2023 Ames Artists' Studio Tour
Saturday, September 30 [10 a.m. - 4 p.m.]
Sunday, October 1 [noon - 4 p.m.]
Applications are due on Friday, June 2. Thank you!
Thank you for joining us in 2022! See details from last year's Studio Tour below!
2022 Ames Artists' Studio Tour Historical Information
Click the following links, or scroll down for more information!
Meet the Artists Studio Tour Maps Studio Tour Headquarters FAQ
2022 Ames Artists' Studio Tour Historical Information
Click the following links, or scroll down for more information!
Meet the Artists Studio Tour Maps Studio Tour Headquarters FAQ
Visit our Facebook page and Instagram for additional information, updates, and more photos!
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The 2022 Ames Artists’ Studio Tour, presented by the Ames Community Arts Council, was held on
Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2. During the free, self-guided tour, patrons were able to choose to visit any number of the eighteen (18) participating studios and discover the original art – paintings, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, and more – created by Ames area artists in their studios and workspaces. Patrons could visit the artists in any order they pleased and could find artist info and an interactive map of locations via this website. |
Creative Artists’ Studio of Ames (CASA)
130 S. Sheldon Ave, Suite 101, 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: sites.google.com/view/creativeartistsofames 
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Jennifer Drinkwater The What's Good Project 312 1/2 Main St., 2nd Floor, North Suite 201, Ames Painting 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.whatsgoodproject.com |
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Naomi Friend Naomi Friend Studio 16117 550th Ave., Story City Cyanotype and Illustration Naomi Friend is a professional artist in Central Iowa. She makes art about the land and life based on farming, or "agrarian" art. She is most interested in the intersection of wild, urban, and rural environments and the work of humans as caretakers of creation. Her work has been shown in solo shows in Iowa, California, and Nebraska, and other group shows. It is recognized in local radio, newspaper, published in Diffusion magazine, and resides in public and private art collections. It has received awards in national juried art exhibits. She exhibits in a variety outdoor public art events including the Des Moines Arts Festival. She earned a Masters of Fine Art in Integrated Visual Arts at Iowa State University in 2013 and grew up in the community of Sioux Center, Iowa. Her undergraduate degree is from Dordt College where she studied fine art and graphic design. Naomi worked for three years at the Octagon Center for the Arts as the Exhibits Director. Naomi operates a small 3 acre farm, Friends Flowers, where she grows flowers for local markets. Her series of vinyl art sticker illustrations featuring Iowa State Parks can be found in retail locations across the state and her Etsy shop. Visit Naomi Friend online: www.naomifriend.com |
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Gaffer's Guild
1202 Student Innovation Center 606 Bissell Rd, Iowa State University, Ames Artistic Glass Blowing The Gaffer's Guild is a student-operated glassblowing studio for hot glass work located at Iowa State University. They're a student club that serves primarily as a teaching studio. Members learn how to make solid as well as hollow (blown) pieces and work collaboratively to build hot-working and cold-working skills. During the Studio Tour, members of the Guild will demonstrate hot glass working by providing continuous demonstrations on both tour dates. The public is welcome to watch and engage by asking questions and taking photos/video. The Guild will provide safety glass for those needing them. Visitors are asked to wear closed-toe shoes if possible. Visit the Gaffer's Guild online: www.gaffer.stuorg.iastate.edu |
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Linda Hardie
Hardie Clay 5847 Arrasmith Trail, Ames Pottery Linda Hardie is a functional potter. Her work is strongly influenced by the variety of colors, shapes, and movement found in seeds, flowers, and leaves. She combines wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques to create very unique coffee mugs, butter dishes, bowls, jars, and much more. All of her pieces have textures juxtaposed with smooth surfaces by using both satin and glossy glazes to enhance these differences. Her studio is handicap accessible and very kid friendly. Hardie's studio tour will feature clay demonstrations on the potter's wheel and with hand-building. Participants will be invited to try their hand on the wheel as well. Both electric and kick wheels are available. Tours of the studio/kiln room and glaze room will also be provided. Visit Linda Hardie online: www.hardieclay.com |
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KHOI Community Radio
622 Douglas Ave, Ames Live and Prerecorded Radio, Music, and Talk Shows Our mission: To welcome all voices of our community, regardless of their perspectives, to freely discuss issues, nourish the spirit, and entertain. We will encourage community members to draw their own conclusions. Our vision: To embody the spirit of Central Iowa while connecting local communities. KHOI will foster local pride and respect between people. We will strengthen and enrich our democratic community life. We will encourage increased communication and understanding. Our goals:
