Art by the mountains: High Desert Studio Tour unveils local talent, creative connections

Tucked in the base of the Sandia Mountains, the High Desert neighborhood is spreading its love of art and community through the High Desert Studio Tour, designed to connect the community to local artists.

Created in 2014 by Thea Berg, the studio tour invites the community to observe the inside of artists’ home studios while having the opportunity to purchase handmade pieces in a gallery-style event. This year’s event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Art by the mountains: High Desert Studio Tour unveils local talent, creative connections

“She thought, ‘Boy, wouldn’t it be a great idea if one day a year there’s a studio tour where people can actually come into the artists homes or studios, and see what they do and maybe how they do it,’” said Bill Freer, organizer of the event and one of the participating artists.

This year, 16 artists will display works of art across eight different homes. Artists will display a wide variety of artwork from fabric art, jewelry, pottery, sculptures and paintings from all genres. Each artist will display 8-to-10 varying pieces of work, allowing the community to enjoy and purchase art of all forms.

“With that many different artists, there are things that are very expensive and very reasonable, depending on if you’re showing a necklace made of yarn and beads, it’s going to be less expensive than a piece of glass and steel sculpture,” said Mary Martin, another artist participating in the tour.

Guests who have a particular interest in a specific style of art can look at the High Desert website, highdesertstudiotour.com, to plan out their tour effectively.

To prepare for the tour, volunteers began crafting a website and designing postcards to send out to the High Desert neighborhood, reminding them of the annual event.

Though all the houses are located within the High Desert community, it’s recommended that visitors drive through the area over walking “unless you’re an avid hiker,” Martin said.

Beyond purchasing artwork, the community is urged to engage with the people around them and learn about the High Desert area and its residents.

“I think many people are a little intimidated to walk into a gallery in Santa Fe or down in Nob Hill, because oftentimes there’s that pressure,” Martin said. “I don’t think you find that here. It’s more like, these are my neighbors. ‘And, my gosh, is that what you do?’ It’s just a low-pressure way to come look at our artworks, have a conversation and maybe even ask us to commission something for you.”

Freer and Martin believe the studio tour gives artists the chance to show off their work to a new crowd and the community an opportunity to make connections with local artists while shopping for locally-made work.

“You know, not everybody can have their work represented in a gallery,” said Martin. “I think it’s a good way to showcase the talent that is not only in Santa Fe but here in Albuquerque, and we are lucky enough to have a number of artists in High Desert that want to show their wares.”