Holiday Arts Tour Sites and Artists

NCLAC is pleased to announce its artist roster for this year’s 17^th annual Holiday Arts Tour. This year will be the largest arts tour on record, with 35 Tour sites, and a wide array of performing arts offerings. The following downtown merchants will be displaying artists' works for the 17th annual Holiday Arts Tour, November 20-22. Musical performances, as well as demonstrations by artists, will take place at select locations.

Carriage House: Patricia Jones, Catherine McVea, Annie Richardson, Laura Lewis, Becky Bennett, Nan Cole, Beth Holland

Townsend House: Laura Glen Lawson

Sundown Tavern: Todd Cloe, Emily Lawson; music by Dan Sumner Quartet

House of Flowers & Cake Shoppe: Julie Crews, Leigh Buffington

The Frame Up: Hooshang Khorasani

Embellishments: Chene Clay Company

Lewis Boutique: Christiane Drieling; music by Rhapsody Quartet

202 N Vienna: Adrianna Speer, Meredith McGregor, Zachary McCauley, Cathy Crow, Jenna Fincher, Hannah Cooper McCauley, Megan Landis; Piney Hills Quilt Guild; poetry reading; Sprout Sunday activities

Kelly Moore Bag: Joey Slaughter; music by Monty Russell

Makers Union: Frank Hamrick; music by Bethany Raybourn

Dixie Center for the Arts: group exhibition of Holiday Arts Tour artists

Art Innovations: Jackie Cochran, Francis Carson

Studio 301: Jonathan Donehoo, Dean Dablow, Peter Jones, Patricia Jones, Annie Richardson, Kit Gilbert, Catherine McVea, Phoebe Allen Mathys, Dianne Douglas

Turbo Goat Sporting Goods: Shawn Hood

Turbo Goat Bicycle Shop: Whitney Caskey

Rumo's Barber Shop: Todd Maggio

Pastry Moon Soaps: Rickey Pittman, Maureen Hinton; music by Rickey Pittman

Frame of Mind: Peter Hay

Beau Monde: Rachel Johnston

Fine Line Art Supply: Sienna Haralson; music by The Taylor Outfit

Stitchville: Allie Bennett

Re/Max Results Realty: Marguerite Hogue, Emily Gautreaux; music by Elizabeth Vidos

Accent of the East: Ruth Yung, Michele McGehee; music by Meihan Guo

The Children's Shoppe: Nina Stephens

Chartreuse Pear: Caroline Youngblood, Dorene Kordal

The Fashion of Ruston: Shalis Stevens, Lacey Stinson; music by Karl Puljak

Main Street Exchange: Maggie Jones Boudreaux, Shelly Nealy Edgerton; music by Cain Budds

Lagniappe Embroidery  & Gift Shoppe: Allen Tuten, Sonny Monteleone

Social & Leisure: Alice Morgan

Delta Day Goods: Richard Kordal

Park Avenue Antiques: Loretta Owens

Blue Wire Electronics: music by Stiff Necked Fools and the Bluesaholics

Rodeo Botuique: Cheyenne Morrow

Social Bites of Ruston: Nicole Duet

The Fabric Shop: Allison Vestal

A Round-Robin Poetry Reading will be held on Saturday afternoon with readings by poets Errol Miller, Veronica Schuder, April Honaker and Genaro KyLy Smith.

Sprout Sunday Projects will  include a book reading by a local children's author,  fiber arts projects, ornament making, and more.

A Community Variety Show will be held Sunday afternoon at the Dixie Center for the Arts featuring performances by the following: Elizabeth Vidos, Mike Sullivan Dance Studio, Marc Faulkner, Meihan Guo, LG Dance Studio, Ruston Community Theatre, and Grambling University Choir, with Emcee Joel Sharpton

More details about Holiday Arts Tour will be added as the date approaches. Follow along with news about the Tour on our facebook page.

NCLAC’s Holiday Arts Tour is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts council and administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! Map and Schedule

Thursday, November 21

5-8pm

Main Street Christmas Open House, with artwork displayed at 23 shops

Friday, November 22

4-8pm

Artists mix & mingle with shoppers at 23 shops

Free musical performances at 7 locations from 5-8pm:

Kellly Moore Bag, Olsen String Trio; Serendipity, Grace Notes Quartet; Sundown Tavern, Ken Carter Quartet; Patton's Downtown, Cain Budds; Fine Line/Stitchville, Elizabeth Vidos;     Rumo's Barbershop, Bethany Raybourn; The Lodge, Fred Beavers and Sara Sullivan

Round-Robin Poetry Reading from 6pm till at Pastry Moon

featuring April Honaker, Errol Miller, Veronica Schuder, Genaro Ky Ly Smith

Saturday, November 23

11-5pm

All-day shopping with artists in shops

Assorted artists' demonstrations in select locations

including flint-knapping, screen-printing, spinning, and calligraphy

Sunday, November 24

1-4pm

Sprout Sunday-- free art projects for children at 3 studios

try felting at Stitchville; doll clothes/armor at Pastry Moon; painting a fairtytale character ornament at Brush Hour

4:30 pm

Community Variety Show--free show at Dixie Center for the Arts featuring 5 performing groups

featuring Grambling University Choir, LG Dance Studio, Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston, Dixie Dancers, Ruston Community Theatre

HAT: Create! Sprout Sunday

 

Back for it's 3rd year, NCLAC is happy to present Sprout Sunday on November 24. From 1-4pm, three Ruston studios will offer free children's activities as part of our 16th annual Holiday Arts Tour. NCLAC's mission includes fostering opportunities for creative expression, and with so many talented artists in our region, we are pleased they are willing to share their talents with our youngsters.

Pastry Moon, in its new location at 203 West Alabama Suite 2, will show sprouts how to design and create doll clothes and armor. Bonnie Ferguson, owner and artist at the shop,  is talented and has her hands in many things. Soap-making, knitting, repurposing jewelry, store-running and more keep Bonnie busy, and your children will love working on a project with her.

