Eighth Annual Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour is Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 
September 30, October 1 and 2, Northeast Iowa artists open their doors for a behind-the-scenes 
view into how their art is created. Nestled among the wooded hills and winding rivers are numerous 
top-caliber, nationally-traveling fine artists.

Decorah is the central community from which the tour radiates, 35 miles in all directions. The 
Northeast Iowa Artists’ Studio Tour (NIAST, Inc.) is Iowa’s first, largest, and longest running 
tour of artists’ studios in the state. The 2005 event showcases 48 artists in 34 locations, open 
daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Traveling into the rural area, one discovers the bluffs, valleys and trees ready to burst into 
fall color. Near the Upper Iowa River south of Kendallville, Gena Ollendieck (location #18) 
creates her hand-bound books starting with the 16th century leather hand-binding process by folding 
acid-free, archival-quality paper into smaller sizes. Her book covers use “different found objects” 
for each one-of-a-kind look and win her awards nationwide.

Northeast of Decorah, in the very tree-tucked heart of rural Allamakee County, live ceramic artists 
Hallie and Nate Evans (location #32), who give a view into another age-old tradition of wood-fired 
pottery inspired by folk traditions from all over the world, most notably the Orient, England and 
the southern U.S.

Nearby is Jill Stephenson (location #30), who creates baskets and literally lives the rustic life, 
complete with wood cook-stove and no phone.

Southeast of Decorah, living near the Yellow River State Forest is Marilyn Wittmer Etchison 
(location #36), who employs century-old manuscript techniques in creating her illuminated initials 
and phrases.

There are numerous other respected artists on this year's eighth annual Tour, including 
photographers, painters, basket weavers, quilters, silversmiths, a woodcarver, fiber artists, 
glassblower, kaleidoscope crafters, and more. Each artist’s studio space is as individual as the 
artist, and experiencing this first-hand is the foundation of the Tour itself.

Darla Ellickson, Tour Director and silver and gold jewelry designer (location #28), who along 
with her husband, Glen, coordinate the tour, says, “So many times, visitors to our area usually 
only see the view from Highways 9 and 52. Our tour takes them out on the windiest, tiniest, gravel 
roads. The Tour allows each artist to share the home they love, the environment that inspires them, 
and the process and tools of crafting their art. We are able to showcase the entire, larger regional 
community.”

There are also opportunities to win fine art. The grand prize, a watercolor by talented area artist 
Dolores Buchheit (location #41), valued at $225, will be chosen from a drawing of survey cards, 
requiring only that tourists visit at least five studios and answer a few questions designed to 
improve the Tour. These drawing cards may be placed in boxes at each artist’s location, during all 
three days of the Tour, or exchanged for a raffle ticket, all day Friday and Saturday, for a chance 
to win from 16 artworks at the new addition to the 2005 Tour, “Art by Day - Music by Night” event 
held in the elegantly restored Hotel Winneshiek lobby in downtown Decorah.

An ongoing slide show there will feature the artists and their work. Although participants need not 
be present to win, they won’t want to miss free-to-the-public jazz pianist Tom Bourcier from 6 to 
8 p.m. Saturday, with the drawing at 8 p.m. Music will also be playing evenings at other locations 
and times to enhance the Tour weekend as a celebration of both the visual and performing arts.

For up-to-date event information, pick up the Dining & Events Guide at participating businesses 
and artists’ locations during the Tour. Proceeds of the raffle benefit the Northeast Iowa Artists’ 
Studio Tour (NIAST, Inc.), the artists, and Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau (WCCVB).

This free-to-the-public event is self-supporting, funded entirely by artist entry fees and sponsors. 
To obtain a brochure with the Tour map, call Winneshiek County CVB at: 563-382-2023 or 
1-800-463-4692, or email: tour@iowaarttour.com. For more complete information about the artists and 
ongoing events, view the Tour website: www.iowaarttour.com.

http://www.waukonstandard.com
9/20/2005 3:04 PM