carpenter Pottery' online: www.erinpatricecarpenter.com |
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Ciccotti Art Glass
2306 258th St, Ames (Napier) Handblown Glass Art Ciccotti grew up in Southern California, married, and moved to Ames, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University and graduated as an Art and Design major with an emphasis in Art Education. While attending Iowa State, he became part of the glassblowing club, “The Gaffer's Guild.” There he learned the basics of glassblowing. In his own words... I am mostly self-taught as a glassblower. Over the years I have attended workshops around the U.S., learning techniques and honing the skills that fuel my passion for this ancient craft. My current designs have roots in Venetian glass working techniques. The use of a roll up of glass (tocar pierre) allows me to put together designs that can vary from the random composition of a Garden Walk Platter to a very controlled design using cane and murrine. Bright colors and curvilinear forms are the design elements I prefer to work with. I enjoy exploring new color combinations, shapes, and functionality. As my skill level increases so does the complexity of the designs and techniques. Making art is a passion for me. I blow glass because of the rush of seeing an object take shape from a white hot mass to a finished piece. After weeks of planning, sometimes months, the design comes together in a piece within a short period of time. It is intense! My objective is to produce a piece of work that not only is unique but that brings a sense of visual and tactile pleasure. The theme running through my work relates to the natural world—flowers, weather, animals. My intent is not to recreate these things exactly, but to make visual reference to them. These things have a natural beauty to which we can connect. Visit 'Ciccotti Art Glass' online: www.ciccottiartglass.com |
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Creative Artists’ Studio of Ames (CASA) 130 S. Sheldon Ave, Suite 107, Ames Clay, Fiber, Encaustics, Metal, Paper, Ink, & Watercolor CASA is a group of artists who work in clay, fiber, encaustics, metal, paper, ink, and watercolor. Mission: To provide space for artists to work, to learn, and to share their expertise with the public. Visit 'CASA' online: www.creativeartists.org 
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Design on Main 203 Main St, Ames An extension of Iowa State University's College of Design, Design on Main aims to share the artistic practice generated within the university with the larger community. It is our belief that conversation and collaboration can bolster Ames's vibrant culture. Our mission is to strengthen creative connections between Iowa State University and the Ames community through arts education and artist-led projects. During the Studio Tour visit the studio of Artist-in-Residence Catherine Reinhart and see the works of Mary Mello-Nee on display in the gallery. Visit 'Design on Main' online: www.facebook.com/designonmainia 
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Jennifer Drinkwater
2231 Storm St., Ames Painter Jennifer Drinkwater is an assistant professor with a joint appointment between the department of art and visual culture and Iowa State University extension and outreach. She has a B.A. in both studio art and anthropology from Tulane University and earned an M.F.A in painting from East Carolina University. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally in juried and group shows, and she has had solo exhibitions in Iowa, New York, Illinois, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, and Washington, DC. Her work has been featured in New American Paintings and Studio Visit magazine. Her personal work and teaching often explore how we bring artwork from the studio into the world, and accordingly, how this work can both build and shape community. During the past few years, she has partnered with communities in Iowa and Mississippi in various community art projects, programming, and theatre productions. She helped to organize a community-wide steamroll printmaking event in Perry, Iowa, created installations in restored prairies in Nebraska, collaborated on public art projects in vacant sites on Iowa main streets, spearheaded a community knit-bombing project, and painted two murals with middle school children on a juke joint in the Mississippi Delta. Visit 'Jennifer Drinkwater' online: www.jenniferdrinkwater.com |
Linda Hardie
5847 Arrasmith Trail, Ames Pottery Linda completed a Bachelor's of Fine Art from Alfred University, NY in 1990. After graduation, she moved to Pittsburgh, PA and worked for The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild as an "Artist in Education" for several years. During this time, she continued to develop her work and participated in gallery shows in the Pittsburgh area. In 1994, Linda pursued a career in Computer Science and completed a Master’s of Science at Indiana University. She then moved to Newport News, Virginia where she worked at Christopher Newport University in the Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering Department. She managed the department servers, labs, and taught undergraduate computer science courses. After working in the IT field for twenty years, Linda finally returned to the studio on a part-time basis. Last July, Linda’s family moved to Iowa and she made the decision to open her own studio as a full-time potter. Linda’s work is primarily functional. She starts with classic forms which are then altered with textures. These changes are sometimes slow and methodical and sometimes sudden and violent. After each alteration, the piece is reshaped from the inside to regain its volume while retaining the texture. My goal is to show how outside forces change the shape but these changes can add to the strength and beauty of the piece. Visit 'Linda Hardie' online: www.hardieclay.com |