At Allie Bennett's Stitchville, 207 North Trenton, Sprouts will be using raw wool fibers for "felting" in order to create an ornament. Allie held drop-spindle spinning at the first Sprout Sunday in 2011, and participants enjoyed seeing how raw wool can be turned into yarn. I'm certain everyone will enjoy participating in the felting process as well, as there seems to be an element of magic to it.

At Brush Hour Studio, with Christiane Drieling, children will be able to hand-paint and decorate a wooden fairytale character that can be used as a Christmas ornament. Christiane teaches art at M0ntessori School of Ruston, as well as holds classes at her Brush Hour Studio. The results of the projects in her children's classes are lovely, and of course her own work is amazing. Be sure to drive over to her space for this special project.

Directions to Brush Hour (803 Glendale Drive) from the Dixie Center for the Arts (212 North Vienna):

Drive north on North Vienna toward Interstate 20. Cross over the interstate; pass Super One Foods; turn left onto South Chatauqua Road; take first left onto Ridge Drive; turn right onto Glendale Drive and your destination will be on the right.

Sprout Sunday activities are free, hand-on projects for children. Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to share interesting art processes with your children! Be sure to go to each location and experience the wonder of creating with your kids.

These activities, and the Holiday Arts Tour as a whole, are supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

Art Talk Monday: Community Variety Show

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Klervae' Stinson, NCLAC intern and GSU Theatre & Performing Arts Senior. She is working as stage director for the Holiday Arts Tour Community Variety Show.  

City of Ruston, come help celebrate the arts with the North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC) Holiday Arts Tour's first Community Variety Show! Held each November, Holiday Arts Tour is a celebration of the arts in north Louisiana.

Artists of many genres are hosted by local merchants for a weekend of arts, music and shopping. The Tour also includes free art-related activities for children, free musical performances by regional talent, a poetry reading and a variety show. The Tour promotes artistic discussion, exposure and sales through live demonstrations, performances and exhibitions.

This year’s theme is Create! The Community Variety Show will feature individuals from the community to come together to showcase all different types of art forms. The show will hallmark The Dixie Dancers of Ruston whom describe themselves as a group of Ruston ladies who perform their tap dance routines, for free, at various venues in and around Ruston; LG Dance Studio whose mission is to share the joy of dance; Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston (P.A.I.R.) which seeks to bridge the gap between popular and academic music and to advance the percussive arts; and Grambling State University Choir, whose repertoire includes a diverse range of music that spans many generations and cultures, including classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music. Ruston Community Theatre will give us a sneak peek of their Christmas production “Christmas Belles”.  The Dixie Dancers and LG Dance Studio will perform dance numbers, Percussion Arts Institute of Ruston and Grambling State University will be our musical performances, and Ruston Community Theatre will give us our theatrical performance for the afternoon. I am very excited to be a part of something that can bring our community together to not only showcase talent, but also to keep the arts alive in Ruston, LA. The show will be November 24, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. at the Dixie Center for the Arts, 212 N Vienna St. Ruston, LA and admission is absolutely free!

The 16th annual Holiday Arts Tour will be November 21-24, 2013. For more information and a complete schedule of the Holiday Arts Tour visit our official site, or call 318.255.1450.

Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! at Rodeo Boutique and Fine Line/Stitchville

Today's featured Holiday Arts Tour artists are Whitney Caskey, MC Davis, Frank Hamrick and musician Elizabeth Vidos.

Rodeo Boutique, at 116 W Park Avenue, will be hosting Whitney Caskey this year (last year Whitney was at Serendipity.) Rodeo Boutique is fun shop for the ladies, with bright pink walls, trendy clothes and punchy accessories. The owner, Katie Bonnette, is a delight, and we're happy they've joined the Tour this year.

Rodeo's featured artist, Whitney Caskey is a versatile artist, who navigates assorted art media in order to tell her chosen story. You may have seen some of her landscape paintings around town: Railroad park, Mitcham's Peach Orchard, the Dixie Center for the Arts...I've seen these familiar places and many more under Whitney's talented hand.  In addition to these traditional landscapes, Whitney creates very contemporary digital photographs, that are a blend of staged settings, drawings, costumes and other digital tools. She uses these in order to tell stories, as her artwork is based in narratives. Her fascination with stories led her to drawing at a young age, which in turn, led her to painting. Her work now mainly deals with photography. In 2007 Caskey began attending classes at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. It was during this time period that her work moved from strictly drawing, to large-scale paintings and photography. Her work has been exhibited both locally and nationally. She has won several awards, including second place at the Art from the G.U.T. exhibition at the Louisiana Tech Enterprise Center in 2012. She held her first solo show in 2013 at the Bossier Parish Arts Council Gallery. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University in May of 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. She will also have her cute and clever Christmas ornaments for sale at this year's Tour.

Fine Line Art Supply and Stitchville, located at 207 N Trenton, will be hosting Frank Hamrick and MC Davis this year. These two shops are housed in the same store front, and are perfect complements for each other. Henry McCoy's Fine Line is THE local place to go for art supplies, as well as high quality printing services. In addition to other things, he carries the supplies used by LA Tech's art and architecture departments, so you're sure to fine an interesting variety of tools. He has saved the day for the NCLAC office many times. I'm almost embarrassed now when I have to call and say, "Henry, I have an art emergency..." Stitchville, owned by Allie Bennett, is your source for high quality yarns and other sewing supplies. She carries contemporary fabrics in fun prints, and cute patterns for dresses and bags. She also holds classes for those who are experienced or inexperienced in the fabric arts, including knitting, sewing for children, and more. Allie has a dedicated following with her weekly "knitting night;" the group meets and each person works on her own project, from embroidery to crochet to knitting. There is a lot of chatting, a lot of positivity, and a lot of fun.

