​Steve Aitchison
130 S. Sheldon Ave., Suite 110, Ames
Pit Fired and High Fired Porcelain
 
 
While some artists prefer to let their work transform as they go, others like Steve Aitchison, envision exactly what they want from the get-go and make it a reality.
 
Steve specializes in pit fired and high-fired porcelain pottery. His “Cloud Vessels” are formed on the potter’s wheel then fired in an outdoor kiln using several organic ingredients. Thanks to this natural process, the clay captures the flow of the fire, which produces unique surface effects. 
 
Steve mixes all of his clay in house. Pit fired ceramics requires careful calculation and modification of the mixture’s formula for the best results in each series.
 
“I believe we create in response to the seasons of our lives. In my world every studio session is an adventure in creation. The imagery of the current work is crafted by fire. I find it has a confident and contemplative presence layered with subtle complexity.”
 
Be sure to check out Steve’s work and his outdoor kiln during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m).

​Jennifer Drinkwater
2231 Storm St., Ames, IA 50014
 
Email: [email protected]
            [email protected]
Phone: (515) 708-2825
Website: http://jenniferdrinkwater.com/home.html
 
In a cozy studio above her home’s garage is the workplace of painter, Jennifer Drinkwater.
 
At a young age, Drinkwater became interested in art. She was always drawing as a child and when she reached middle school her art teacher encouraged her to try watercolor painting.
 
In high school, she continued to take painting classes and realized that she wanted to pursue art as a career.
 
In 2001, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and in 2007 she continued her education by receiving a Master of Arts from East Carolina University.
 
After graduation she moved to Ames to take a teaching job at Iowa State University, where she currently works as a painting professor and the community art specialist.
 
When she is not teaching, Drinkwater is in her studio painting and experimenting with other art forms. She is currently working on cross-stitching a set of six Time Magazine covers and six People Magazine covers that were all released on the same day in different years.
 
You can check out her work online at http://jenniferdrinkwater.com/home.html or by visiting her studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Drinkwater will be in her studio showing off her work and answering questions.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.
 

​Design On Main
203 Main St., Ames, IA 50010
Phone: (515) 708-2825
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designonmainia/

Located in a former antique mall in the basement and first floor of a Main Street building is now Design on Main.

In 2012, a group of faculty members from Iowa State University’s College of Design came together to open a graduate studio space for their students. At the time, the attached gallery was intended for student exhibitions. However, with no staff assigned to the space, the frequency of exhibits became unorganized. 

In 2014, former graduate student, Lyndsay Nissen, approached the College of Design with a tentative exhibition schedule and an offer to coordinate the space. Her goal was to use Design on Main as a bridge between the College of Design and the Ames community. After Nissen graduated in May 2014, Jennifer Drinkwater, community art specialist for the College of Design, took over coordination of the space. With the help of Drinkwater and a few student interns, Design on Main is now an organized exhibit space that continuously shows off artwork from local artists, students and even non-profit organizations.

The current exhibit showcases kids’ artwork and adult photography from Global Arts Therapy, a Des Moines non-profit that offers free art classes and supplies to underprivileged families and youth in the U.S. and Nepal. 

You can check out Design on Main online at www.facebook.com/designonmainia/ or by visiting the studio Thursday through Saturday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Design on Main will also be participating in the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Come see the current exhibit!

For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

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​Molly Nagel
Upper Story Studio
518 Broad St. Suite #3
Story City, IA 50248
 
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (319) 360-3273
Personal Website: http://nagelmolly.wix.com/mollynagelart
Studio Website: http://upperstorystudio.wix.com/upperstorystudio
 
Located in a former storage space on the second floor of a historic building in Story City, Iowa, Upper Story Studio is now the workplace of artist, Molly Nagel.
 
After finishing her Master of Fine Arts at Iowa State University in 2013, Nagel decided to open up her own studio that would also function as a teaching space for the community. Upper Story Studio classes are taught by Nagel and are available for many artistic levels in the areas of painting, drawing, illustration and mixed media.
 
When she is not teaching classes, Nagel spends her time working on her paintings and sculpture. She believes that there is a deep spiritual connection between humans and animals, so the majority of her artwork explores themes of nature and animals.
 
You can check out her work at http://nagelmolly.wix.com/mollynagelart or by contacting her directly at [email protected]. She welcomes visits to her studio Monday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You can also check out her class schedule at http://upperstorystudio.wix.com/upperstorystudio#!classes/cfvg.
 
Nagel will also be participating in the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). She will be in her studio showing off her work and giving demonstrations.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

KHOI Community Radio
410 Douglas Ave, Ames, IA
(515) 292-2878
www.khoifm.org/

​Community radio was originally started by the FCC as a way to regain local broadcasting, and it was established to be simply that: local. Because of this, many are entirely listener supported and generated with no advertising funds, including our own KHOI.

Founded with the vision to offer the best in arts, news, entertainment and music in the area, KHOI community radio’s mission says a lot about what they do as a station for Ames and surrounding areas, “Building community through communication.”

“We are connected to national network where we get some programming from other community stations, but most of the programming is generated locally,” said Thomas Beell, vice chair and secretary for KHOI. “And much of it is done live.”

The various community programs include local talk shows covering news issues, music shows, poetry slams and much more.
“Community radio is something special,” Beell said. “The goal is to regain local broadcasting, local people, local events.”

The station started recording humbly with just a table surrounded by drapes. Now, KHOI has a soundproof area in which Studio Tour participants will be able to experience radio by sitting in the studio to record their own station ID statement. An ID statement includes the station’s call letters, channel number and location.