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Greg Lamont - Northwood Clay Studio
CASA, 130 S. Sheldon Ave, Suite 101, Ames Functional Pottery My work references the Korean and Japanese folk pottery traditions and their influence on potterymaking in the last half-century. I make vessels that relate primarily to the preparation and serving of food and drink, and the beautification of one’s surroundings. My journey in pottery began in a ceramics class during my sophomore year in college in 1972. After college, I took the occasional pottery class and eventually became a “basement potter.” In 2001, I, along with a few other local artists, had the opportunity to establish an artists’ cooperative, Creative Artists’ Studios of Ames (CASA). So, while making pots is quiet and personal experience I want to be reflected in the pots themselves, I now am also a potter in a community of potters and artists working in a variety of media and working alongside both students and peers. It is now hard to imagine myself as a solitary potter. Every day I share resources, experience, and perspective with my fellow artists. As part of a university community I’ve been given many opportunities to teach students with diverse talents and backgrounds. Teaching has let me experiment with new ideas and perspectives, challenging myself at the same time as I challenge my students. Being a potter is a very balanced profession. As a potter I am a designer, a maker, a business owner, a laborer, a chemist, and a physicist. I love throwing, trimming, pulling handles, glazing and firing. And so… the journey begun forty years ago continues as I strive to create pottery that is fresh and alive in its form, color and surface, and performs its intended function well. I believe a substantial part of the beauty of handmade pottery lies in its use, and the pottery I create is intended to take an active part in one’s daily life. My wish is that you will incorporate my pottery as a part of your daily life and that you will sense the excitement and pleasure that I have enjoyed in making it. Visit 'Greg Lamont' online: www.lamontpottery.com |
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Daniel Marks
2307 Timberland Rd, Ames Acrylic Painting Dan received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College, Columbia Missouri in 1991, and majored in drawing and painting. He has been painting professionally for over 25 years. His inspiration for his paintings comes from the beauty of everyday life. He uses acrylic paint on canvas, exaggerating colors, and altering form to create animation and energy. Although, he enjoys painting many different things, buildings are a prevalent subject matter. They are portraits of our urban and suburban landscapes, with personalities, humor, mystery, and stories to tell. Dan’s work has been exhibited in solo and group shows, and juried exhibits including Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Perlow-Stevens Gallery, Columbia Missouri; Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri; The Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa; Memorial Union, Ames, Iowa, and The Octagon Center For the Arts, Ames, Iowa. Dan’s paintings are in permanent collections; Central Methodist University Ashby-Hodge permanent collection of American Fine Art, Fayette Missouri; Columbia College, Columbia Missouri, and in private collections throughout the country. Visit 'Daniel Marks' online: www.danielmarksart.com |
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Bill Rickard - Prairie Rivers Woodworking
328 S Hazel Ave, Ames Woodworking Woodworker Bill Rickard will be showing his work, including furniture, assembled art, and greenwood carvings, as well as providing demonstrations of traditional greenwood carving, such as for spoons and bowls, using hand tools including axes, adzes, knives, and other carving implements. |
Kristin Roach
136 Main St, Ames Interdisciplinary Works Kristin M. Roach creates interdisciplinary works inspired by scientific research, using remnant materials that explore how we, as a culture, are dealing with our own acquiesce. Roach’s art and zines are internationally exhibited and collected and her book, Mend it Better, has been published worldwide. She currently lives and works in Ames, Iowa running an apothecary with her partner Jason Shaw. Visit 'Kristin Roach' online: www.kristinmroach.com |
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Melissa Stenstrom Fine Jewelry
507 Main St, Suite 1, Ames Jewelry – silver, gold, gemstones & pearls Melissa Stenstrom Fine Jewelry is a creative endeavor headed up by Melissa Stenstrom with the help of her amazing family. Melissa studied art including jewelry making while at Iowa State University, but has attributed much of her knowledge to experience. Always up for a new challenge and new skills to master, Melissa is always studying and looking for the next jewelry adventure. "I make jewelry using silver, gold, gemstones, and pearls. I like working with a range of techniques such as anticlastic raising, forging, fabricating, casting, and engraving. I like to keep my work dynamic, so I look for new challenges and try to develop new skill sets. In addition, my own ideas, I also make custom work for a clientele interested in unique, personalized jewelry. Often, I work with recycled elements to make their pieces, such as metals or gemstones." Visit 'Melissa Stenstrom Jewelry' online: www.melissastenstrom.com |