Frank Hamrick is an associate professor and the head of the photography program at Louisiana Tech University. He will be exhibiting his photography and book arts. His work mixes photography, storytelling, handmade books and found objects. Frank is a Georgia native, and received his BFA from The University of Georgia. He moved out west for his MFA, graduating from New Mexico State University. NPR has written about Frank’s handmade books and in 2012 Oxford American Magazine listed Frank as one of the 100 Superstars of Southern Art. His work is housed in collections including the Georgia Museum of Art and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. Frank is just returning (as in this week!) from a quarter abroad teaching bookmaking in Cortona, Italy. I'm glad to have him back in town, and am excited to see his new work that's inspired by this adventure.

Mary Catherine Davis is a 3rd year MFA candidate at Louisiana Tech. She is also a Southern artist, and was raised on a small farm on the outskirts of the Mississippi Delta. Since the age of six, MC trained classically and by ear on piano and voice but her interest in visual art overshadowed music during her freshman year of college at Holmes Community College.  In December of 2010, she earned a BFA from Mississippi State University where she had begun to focus the influence of her musical background into visual arts through painting. She backpacked through France and Italy for a while, increasing her awareness of other cultures, while further rooting her appreciation for Southern ways of life. MC uses layers of washes and drawing mediums combined with non-traditional methods of painting such as screen printing, digital manipulation and printmaking, in order to create her works based on Southern iconography. 

On Friday night of the Tour, from 5-8, body percussionist Elizabeth Vidos will be performing. Elizabeth has been in Ruston for a couple of years, but before this lived in New York where she was a street performer as well as a member of the touring group STOMP. STOMP performs in a musical genre known as trash percussion, which involves the use of non-traditional instruments combined with body percussion. Elizabeth will perform “body percussion,” using props and her body as instruments. The folk traditions of many countries include the use of body percussion. Examples of these include Indonesian saman, Ethiopian armpit music, palmas in flamenco, and the hambone from the United States.  Elizabeth will perform short sets and will be available to speak with Tour-goers during breaks. Since moving to Ruston, she has jumped wholeheartedly into our arts community, and serves on the Board of Directors for Ruston Community Theatre and Troupe Dixie.

For more information and a complete schedule of the Holiday Arts Tour, visit nclarts.org or call (318) 225-1450.

Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! at Makers Union and Rumo's

Today's Holiday Arts Tour descriptions are for artists at Makers Union, 206 North Vienna, and Rumo's Barber Shop, 203 West Alabama Suite 3.

Brand new on the block is Makers Union, an artists' collective organized by architect Cassidy Keim. Makers Union is a shop & studio featuring work from artists and craftsmen in a variety of disciplines. For this year's Holiday Arts Tour, the shop will feature Jake Dugard and Joey Slaughter.

Jake Dugard is a designer and 3rd year MFA candidate at Louisiana Tech. Jake is working to erase the line between fine art and design. Like most kids growing up, Jake wanted to be an astronaut or a professional athlete, but he always enjoyed writing and illustrating stories. It wasn’t until a visit to Louisiana Tech University in 2005 that Dugard learned about design. Four years later, he graduated with his BA in Communication Design and started working full time for a marketing firm and as freelance designer. Now he's back in school for his Master's Degree in Communication Design, is a partner in Makers Union, is an active member of Guild (the design club for Tech's School of Art), and is married to Stephanie Dugard, another artist on this year's Tour. Jake is responsible for the brand new logo for the Arts Tour this year that's at the bottom of this post. Last year he was at Rumo's, and screen printed on site, which was a big hit. He also had some Ruston map prints that sold like hot cakes. I'm ready to see what he'll have this year!

Joey Slaughter is Associate Professor of Art and Graduate Program Coordinator at Louisiana Tech. He's also my husband, which makes this post sort of hard to write. Joey is a maker that crosses boundaries. He makes paintings and sculptures, but not in the traditional sense. He's involved in the "new" blending of digital and traditional, where laser cutters and Illustrator factor into his work as much as paintbrushes and pencils. His work is inspired by our modern world and the technology we use to communicate. Before I gush I'll give an example: we renovated a house last year. He used old door frames, original paint and all, to make frames for assemblages. These frames were seamlessly integrated into the art pieces themselves, which depicted contemporary imagery that he designed based on instruction manuals.  They were basically 3D wooden paintings, and I really liked them. Now, I'll move on before I sound biased...

Rumo's Barber Shop is a stop on the Tour again this year, with Rachel Johnston and Bethany Raybourn. Rumo's is a good-looking barber shop, and that's just how you feel after you leave from getting a cut or color....or  hot towel shave I suppose. Their tag line is the barber shop evolved, and that's an apt description.  The crew there includes, among others, the Moore brothers, Ross and Russell, and they're always friendly and ready to help (like when your son cuts his own hair...)

Rachel Johnston is a fiber artist who spins her own wool into yarn. Yes--she does. From a big fleece from a sheep. And it's really neat. (And she's going to do a demonstration on Saturday of the Tour!) Rachel will have hand-spun yarns for sale, that she colors with natural dyes, as well as cold process soap and other small fiber-based items. Rachel hasn't participated with Holiday Arts Tour before, but she has worked with NCLAC, both as a former guest blog writer (Art Ed Wednesday) and Summer Arts Camp teacher. She says much of her work "lies in the gray area between art and craft;" she is passionate about her artisan skills, and keeping these historical traditions alive. Rachel is a caring individual, and has many volunteer projects under her belt, including nine trips to Latin America with humanitarian organizations. These trips inspired beautiful projects Rachel planned for students at Arts Camp last summer.

Bethany Raybourn will be on site Friday night, 11/22, from 5-8 playing her guitar and singing those songs of hers...you know...those SONGS....beautiful and haunting and perfect. I truly love her voice and her lyrics and I'm thrilled she's joining the Tour again this year. Her style is nestled in there with indie, folk, and alt-country. You may have seen Bethany play with the Goodness Gracious at ARToberfest or other places around town. And then you may know her from her previous life as a server at Sundown Tavern. Bethany's day-job now is as an English teacher in Farmerville, and she also worked with NCLAC this summer on the daily coordination of Summer Arts Camps.

Holiday Arts Tour this year is November 21-24. Here is the complete schedule.

Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! @ Townsend House and PAIR

We are nearing the end of our blog-tour of artists for this year's Holiday Arts Tour. It has been a blast preparing these posts each day, as I'm making a mental shopping list for friends and family (with a little bit of personal shopping thrown in, of course.)

Today's first stop is at Townsend House Gifts, 410 North Bonner. This "Queen Anne" house is one of the oldest buildings in Ruston and is on the National Register of Historic Places. My kids know the Townsend House as the Pumpkin Patch, because the owner, Kim Birch, holds an annual fundraiser for DART with what seems like thousands of pumpkins....tall, small, bumpy and large. Inside, however, Townsend House Gifts is full of fun kitchen gadgets, tableware, food gifts, china, candles and so much more. I didn't live here back when I was engaged, but I hear it's THE place to go for one's wedding registry.

This year the shop is hosting two jewelry makers for the Tour: Laura Glen and Michele McGehee.

Laura Glen makes wire-wrapped jewelry with exotic gems. Forms in nature inspire her work, such as tendrils on vines, curves of clouds, and curls of rushing water around rocks in a stream. Laura Glen travels with her wildlife artist husband and finds inspiration on these adventures. She also travels for festivals and arts events around the region. I first saw Laura Glen's work at Holiday Arts Tour a few years ago, and immediately bought a pair of earrings for my mom. You see, my mom is an earring lady: never leaves the house without a pair, has an amazing selection, and is selective. Well, she had nothing like Laura Glen's earrings--and of course she loves them. Laura Glen does great work, and people come to the Tour each year looking for her. SO LAURA GLEN FANS OUT THERE: she's going to be at Townsend House Gifts again this year!!

Michele McGehee is new to the Tour this year, and she's an excellent addition. I first saw her work at Acorn Creek Antiques and was struck by the delicate and classic quality of her jewelry. Michele has been collecting timepieces since she was a child, when she would save all her money to buy watches. Well now she's using those vintage and antique watches to make "new" accessories, disassembling and reassembling the pieces into earrings, necklaces and more. You'll find keys, gears, faces, arms, etc., used in clever ways; it seems nothing goes unused from these watch bodies. The quality of materials is excellent, as is the craftsmanship. This is jewelry that can be passed along to your children.

Now, Townsend House Gifts is not on the "walking path" of the Tour. Yes, you can definitely walk there, but it's "over and up" a couple of blocks. Do not let this deter you from making this stop on the Tour! These two jewelry artists make beautiful things, and the Townsend House itself is worth a visit if you haven't been in a while. So either walk on over, or drive a couple blocks, as it's not a place to miss.

The second stop for today is at the Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston (PAIR). PAIR seeks to bridge the gap between popular and academic music, and advance the percussive arts by:

• Providing free and low cost percussion instruction to children;
• Supplementing the training of music students at all ages and levels of experience;
• Enriching the skill set of music education professionals; and
• Fostering percussive arts appreciation in the community.

James and Sarah Waller (of Crescent City Coffee fame) are working on this brand-new nonprofit, which is located at 101 West Alabama, right across the street from our office in the Dixie Center for the Arts. They offer a variety of services for the community, for musicians as well as children interested in music. NCLAC has partnered with the MFA program at Louisiana Tech, specifically with 3rd year candidate Matthew Knopps, on a collaborative sculpture project for PAIR for Holiday Arts Tour. A group of college students, organized by Knopps, worked together on a sculpture installation focusing on principles of design such as rhythm, variety and repetition. Students of PAIR will be assisting with the installation of the project. Matthew has worked with NCLAC on our Summer Arts Camps as both a teacher and volunteer, and the passionate young artist has a keen interest in community work. His personal work involves repurposing old materials to make something completely new, and tinkering and experimenting play a large role in his process. Be sure to take a peek at this unique sculpture installation.

Also, PAIR will be participating with our Community Variety Show that's closing out Holiday Arts Tour weekend: Sunday, 4:30pm at the Dixie Center for the Arts. 

Be sure to mark your calendars for November 21-24. The complete HAT schedule is here.

Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! at Turbo Goat and The Lodge

If you have been downtown recently, you may have seen several new businesses that have popped up in the Trenton Street area: All That Jazz is opening a second location, there's a new boutique called Le Beau Monde, Pastry Moon has moved to West Alabama, and The Lodge has opened next door to Turbo Goat.

Turbo Goat, at 301 North Trenton Suite 1, IS Ruston's bike shop. Listen to this excellent tagline: The Turbo Goat exists to facilitate the cycling lifestyle in any manifestation. Owner Justin Stoppleworth has a great space and devoted customer base. He also has a new shop/partner next door with The Lodge. At 301 North Trenton Street Suite 2, the two "brother" shops share an open wall and the place has a communal vibe. The Lodge has guns/ammo, bows/arrows, coolers, a cool fly-fishing lure station, and other sporting goods.

These two spaces are hosting two visual artists as well as two musicians for this year's Holiday Arts Tour. First, Peter Hay, a 3rd year MFA candidate at Louisiana Tech University will be exhibiting his prints, paintings and photography based on embellishments of current ecological issues. You can find Peter's website here.  I've been watching Peter's work since he first joined the MFA program, and I'm impressed by this current body of work. His prints are beautiful and sensitive and interesting. Peter has also worked with NCLAC as a Summer Arts Camps teacher, and frankly, he's a natural educator. Really wonderful job. Peter, along with his wife and daughter, are transplants here from Oklahoma. I would love for them to stay after his graduation....hmm....what can we do about that?

Exhibiting along with Peter will be Sonny Monteleone, traveling to us from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Sonny decided to pursue photography professionally while in Vietnam with the US Air Force, where he bought his first new camera. Upon completion of his military duties, he went to school to follow this passion. His childhood was spent piddling with old cameras his dad bought, so he's really been "piddling" with photography forever. Sonny works as a photographer, a photo teacher and a framer (he has a custom frame shop) Sonny's favorite subjects are scenes of Louisiana, and to these images he blends photography and painting techniques through the use of digital technology. This will be Sonny's first year with Holiday Arts Tour, and I'm so glad he reached out to NCLAC and is driving up for the event. He spends much of his time at other art-related events around our great state, such as Festival International and the Big Easel.

