Buy Local Art This Holiday at Annual Open Studio Events in NK

To shop local in North Kingstown, Wickford Village gets most of the attention. But in the nearby woods in a renovated old mill building, a colony of artists has prepared a truly home-made shopping experience.

It all happens at the Open Studios event the first weekend in December at the Shady Lea Mill, a colony of artists in North Kingstown. Nestled next to one of the largest forests in the West Bay on the banks of the Mattattuxet River, there are some 40 art studios here in a renovated mill building that dates back to the early 1800’s.

For 18 straight years, the artists, artisans, makers, crafters and other creative types here at the Shady Lea Mill open their doors to the public and show off all the wonderful things they make.

This year’s Open Studio extravaganza is on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

It all started with a party. The Shady Lea Mill had been vacant for a decade when Ambrose Reisert, the owner, decided to rent space to artists. To prove to the neighborhood these new residents weren’t some kind of crazy hippie cult, they held a holiday season Open House to show what they make. So popular was that first party, that the artists here have held it again and again every year on the same weekend.

Almost every arts will be represented. There will be glass blowers, jewelers, metal smiths, woodworkers, potters, painters, printmakers, screen printers, soap-makers and sculptors - to name just a few of the mediums that will be both on display and being created in real time. If you can’t find the perfect Christmas present among this talented pool of people, you either aren’t trying or everyone on your list has been naughty.

But don’t just come for the shopping. Many artists will also be demonstrating their craft in action. The Anchor Bend glass shop is always a most popular studio stop as everyone loves to see hot glass being fashioned into gorgeous art. They’ll show off their impressive glass-blowing skills all weekend long. Across the hall at Shady Lea Guitars, you’ll learn how high quality acoustic guitars are made - and you can even sign up for a class to make your own. Or just listen to the live music being performed by those who have made their own. These are but a few of the studios that will be making art throughout the weekend.

And if the promise of the perfect present and the lure of art in action isn’t enough to convince you to pay a visit, well then come for the tremendous food and drink the artists provide for the guests. Most studios will have holiday food for munching on - and some even turn their studios into a feast for the occasion.

The Shady Lea continues to be home to an artistic magic that permeates through every Studio.

While admission is free, the artists of Shady Lea Mill are asking guests to bring a non-perishable food items for the North Kingstown Food Bank. Collection bins will be placed at every point of entry. Food items of greatest need are proteins – peanut butter, canned meat and fish, beans, etc.

The Shady Lea Mill is located at 215 Shady Lea Rd. in North Kingstown. The only access is from Route 4 north, where Shady Lea Road is the only right-hand turn between the 138 exit and Post Road.

The majority of this story is from a press release written by Bob Plain.