Thank you to all who attended the
2025 Ames Artists' Studio Tour
2025 Ames Artists' Studio Tour
Saturday, October 11 [10 a.m. - 4 p.m.]
Sunday, October 12 [noon - 4 p.m.]
Sunday, October 12 [noon - 4 p.m.]
The Studio Tour is FREE and open to everyone!
2025 Ames Artists' Studio Tour Information
Click the following links, or scroll down for more information!
Meet the Artists Studio Tour Maps Studio Tour Headquarters FAQ
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 2025 Ames Artists’ Studio Tour, presented by the Ames Community Arts Council, will be held
on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12, 2025. During this FREE, self-guided tour, patrons are able to choose to visit any number of the participating studios and discover the original art – paintings, sculptures, writing, ceramics, glass blowing, woodworking, and more – created by Ames area artists in their studios and workspaces. Patrons can visit the artists in any order they please and can find artist info & and an interactive map of the locations on this website! |
Ames Writers Collective
Fifth Street Writers 612 5th St, Ames Writing & Spoken Word SATURDAY ONLY Designed to serve as a hub for writers, Fifth Street Writers provides a quiet and inspiring environment for writing while also offering a range of programs, classes, and special events tailored to writers of all ages and experience levels. This new space furthers our mission to create healthy communities through the art of writing, while also supporting writers in the region. During this event, we will offer a space to create poetry postcard collages and conduct generative writing sessions, referred to as "Tumbling Words Wild Writing Practice." Visit Ames Writers Collective online: www.ameswriterscollective.org |
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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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Ciccotti Art Glass
2306 258th St, Ames (Napier) Glassblowing 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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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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KHOI Community Radio
622 Douglas Ave, Ames Live and Prerecorded Radio, Music, & Talk Shows Visit KHOI to record a testimonial and check out the studio space! 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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Nathan Moore
Nathan & Clay 130 S. Sheldon Ave, Suite 102, Ames Ceramics Nathan Moore is a ceramic artist and teacher. "Born in the Midwest, my journey as a ceramic artist started at a small liberal arts college nestled in the northeast corner of Iowa. There, I became increasingly interested in clay and its power to connect people to each other and art. Through an early obsession with minimalism and the combination of clay and simple design, my work places the importance of form at the forefront and is guided by the principle that 'less is more.'" Nathan's studio is located in Ames, IA and offers portable pottery workshops, in-studio lessons and handmade ceramics. During the tour, he'll be working in his studio and providing demonstrations of wheel throwing. Visit Nathan & Clay online: www.nathanandclay.com |
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Jack Oliver
2550 Meadow Glen Rd, Ames Painting & Sculpture Jack Oliver started painting while working in Motion Picture Advertising in Hollywood, California in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While he mostly paints on canvas in primary colors, which is his favorite medium, he also enjoys creating sculptures using found objects. Jack describes his style as pop, contemporary, and modern and notes that his studio is very colorful! |
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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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Robert Sunderman
Sunderman Enterprises Fine Art & Design 2600 Tullamore Lane, Ames Sculpture, painting, drawing, & photography Robert Sunderman is a multi disciplined artist who works in sculpture, paintings, drawing, & photography using many different mediums. He's additionally a freelance scenic designer for theatre and TV. In his own words... I have been a painter/drawer at heart for as long as I can remember. I primarily have painted in oils but have been recently using other media too. I have also incorporated painting and drawing in my 3D work. Most of my painting is about the movement of paint and how it feels. It is expressive and impressionistic in style. I have painted plein air, from photos, and memory. I love the feel of quality oil paint and prisma colored pencils. I recently have been working on a new series of tree drawings that are inspired by the way the tree structure moves through space. They are raw and direct. My sculpture pieces are metal and assemblages using found materials, natural objects and various paint mediums to tell stories that are personal or contemporary to our society. The intent is to create a feel of the past or a relic, but that has a message for our current society. I have been working on four main series of work: Tree Series, Shattered Glass Series, Reliquary Series, and Swirl Tree/Fire Series. Each is related but have their own distinct quality and theme. This artwork has layered meaning both personal and in a broader context with issues of our society in the present. Time moves so fast that we rarely take time to notice a single beautiful moment. I have been achieving my photo artwork by using my cell phone camera under certain types of light and contrasts. I then bring out the true feeling and meaning through photoshop. I want to preserve the pure glimpse of time on the move. I have also been incorporating my photos in my reliquary sculpture work. Visit Robert Sunderman online: www.robertsunderman.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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Worldly Goods
223 Main St, Ames Handmade upcycled products, greeting cards, soapstone products, jewelry Worldly Goods showcases the work of artisans from over 50 countries worldwide. The items for sale are handmade and upcycled, made from materials such as sarees, oil drums, candy wrappers, recycled bike chains, and more. We believe that consumers should remember the people who made their goods. Through Fair Trade, there is a positive and direct relationship with the producers. Visit Worldly Goods online: www.worldlygoods.org |
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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] or jump over to the contact page. We can't wait to see you on the Studio Tour!