Along with these two visual artists will be two musicians. Fred Beavers and Sara Sullivan will be set up in the easy chairs (at The Lodge, of course) to entertain our ears on Friday, from 5-8. They'll be playing a number of short sets so that guests can mingle and chat with them about their music. Fred is an award-winning fiddle champion, having won the coveted Grand Championship of the LA State Fiddlers' contest on more than one occasion. A native of Homer, Fred has played on many stages,  including the LA Folklife Festival and the New Orleans Jazz&Heritage Festival. Sara Sullivan will be playing with Fred on guitar and keyboard. Sara is a Ruston native who performs in the area with several hats. She has a '90s cover band, Tranny DeVito, as well as a solo act with keyboard, guitar and vocals. She is a talented songwriter (which may be related to her Masters Degree in English) and is currently working as an English teacher.

For a complete schedule of Holiday Arts Tour, visit NCLAC's official site. The big weekend is almost here! November 21-24, 2013.

Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

HAT: Create! at The Fabric Shop, Art Innovations, and Studio 301

Happy Monday! The countdown to this year's Holiday Arts Tour is on--let's continue with our virtual tour of the Tour...

The Fabric Shop, at 100 Park Avenue, is truly a space to "create" as it's THE place to go for Pfaff sewing machines, as well as a large selection of fabric and sewing notions. The owners, Louise and Ron Adams, are very knowledgeable and helpful when you're just not sure what fabric is needed for your project.  Louise has ordered many-a-zipper for me back in my wallet-making days, and Ron can sharpen your Ginghers to perfection. This year for the Tour they are opening their store for viewing while two special classes are held. Yes, they hold classes! Their site has a calendar that's full of classes, for beginners as well as experienced makers.

For this year's Tour, visitors can see an Anita Goodesign Workshop on Thursday. This class is part of Embroidery Club, which meets once a month for a lecture-demo on a new technique for your embroidery machine. On Saturday, the shop will be holding a Hands-On Take 5 Quilt Class, taught by Shellie Blake. If you stay on task, you can take home a completed quilt top. Sounds like a great way to prepare for the cold weather that's creeping in! If you're interested in registering for one of these classes or would like more information, give the shop a call at (318) 251-2400, or visit their site here.

Art Innovations, at 112 W Alabama, is the "brain-child" of artists/entrepreneurs Jacqueline Cochran and her daughter Alexandria Bozeman. The space will display "Exploration: The Art of Conversion," an exhibit that utilizes would-be discarded materials to create an array of functional & non-functional sculptural pieces. In collaboration with Crescent City Coffee and Counter Culture, plus the talented art students of Ruston Junior High School and Ruston High School, Art Innovations has created a unique, engaging space that brings audiences into a world built from society's runoff. As an added bonus, the first 100 guests will receive a FREE plant!

Studio 301, at 301 N Trenton, is Ruston's newest gallery, with 1100 sq. ft. of exhibition space. Artist Kit Gilbert has just opened the venue, and for the Tour it will feature an exhibition of her work. Kit is a prolific artist, and is at home with sculpture, large paintings, and smaller works on paper. Kit's Time Was series, paintings and sculptures that include farm implements, reminds me of one of my art-school favorites, and another Louisiana female artist, Clyde Connell.

I am drawn to Kit's works on paper, of which she says:

While my paintings are large, layered, and abstract, these mixed-media works on paper are smaller, more graphic, and more intimate. They are facets and fractions of geography, art, and architecture, drawing on my roots in the rural South and Southwest, my travels in Europe, especially Italy, and Africa, where the look of the land--some of the colors, the rugged hills and shallow gorges--reminded me of the Texas plains where I grew up.

So, once again, mark your calendars for November 21-24, when these sites and more will be participating with NCLAC's Holiday Arts Tour. It will be a great way to jumpstart your creativity and your holiday shopping! Here is the full schedule.

HAT: Create! featuring a Community Variety Show

Today's post is written by Klervae' Stinson, a current NCLAC intern who is a Visual & Performing Arts Senior at Grambling State University This year I, Klervae’ Stinson, am happy to announce that as part of the Holiday Arts Tour there will be a Community Variety Show. The acts include The Dixie Dancers of Ruston, LG Dance Studio, Percussive Arts

Institute of Ruston (PAIR), Grambling State University Choir, and Ruston Community Theatre. I am very excited to be a coordinator and stage manager for this show.

Our dance performances include The Dixie Dancers of Ruston and the LG Dance Studio. The Dixie Dancers describe themselves as a group of Ruston ladies who perform their tap dance routines, for free, at various venues in and around Ruston. They have completed more than 309 performances mainly for senior centers and have over 70 dances in their repertoire. I have heard so much about these dancing ladies and cannot wait to see what they have in store for everyone that evening!

The mission of the LG Dance Studios is to share the joy of dance. The co-founders of LG Dance Studios have brought over 30 years of combined experience in teaching, performing, and choreography. They want to offer training for everyone, starting from age 3 to adults, teaching Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pointe, and Specialty Classes. They want to share the joy of dance in a positive, nurturing environment. The studio is excited to bring their talents and love of dance home to Ruston. Both groups will be performing a number of dances pieces for the evening.

Our musical performances for the night are the Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston (PAIR) and Grambling State University Choir. The Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston seeks to bridge the gap between popular and academic music and to advance the percussive arts. PAIR provides free and low cost percussion instruction to children, training of music students at all ages and levels of experience, and enriching the skill set of music education professionals and fostering percussive arts appreciation in the community.

Grambling State University Choir has a rich heritage of presenting the finest quality of choral music since its origin in approximately 1947. The choir’s repertoire includes a diverse range of music that spans many generations and cultures, including classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music. The group has performed both nationally and internationally including a tour to the Island of Trinidad, West Indies. I have friends in the choir and I'm anxiously waiting for them to showcase their talent in the show. The choir will have a number of musical selections for the show that they have been working on throughout the semester.