And the best part about it? Anyone who wants their recorded ID to be aired can have it done so.

“This is community radio,” noted Beell. “Instead of having a professional radio station where you have the same professional voices, here you have everyday people, and it can often be quite charming.”

Make sure to check out KHOI during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.) and 11 (noon - 4 p.m.).

For more information on KHOI and to listen to online programs, please visit the website at khoifm.org.
​

Daniel Marks
2307 Timberland Rd., Ames
Acrylic Painting
www.danielmarksart.com
 
If you feel like Daniel Marks’ art really pops, that’s because it does— right off the canvas.
 
Daniel is a 1991 graduate of Columbia College, in Columbia Missouri. He was a dual major in drawing and painting and has been painting professionally for over 25 years.
 
The subjects painted by Daniel are varied, but some of the most popular are buildings. He feels that buildings are portraits of our urban and suburban landscapes and – despite being inanimate objects – contain endless personality, humor, and stories waiting to be told through his art.
 
Acrylics on canvas are Daniel’s media of choice, worked into a Van Gogh-esque style of swirling skies and exaggerated colors. He creates both two-dimensional and three-dimensional paintings. The three-dimensional works are constructed of materials including plastic, nylon, wire, Styrofoam, and aluminum in order for them to rise off the canvas, creating a uniquely animated viewing experience.
 
Daniel exhibits his work in both solo and group shows at various venues and private locations throughout the country.
 
Be sure to visit Daniel in his studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m). You can also view Daniel’s work or send him an email through his website at www.danielmarksart.com.

Letitia Kenemer / Assembled Art
226 Northbrook Circle, Ames
​Facebook link
Mixed Media, Jewelry & Accessories
      
 Broken doll parts, shells, old buttons and spools, oh my!
 
We’ve all heard the saying. “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Well, what the average person would see as disconnected artifacts and knick-knacks, assemblage artist, Letitia Kenemer, views as a sea of artistic treasures with endless possibility to create stunningly unique artwork.
           
 Letitia is always searching for and collecting small objects that have potential—a process that she feels is just as important to her as the final piece. Her artwork reinterprets these objects that others have discarded or forgotten, and gives them different meaning and new appreciation. She constantly moves around and rearranges the objects until she finally feels that they are in the right place.
           
When Letitia is not creating her signature assemblage pieces, she is working away at the Workspace in the Iowa State Memorial Union as the Workspace coordinator.
 
Be sure to pay Letitia and the other artists a visit during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m).

Barbara Walton
232 Main St., Ames, IA
Email: [email protected]
            [email protected]
Iowa State Phone: (515) 294-1046
 
Sitting at a small desk in her temporary Main Street studio, Barbara Walton, politely apologizes for the smoky odor drifting through the air.
 
On March 31, 2015 a fire broke out in the ceiling on the first floor of her studio’s building. Thankfully none of her paintings were ruined, but the adjustment of being in a new building has caused her to slow down on the work that brings joy to her life.
 
Art has always been a part of Walton’s life. Growing up in an artistic household as the youngest and only girl of five children, Walton quickly grew to like art.
 
She continued to practice painting throughout her young adult life. It wasn’t until after having kids, however, that she decided to turn her hobby into a career.
 
With two kids in high school, Walton went back to school to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Iowa State University. After graduating in 1991, she continued her education and received a Master of Arts from Iowa State and a Master of Fine Arts from Drake University.
 
In 2002, Walton became interested in encaustic painting after attending a workshop in Santa Fe, N.M. Encaustic painting is a form of art that uses liquid beeswax. When the pigmented wax is in its molten state, it can be transferred onto a surface with a brush.
 
Walton currently spends her days creating encaustic and oil paintings in her studio. She is also a drawing and painting professor at Iowa State.
 
You can check out her work by contacting her directly at [email protected] or by visiting her studio during the Ames Area Studio Tour on Oct. 10 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) and 11 (noon-4 p.m.). Walton will be in her studio showing off her work and doing encaustic painting demonstrations.
 
For more information about the Ames Area Studio Tour please visit http://www.amesart.org/ames-area-studio-tour.html.

The Workspace at the ISU Memorial Union
2229 Lincoln Way, Ames
Located in the east basement
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (515) 294-0970
 
Iowa State University’s campus is filled with hidden treasures, and The Workspace at the ISU Memorial Union is no exception. Nestled in the basement of the Memorial Union, The Workspace may not be easy to find, but it’s well worth the hunt. If you’ve ever been curious about starting a craft or learning a new hobby, but were unsure how to start, then The Workspace is for you! The Workspace offers a great studio space as well as classes and crafting activities.
 
Classes offered at The Workspace range from painting and drawing to woodworking, metalsmithing, and more. If you don’t have enough time to learn a whole new trade, participate in some walk-in crafts, one-night workshops, or Paint Your Own Pottery for a shorter getaway!
 
If you prefer to work independently, The Workspace also offers one day or semester passes, as well as five-day punch cards. Information on classes, activities, and passes is available on The Workspace’s website (http://www.sac.iastate.edu/en/arts_entertainment/workspace/). You can also contact The Workspace by phone, (515) 294-0970, or by email at [email protected].
 
Be sure to visit The Workspace at the ISU Memorial Union for free during the Ames Area Studio Tour Oct. 10 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Oct. 11 (noon – 4 p.m).

​
Follow these signs to The Workspace!