A creative community: Sandia Heights Artists to kick off studio tour with August gallery preview

For over 20 years, the Sandia Heights has had a coalition of artists who join together to bond the community with art. From painting, fiber weaving, jewelry making and woodworking, the group combines their talents for their annual Sandia Heights Artists Studio Tour.

A creative community: Sandia Heights Artists to kick off studio tour with month-long gallery preview

The group is made of roughly 30 artists who all live in the Sandia Heights area. The group does allow guest artists to join studio tours and gallery showings based on the type of art they are missing from the group. Together, the group organizes a studio tour where participants can visit over 14 different studios located in the Heights. At each house, three to four artists will have a showing of their art, with a total of 43 artists displaying their art.

Typically, the group puts on an artist preview day, where the public can come into an art gallery and see some of the work the artists are contributing to the yearly studio tour. This year, The Gallery ABQ reached out to the group to help sponsor their upcoming event. Sandia Heights Artists decided they would rent out the Salon room of the gallery, a separate space for artists to exhibit their work, for one month to help promote their September studio tour.

“Usually we do a one-day preview that is several hours long, but a lot of the artists felt it should be longer,” said Kathleen McCaughey, treasurer for the Sandia Heights art group. “Having been an artist there (The Gallery Abq), I knew they had the Salon in the back. So I asked if they would be willing to host us for our month-long preview. It took as long to set up for the preview as it did for the actual show, and it is a huge effort to put together, so we decided to do a long preview. The artists are excited to have a month-long feature and this is a great partnership between us and the Gallery.”

McCaughey has helped the Sandia Heights group organize events for several years. As the previous president, current treasurer, a member of the publicity board and a contributor to the art tour, McCaughey has a lot of experience working for the group. This year, she feels the preview will help get visitors and artists excited for the studio tour and generate a larger crowd.

“People can go into the Salon and see the extent of work before deciding to join the tour,” she said. “Guests can go to the gallery and great a preview anytime of the month before the show to see all the amazing work we have.”

Linda Weiss, artist at The Gallery ABQ, is excited to have so many artists at the gallery and is spreading the word about the preview event and reception for the Sandia Heights group.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. Tractor (Brewing Company) is sponsoring the event and is providing beer,” Weiss said. “We’re going to serve hors d’oeuvres and wine. We provided someone certified to pour beer and wine. It will be a nice and positive atmosphere.”

Artists will have all of their art for sale and while they hope to make a few sales and connect people to a beloved art piece, artist Charlotte Driver of Sandia Heights Artists said it is about more than the money.

Driver joined the group in 2021 after she began experimenting with pottery art during the pandemic. After she received a flyer in the mail from the group, she decided to apply.

“The art shows can give you a little income, but it’s not about the money,” Driver said. “I like the camaraderie and partnership with other artists and meeting people who want to see your art during the studio tour. As long as they look at the art and have a good time, it’s worth it.”

A portion of each Sandia Heights artist’s sales will be donated to La Mesa Arts Academy to support the arts education program.