The theatrical performance of the night will be by Ruston Community Theatre (RCT). It was formed on December 19, 1977 by a group of local citizens who loved theater and wanted to create an opportunity for the people of Ruston to direct, act, and attend local community productions. Without a facility the group performed in various places around the city of Ruston. I love that their founders would perform practically anywhere because like Shakespeare said, “All the World’s a Stage.” There was a need for this type of entertainment, and RCT continued to grow over the years. With the renovations of the Dixie Theater, RCT found its permanent home. When the Dixie Center for the Arts opened its doors in 2006, RCT moved in as a priority partner. Four plays are presented each season. RCT is governed by a board of directors elected by season membership. The theatre will be showing sneak-peeks of their Christmas production “Christmas Belles”, which will be showing December 5^th – 8^th.

I am anxious for all of our performers to illustrate what they have been preparing for the Community Variety Show. This will be my first time participating in something like this and I am excited to see how everything will go. The show will be November 24, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. at the Dixie Center for the Arts and admission is free! For more information and a complete schedule of the Holiday Arts Tour, visit nclarts.org, or call 318.255.1450. Hope to see you there!

HAT: Create! at Kelly Moore Bag

Our block is becoming a hub of activity with two new neighbors who renovated and moved in next door to the Dixie Center for the Arts. One of these is Kelly Moore Bag.  Kelly Moore Clark is a Ruston-gal who has

made quite a career for herself, first as a photographer, and now as a bag designer. Her new brick and mortar store is a beautiful space, with a super-tall ceiling and exposed brick walls. For her first year with Holiday Arts Tour, she will host Nicole Duet and Stephanie Dugard, as well as the Olsen String Trio on Friday.

Nicole Duet is an artist originally from New Orleans and currently working as Assistant Professor of Drawing and Painting at the School of Art at Louisiana Tech University. Duet received her MFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University Long Beach and was awarded the College of Liberal Arts highest honor for Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity. Teaching credits include Otis College of Art and Design, California State University Northridge and ongoing summer classes for the animation union at the American Animation Institute in Los Angeles. Nicole has exhibited paintings and drawings in museums and galleries on both coasts and nationwide. Her work is included in several private collections and the public collections of California State University Long Beach and Los Angeles City College.

Nicole's statement says, "We are made to feel our own presence in the act of seeing. My paintings begin from the point of view that the challenge of seeing the self, the world, and others relates to the difficulty of knowing the self, the world, and others....For me, the interplay between the painted and the photographed, between the seen and the sensory experience is mysterious and fascinating. I am drawn to photograph, and then subsequently paint moments where an underlying pulse of possibility hovers at the edges of what we immediately recognize. At these liminal moments it is possible for us to become lost, transformed, or transported by the act of seeing. Painting is a way of finding my way through and communicating the indefiniteness of experience."

On a personal note, I think Nicole's oil paintings are a textbook definition for "beautiful use of light." They are luminous and lovely. Her drawings are amazing as well, capturing moments in the lives of people she loves.

Stephanie Dugard is an artist who has a line of items called Teal Annie. She re-uses cast-off items in fun, new ways. For last year's Arts Tour she sold her handmade jewelry. Stephanie turns such things as vintage bracelets and broken bits into brand-spanking new necklaces and earrings. They're fun and funky (and I'd really like one of these!)

Stephanie says, "Teal Annie originated from my desire to create and produce things with a unique story. The name is pretty simple...Teal because I like the color and Annie because Ann is my middle name as well as the parrallel with orphan Annie (I like her and orphans! ;) I enjoy fashioning the old with the new into unique pieces that have a special story. My favorite mediums to use are old existing fabrics and materials.  At this time the heart of my craft revolves around creating goods and donating a percentage of the profits to friends who are adopting a child."  This is the site for the adoption of which Stephanie is speaking, which has a shirt designed by Jake Dugard, Stephanie's husband, who is another of the artists on this year's Holiday Arts Tour. Talented family, huh?

For the Tour this year Stephanie will be selling her apparel items, which are  cut, dyed, reassembled and embellished. She has items for little girls and ladies, too.

There's another special treat at Kelly Moore Bag, as the Olsen String Trio will be performing on Friday, Nov. 22, from 5-8pm. These three talented young sisters will be playing classical and pop string music. Catherine, Leah and Sophie will perform short sets so that they can speak with Tour-goers about their music during breaks.

So, mark your calendar for this year's Tour, November 21-24, and be sure to stop in at Kelly Moore Bag, 204 North Vienna in downtown Ruston.

HAT: Create! at the Dixie Center for the Arts

This year is the 16th annual Holiday Arts Tour for NCLAC, and we have a wonderful year lined up. I'll start our "HAT web tour" at the Dixie Center for the Arts, corner of Alabama and North Vienna in downtown Ruston, where the Tour itself will begin on November 21-24. Tour-goers should make their first stop at the DCA to view the group exhibition, sponsored by Landry Vineyards, featuring each of the participating Holiday Arts Tour artists. You'll be able to see the well-crafted variety of works available, from calligraphy to photography, handmade books to oil paintings, soaps to wood-turned jewelry. In addition to the exhibition at the Dixie Center, there will also be a voting box for the People's Choice Winner. In an effort to reward our talented artists, we will be offering two awards this year: Juror's Choice and People's Choice. Upon looking at the Dixie Center exhibition, and/or after making stops at each Tour site, be sure to cast your vote for your favorite artist. Awards will be announced at the end-of-Tour artists' party on Saturday.

The Tour will begin again this year on Thursday, in partnership with the City of Ruston's Main Street Christmas Open House. Artwork will be on display for special Open House hours of 5-8pm. Stop in and visit with merchants and get a jump on the weekend.

Friday's Tour hours will be 4-8, so you'll have time to head downtown after work. At the Dixie Center, Landry Vineyards, north Louisiana's own vineyard and winery, will be holding a wine tasting. Artists will be on site in each Holiday Arts Tour location, ready to chat about their work. From 5-8pm at seven downtown Tour sites, musicians will be performing for visitors. These will be small ensembles who perform short sets so that you may talk with them about their music. At Pastry Moon, there will also be a round-robin style Poetry Reading at 6pm.