Visit KHOI online: www.khoifm.org |
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Carrie Kimrey
1305 Roosevelt Ave, Ames Painting / Mixed Media / Furniture Carrie Kimrey works in acrylic, mixed media, and collage on canvas. She additionally restores and improves furniture, makes braided rugs and pretty little bells, and dabbles in watercolor. During the tour, Carrie will have a wide variety of active art projects available for discussion, and numerous pieces of furniture, paintings, and textiles, in various displays of completion, on display. Carrie has shared the following, about herself: Who I Was, What I Did: Teenage mom. Army veteran. High school dropout, college graduate. Marathoner, mountain climber. Animal lover. Storyteller, mischief maker. ER nurse, medic. Alcoholic, suicidal, hopeless, afraid. Who I Am, What I Do: Middle age, sober. A little hopeful, a lot of arthritis. Pretty funny (but it's a little dark!) Not rich in money. Wealthy in gratitude. Furniture restoration, Acrylic on canvas, mixed media, collage, follies and bells, monsters on landscapes, a few offensive words. Some history, some beauty, some funny! Helping people see that life is short, but you have to play the long game. Opening hearts to appreciate pranks, pretties, love, and letting things go as easily as they came. Art Education: Don't believe YouTube tutorials. No, you probably can't do it in an afternoon. |
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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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Timothy Pross
Pross Wildlife Art Ames Painting, Acrylic Since childhood, Timothy Pross has always been happiest when actively engaged in the exploration of nature. His intent as an artist is to take those experiences and feelings and strive to express them in all of his paintings. As an artist, Pross is constantly striving to refine his work down to just those elements needed to create a strong composition, operating on the concept that the more memorable works of art are achieved with the idea that “less is more.” Visit Timothy Pross online: www.prosswildlifeart.com |
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Kyle Renell Kyle Renell Arts 208 Fifth St., Unit 204, Ames Painting / Mixed Media Kyle describes her body of work as multi-faceted and concentrated in the following subject areas: interconnectedness of human beings; the human condition; and social issues, such as child abuse and human trafficking. The goal of her art is to educate the viewer about issues they may, or may not, be aware of. She states that her intention is not to force her own opinion upon others, but rather to make them stop and think about the issues and to develop their own opinions and conclusions. Kyle’s media is varied and dependent upon the subject matter and format. Her medium at the moment is acrylic painting and drawings on paper and she is currently working on two different series including a dreamwork analysis and also an abstract interpretations of mass shootings. Visit Kyle Renell online: www.kylerenell.com |
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Bill Rickard Prairie River Woodworking 328 S Hazel Ave, Ames Green Woodworking & Furniture 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. Visit Prairie Rivers Handcrafts on Facebook: www.facebook.com/prairieriverhandcrafts |
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Kristin M. Roach
138 Main St, Ames Interdisciplinary Works Kristin Roach is an artist, naturalist, and apothecary owner. Trained in painting with a history in craft & fibers, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her work. Kristin uses scientific data and cast-off materials to create drawings, paintings, and immersive installations about her backyard ecology. Kristin is best known for her monochromatic paintings of migratory birds on junk mail. Her art and zines are internationally exhibited and collected and her book, Mend it Better, has been published worldwide. Visit Kristin M. Roach online: www.kristinmroach.com |
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Duane Shinn
4807 Idaho Circle, Ames Painting - oil, watercolors, & acrylics Duane Shinn’s interest in art began at an early age. Recognition came early. When graduating from the University of Idaho, with a minor in fine arts, Shinn had multiple faculty members essentially tell him, “Never get too far from painting.” Shinn started to make painting his number one activity in 2015, setting up his studio and going to work on a daily basis. Thus far, Shinn estimates that 50 of his paintings are “wallhangers” in 35 different cities across the country, noting that he has not pursued “Fame and Fortune,” but rather “Fun and Friends,” making for a fun journey. Visit Duane Shinn online: www.rduaneshinn.com |
