Saturday is the first day of the actual tours in ArtTrek 2019. Patrons are encouraged to stop by Upstairs Artspace that morning (9-11 a.m.) for coffee and maps to the artists’ studios. The self-guided tours end at 5 p.m.

Full details…

Upstairs Artspace, Tryon’s contemporary art gallery, will host ArtTrek 2019, public tours of local artists’ studios, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, 2019. An exhibit of the artists’ works will be on display at the gallery Oct. 4-18.
“ArtTrek has become one of the community’s most anticipated annual art events,” gallery President John Walters said. “This gives patrons the opportunity to not only see art but to see where it was actually made — the artists’ studios, which are very often in the artists’ homes. It’s a fun event with patrons starting at the gallery in downtown Tryon for some morning refreshments and then heading out in all directions to visit artists in their natural environments. The artists are always very hospitable, and this gives people a behind-the-scenes look at how artists actually live and work.”
This year, there are 18 local artists participating in the tours. They and their locations are:

David Zacharias, Tryon
Bob Neely, Tryon
Diana Gurri, Tryon
Vicki Van Vynckt, Tryon
Keith Spencer, Tryon
Lori Heckelman, Tryon
Christine Mariotti, Tryon
Denise Cwik, Saluda
Mark Holland, Tryon
Becky Hyatt Rickenbaker, Tryon
David Cedrone, Landrum
Toby Wolter, Landrum
Kristen Mode, Saluda
Ron Robbins, Landrum
Hague Williams, Landrum
Merry-Beth Noble, Landrum
Grace Lertora, Landrum
Samantha Oliver, Columbus

ArtTrek is an annual open-studios touring event that allows the general public to get an inside look at how and where artists make their creative works. The participating artists have samples of their work in the gallery, and patrons are encouraged to also visit the artists’ studios throughout the community and the gallery in Tryon.
The gallery exhibition will be held Oct. 4-18, and tours will be held for two days, Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, noon to 5 p.m. The opening reception and start of the silent auction of participating artists’ works will be Friday, Oct. 4, 5-7:30 p.m.
There is no cost for patrons to see the exhibit or take the tours. They are encouraged to start their tours at the gallery in downtown Tryon on Saturday, Oct. 5, with coffee and refreshments, 9-11 a.m., or on Sunday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to noon. Patrons will be given a map to the artists’ studios, as well as other helpful and insightful information about the artists.
The closing reception and last day of the exhibition will be Friday, Oct. 18, 5-7:30 p.m., at which time the silent auction ends and artwork awarded to the highest bidders.
“This is one of those events that really give people a feel for this community,” Tryon Downtown Development Association Executive Director Jamie Carpenter said. “People who live here in the Carolina Foothills appreciate it because many of the artists are their friends and neighbors. Also, it is a draw for visitors and tourists, who want a casual, easy, and artsy overview of the community. It’s a great way to see our small towns and the countryside. Many people make a full day of the experience, seeing art, eating at local restaurants, meeting people, visiting businesses along the way, and driving through the foothills on a fall day. Art has always been an important influence on this community, and Upstairs Artspace’s ArtTrek is our most-established and well organized studio-tour event.”
All of the participating artists are within easy driving distance of the gallery in Tryon. For more information, please visit online: UpstairsArtspace.org.
Founded in 1978, Upstairs Artspace is a nonprofit contemporary art gallery in downtown Tryon at 49 S. Trade St. It exhibits two- and three-dimensional art and craft by leading artists of the Southeast, particularly in the Carolinas, as well as artists nationally and globally. Normal visiting hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no charge to visit and see the exhibits. Upstairs Artspace is supported by public and private donations, sales of art, grants, and fund-raising events. It is supported in part by the Polk County Community Foundation, the Mary F. Kessler Fund, and public and private donations.♦