Saturday will be the big shopping day, with artists present in each of the Tour sites from 11-5. Many will be offering demonstrations, such as screen printing, spinning, flint napping, and calligraphy. Holiday Arts Tour is really a special event, as it gives you a unique opportunity in a relaxed setting to see and hear about art processes that may be unfamiliar.

Sunday will be a special day for the family. Three studios will be offering Sprout Sunday activities, which are free art projects for children. Stitchville, Brush Hour and Pastry Moon will each offer a unique activity for Tour-goers from 1-4pm. When Tour hours end, head over to the Dixie Center for the Arts for a free Community Variety Show at 4:30. Dancing, singing, theatre and more will be on the Dixie Center stage as a perfect ending to a big extended weekend. This is your perfect opportunity to check out the beautiful Dixie Center Theatre if you haven't been in in a while.

Artwork from the Tour will make wonderful gifts; how much better to spend your holiday shopping money in locally owned businesses?!

Here are the sites and artists included in the Tour this year. We will be posting about each of the sites with descriptions of the artists in the coming days. Check in here to stay in the know!

Dixie Center for the Arts featuring a Holiday Arts Tour Group Exhibition, sponsored by Landry Vineyards. Wine tasting on Friday. Community Variety Show on Sunday.

Makers Union, featuring  Jake Dugard and Joey Slaughter. Screenprinting demonstration on Saturday.

Kelly Moore Bag, featuring Nicole Duet and Stephanie Dugard. Olsen String Trio on Friday.

Serendipity, featuring  Leigh Buffington. Grace Notes Quartet on Friday.

Lewis Boutique, featuring Christiane Drieling.

Chartreuse Pear, featuring Dorene Kordal.

Embellishments, featuring Suzy Berry and Shannan Inman. Calligraphy demonstration.

The Frame Up, featuring Hooshang Khorasani.

House of Flowers and the Cake Shoppe, featuring Julie Crews and Casey Parkinson.

Sundown Tavern, featuring Todd Cloe and Emily Ezell. Ken Carter Quartet on Friday.

The Fabric Shop, featuring an embroidery class on Thursday and a quilting class on Saturday.

Rodeo Boutique, featuring Whitney Caskey

Patton's Downtown, featuring Allen Tuten and Geri Taylor. Cain Budds on Friday.

Rogers Furniture and Gifts, featuring Cindy Gibson and Julie Roane.

Fine Line Art Supply and Stitchville, featuring MC Davis and Frank Hamrick. Elizabeth Vidos on Friday.

Pastry Moon, featuring Bonnie Ferguson, Lora Lee and Frank Kelley, Jr. Poetry Reading on Friday.

Rumo's Barber Shop, featuring Rachel Johnston. Bethany Raybourn on Friday. Spinning demo on Saturday.

Turbo Goat, featuring Peter Hay.

The Lodge, featuring Sonny Monteleone. Fred Beavers and Sara Sullivan on Friday.

Studio 301, featuring work by Kit Gilbert.

Art Innovations, featuring an on-site art installation.

Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston, featuring sculpture created during a collaborative workshop.

Townsend House Gifts, featuring Laura Glen Lawson and Michelle McGeehee.

NCLAC's Holiday Arts Tour is supported in part by a grant from Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

Big happenings in our little office....

All right folks, We are taking entries for all sorts of things right now here at NCLAC.

First up: Call for Brewers time for ARToberfest Oct.11th!

We need all you crafty home brewers to come out with your best brews and wow the tastebuds of those in attendance at NCLAC's ARToberfest this October 11th! The event begins at 5pm, and lasts until 9pm.

Participating brewers will  compete for two brewers' awards: the $300 Devine Home Brewer People's Choice Award, and the $200 Devine Home Brewer Brewers' Choice Award!

Brewers may bring as many different home brews as they like, but they must have  about 200 "taster" servings altogether; usually brewers run out of beer early in the evening with the minimum. Brewers will serve their brews themselves, and will receive one "brewer volunteer" pass to admit an additional helper to assist them in serving their beer(s). NCLAC will provide food for the brewers when they come early at 4pm to set up before the event. Brewers provide every thing they need to store and pour their beers at the event, such as ice chests and kegs,  but NCLAC will provide the the things needed to serve the beers, such as tables, chairs for the brewers and their volunteers, cups and napkins.

To apply to be a participating brewer fill out the forms below and return them to us by August 31st! If you have any questions email nclacartoberfest@gmail.com, or call the NCLAC offices at 318-255-1450, Mon.-Thurs. from 9am-3pm.

ARToberfest Brewer Application         ARToberfest Brew Description Form

Second: Call for Artist-Vendors and downtown Ruston Businesses for Holiday Arts Tour Nov. 22-24th!

We need artists and businesses to help us make the 2013 Holiday Arts Tour a success once more, by applying to sell artwork and hand-made goods at a special location in downtown Ruston, or by registering to be that special place in downtown Ruston. The Tour will begin Thursday night with viewings of the participating artists' work, and open house sales downtown. It will continue Friday and Saturday during holiday sales' hours, with the artists in residence at the shops selling their wares.  Sunday participating artists' studios will be open, but artists in the participating businesses will have completed their sales. Participating businesses have no obligation to take part in any Sunday events.

Participating businesses will receive up to 20% of their resident artist(s)' sales over the weekend. Each business and the paired artist(s) may decide the details of how they will conduct their transactions before the event.

To read more about the timeline of the Tour weekend, and further requirements to participate as an artist or a business, see the attached forms.

HAT 2013 Artist Application     HAT 2013 Business Application

Tonight's the night!

Holiday Arts Tour starts today! Tonight, from 5-8pm, stores will have extended hours, with artists on site, selling their artwork. Visit our Holiday Arts Tour facebook page for all the details, and scroll through our blog posts here to see features on all the participating artists. Tomorrow's Tour hours are from 2-5, with music kicking off at 5:15 at Turbo Goat. Saturday will expand to include artists' studios and Chalk the Walk from 11-5, with music at Sundown at 5:15. Sunday's hours are 11-5, with Sprout Sunday activities at select studios from noon-4.