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Melissa Stenstrom 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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Melynda Van Zee Melynda Van Zee Studio 600 Meadow Circle, Huxley Painting SATURDAY ONLY Melynda Van Zee paints abstract acrylic paintings on canvas. She uses spiral imagery to express the deep inner work necessary to finding equilibrium and energy to pursue a creative life. During the tour, she will have her art business office and downstairs studio available for visitors to see. Melynda will additionally have a hands-on painting activity, allowing visitors the chance to create a painted art journal page with simple painting tools. Visit Melynda Van Zee online: www.melyndavanzee.com |
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Barbara Walton Holy Dog Studio 312 Main St, Ames Mixed Media / Painting Barbara Walton grew up one block away from the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. She is the youngest of 5 children and the first-born U.S. citizen of a German immigrant family. She does not recall a time when art was not a part of her life. Having dropped out of school after her first attempt at college to vagabond around Europe, it was later when she received a BFA (1991) and an MA (1993) from Iowa State University and an MFA from Drake University (1996). Mainly a painter, in 2002, she began experimenting with encaustic painting. Her work has been exhibited widely in juried national and international venues as well as solo and invitational exhibits. In 2011, she applied for and received an Iowa Arts Council Major Grant. Walton is an Associate Professor who has been teaching drawing and painting in the College of Design at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa since 1993. Visit Barbara Walton online: www.barbaraewalton.com |
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Linda Welch 305 S. Russell Ave., Ames Mixed Media Collage / Artists' Books Linda Welch’s background is in sculpture: ceramics, textile and concrete. Currently, her focus is creating artists’ books and mixed media collage. Linda’s method of working is process driven. Gathering raw material is as significant as the manipulation in determining a final composition. Listening to the interaction between colors, line and surface treatment will often dictate the direction a piece or a series will go. The work explores the delicate balance between hard edge and soft, chaos and control. Linda was born and raised in Ames, Iowa. After moving to California, she earned a B.F.A. in Ceramics from Long Beach State (1979) and an M.F.A. in Textile Design from UC Davis (1998). While pursuing an art career in Sacramento, she co-founded Exploding Head Gallery. Linda’s work can be found in private and public collections in the United States and overseas, including UCLA Fine Art Library and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Visit Linda Welch online: www.instagram.com/linda.welch.art |
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Valerie Williams
Daily Dish Pottery 5847 Arrasmith Trail, Ames Pottery SATURDAY ONLY Valerie specializes in bowls that are functional and light, graceful and very usable. She never liked stoneware - too heavy, and she didn't like the scratchy feeling of the fork on the matte glazes. So when Valerie started throwing clay, she knew she wanted thin walls on her pots and a very smooth glaze. But Valerie found an affinity for stoneware. She loves the malleability of the clay and the communication she feels with the material when she’s throwing. Valerie’s dishes are practical, because they are made the way she uses them. Her glazes are smooth to the touch, and the bowl, mug, and plate sizes are just right for serving, and for your snacks and meals. And they are pretty, because your eyes should be just as pleased as your fingers. Visit Valerie Williams online: www.dailydishpottery.com |
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Find the Studios - Interactive Map
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Find assistance, info, & more @ the Studio Tour Headquarters:
Little Woods: Herbs & Teas
136 Main St, Ames Got a question? Feeling a little lost? Just need a break? Please stop by our Studio Tour host and headquarters, Little Woods: Herbs & Teas. An artisan tea and spice shop, Little Woods is located in the heart of downtown Ames. Their tea and spice blends are a fusion of the co-owners passion for herbs & teas. Founded in 2013 by husband-wife team Kristin M Roach and Jason Shaw, Little Woods Herbal has grown from a small online botanical seller and farmer’s market stand to a brick and mortar apothecary style tea & spice shop. Throughout the Studio Tour, Little Woods staff and Arts Council volunteers will be ready to answer your questions and lend a helping hand. Visit 'Little Woods: Herbs & Teas' online: www.littlewoodsherbal.com |
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Studio Tour Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)*
Where is the Ames Artists' 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 ceramicist throws pottery on a wheel 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 info@amesart.org or jump over to the contact page. We can't wait to see you on the Studio Tour!
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 ceramicist throws pottery on a wheel 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 info@amesart.org or jump over to the contact page. We can't wait to see you on the Studio Tour!