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Barbara Walton
312 Main St, Ames Encaustic Painting Encaustic painting is the vehicle that I use to express what I have experienced. The expression of nature as the subject is poetic and not a literal interpretation. The subjects exist within the ambiguity of space or circumstance. The intention is to evoke an inexpressible longing or memory. I grew up one block away from the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. I received a BFA (1991) and an MA (1993) from Iowa State University and an MFA from Drake University (1996). I have been teaching drawing and painting at Iowa State University since 1993. Mainly a painter, in 2002, I began experimenting with encaustic painting. Encaustic translates as, “to burn in.“ It is an ancient technique (approx. 500 A.D.), which predates oil painting. The traditional medium is molten beeswax, in which pigment has been added. The wax, in its molten state, is transferred with a brush, to the surface to be painted. It solidifies very quickly. My paintings have been exhibited widely in juried national and international venues as well as solo and invitational exhibits. Visit 'Barbara Walton' online: www.barbaraewalton.com |
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Find the Studios - Interactive Map
(click here for a static / printable studio tour map)
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Find assistance, info, & more @ the Studio Tour Headquarters:
Worldly Goods 223 Main St, Ames Got a question? Feeling a little lost? Just need a break? Please stop by our Studio Tour host, Worldly Goods. Worldly Goods is a fair trade non-profit gift store conveniently located at 223 Main Street. Andrea, her staff and volunteers are ready to answer your questions and give a helping hand. Feel free to browse around while you are there--there's plenty to see! Learn the stories behind the handcrafted home decor, apparel and accessories, musical instruments, card and books, and coffee, tea and food from artists around the world. 
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Studio Tour Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)*
Where is the Ames Area Studio Tour? How does this work?
The Studio Tour is does not have a single location--instead there are participating studios throughout the Ames area. You provide your own transportation, use the map and visit one or all the studios during the open hours. Take a peek at the life of an artist!
How much does it cost to visit the studios?
You are invited to make the rounds to as many studios as you like--all for free! Artists will have their work available for purchase, so you can take home a little bit of the Studio Tour.
What will I see on the Studio Tour?
Have you ever wondered how a radio program is recorded or how a hand blown vase is made? The artists of the Studio Tour are inviting you behind the scenes to experience live demonstrations, ask questions, and see how the work is done. Ask the artists about where they get their inspiration, how they learned their craft, what they love about their work, what frustrates them, what their average day looks like, what they do when they can't seem to create and so on.
Are children welcome?
This is a family friendly event and a wonderful opportunity for children to learn. Please remember these are working studios -- children must be closely supervised at all times and parents/guardians are responsible for their children's behavior.
Are the studios handicap accessible?
Unfortunately, many studios are in buildings with stairs. Handicap accessible locations are noted with a symbol on the map and
in the listed studio descriptions.
Other questions?
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or jump over to the contact page. We can't wait to see you on the Studio Tour!
Click here for the 2017 Ames Area Studio Tour Brochure (PDF)
The Studio Tour is does not have a single location--instead there are participating studios throughout the Ames area. You provide your own transportation, use the map and visit one or all the studios during the open hours. Take a peek at the life of an artist!
How much does it cost to visit the studios?
You are invited to make the rounds to as many studios as you like--all for free! Artists will have their work available for purchase, so you can take home a little bit of the Studio Tour.
What will I see on the Studio Tour?
Have you ever wondered how a radio program is recorded or how a hand blown vase is made? The artists of the Studio Tour are inviting you behind the scenes to experience live demonstrations, ask questions, and see how the work is done. Ask the artists about where they get their inspiration, how they learned their craft, what they love about their work, what frustrates them, what their average day looks like, what they do when they can't seem to create and so on.
Are children welcome?
This is a family friendly event and a wonderful opportunity for children to learn. Please remember these are working studios -- children must be closely supervised at all times and parents/guardians are responsible for their children's behavior.
Are the studios handicap accessible?
Unfortunately, many studios are in buildings with stairs. Handicap accessible locations are noted with a symbol on the map and
in the listed studio descriptions.
Other questions?
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or jump over to the contact page. We can't wait to see you on the Studio Tour!
Click here for the 2017 Ames Area Studio Tour Brochure (PDF)