Another special part of tonight's Main Street Christmas Open House, is the drawing for tickets to Saturday's LA Tech home game: 2 people will win a 4-pack of tickets to this weekend's game that begins at 3pm. It's the last game of the season, and the Dawgs are on a roll! When you visit participating merchants (including the Tour stop at the Dixie Center for the Arts) be sure to register for the ticket giveaway. The winners will be drawn tonight at the closing of Open House.

In case you're just joining us, this weekend is NCLAC's 15th annual Holiday Arts Tour, and is a celebration of the arts in north central Louisiana. Over 35 artists, plus 10 musical acts, located at 24 locations around Lincoln Parish, with activities for children and shopping galore-- it's an entertaining weekend for arts enthusiasts. In addition to merchants playing hosts to our region’s talented artists, several of the stores are offering sales on their own merchandise for the Arts Tour weekend. The Chartreuse Pear will have a 20% off sale on Bella Notte Linens, both In Stock & Custom Orders, from November 16th- 30th. On Saturday, Rosemary’s Kitchen will have several local musicians playing live music. This will also be Sample Saturday at Rosemary’s; come by to sample some of their treats and mixes and enjoy snacks and hot cider on the deck. Lewis Boutique will be having a Holiday Arts Tour Sale this weekend, with all colored jeans 30% off, and all coats and sweaters 25% off. Fine Line Art Supply will have 50% off large prints, 25% off stretched canvas, and 25% off oil and acrylic paints.

Holiday Arts Tour is the perfect way to get a jump start on your holiday shopping! Keep your money local, support small business, and cultivate our cultural economy.

The Line-up is Complete! Slaughter and Knopps

Hello there! Today's Holiday Arts Tour post features the remaining two participating artists for this weekend: Joey Slaughter and Matthew Knopps. They will be hosted by Fine Line Art Supply, at 207 North Trenton in downtown Ruston. Joey and Matthew are both involved with Louisiana Tech University: Slaughter is a Studio Art faculty member, and Knopps is an MFA student in the Art Department. They both investigate information in their work, but by different ways and means. In addition, they both choose a media based on the concept at hand, whether installation, painting, sculpture, etc. Versatility? Yes.

Joey Slaughter is primarily a painter, and easily uses traditional and non-traditional processes. Acrylic paint, as well as laser-cut drawings, re-purposed wood and computer-manipulated designs -- each can be seen in his work, allowing "for a play between spontaneity and precision." His recent body of work deals with information: how it would look if we were able to see the waves of communication and information that are invisibly traveling through the air at a given moment, providing immeasurable pleasure as well as countless distractions. Slaughter says: To illustrate the physical presence of all this information, these (abstracted) symbols are then expanded into the 2D and 3D realms through the use of vinyl cutters, laser, and CNC routers. These cut drawings are then combined with painting and other hand-made pieces, resulting in a blend of tight and loose, machine and man.

Matthew Knopps' work for the Tour will be primarily in printmaking, but he also works with installation and photography. His works focuses on the filtering of information. Knopps says: Technology brings new forms of communication. Confronting us with the opportunity to know anything and everything at any given moment. This freedom creates confusion, my work studies these confusions. Through the filtering of imagery and ideas I am able to make sense of this clutter.

We hope you've enjoyed this journey into Holiday Arts Tour 2012, and that you feel ready to take on the big weekend ahead. We truly have a wonderful variety of artists who will be selling their work, and an enjoyable line-up of musicians for Friday and Saturday. When you visit with an artist, surprise him/her by mentioning something you read on our blog. Stay tuned tomorrow for a listing of merchant sales for the weekend! And speaking of sales, Fine Line Art Supply is having a special sale for the weekend...and the store is THE place in town for your art supply and printing needs. And Stitchville, located in the same space, is your one-stop shop for the most beautiful yarn around, as well as cute patterns, sewing notions, and fabric-related classes.

Artists at the Dixie Center

Good afternoon, everyone! Intern Jennifer Downs here--I hope you are as excited as I am about Holiday Arts Tour. In less than two days, we invite you to join us in downtown Ruston and select area studio to celebrate our local artists. This week I want to introduce three painters who will be featured at the Dixie Center for the Arts. The Dixie Center will also serve as the information center for the tour. If you are familiar with downtown Ruston, you may have noticed the theatre at the corner of Trenton and Alabama--that's us! The Dixie Center will also serve as an information center for the tour, by the way, so be sure to stop by in order to pick up your brochure and tour map!

Tour artists who will be featured at the Dixie Center include Jessie Mae Downs, Peter Hay, and Joni Dollar.

Jessie Mae Downs

My little sister Jessie has been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. She is a traditional artist as well as a digital painter.

Her inspiration comes from artists such as Glenn Ryane, on of the main concept artists for Blizzard Entertainment, and Frank Frazetta, a fantasy artist whose skill with lighting and anatomy were unmatched.

She is fascinated by storyboarding and character design, from fantastical monsters and dragons to heroes and villains. She focuses on the intensity of the subject's eyes to convey emotions that are raw and deeply felt.

Peter Hay

Peter Hay is an MFA Studio candidate at Louisiana Tech University. His work exhibits the surrealist style, using images of everyday objects and situations to illustrate allegory.

As an artist, he says that his goal is to continue to grow as a person and let his artwork reflect this growth.

Peter will feature some of his work from his series "Futile Pursuits." He explains that each piece "utilizes the carefully composed surroundings of the main subject or subjects in order to emphasize isolation, futility or separation from reality." His website can be found here and showcases more of his artwork.

Joni Dollar

Joni Dollar is a graduate student of Fine Art at Louisiana Tech University. She works with multiple medias, including painting and printmaking.

She describes her work as a "visual recording of silent stories and experiences of contemporary life" by using forms of nature in her work  "to convey deterioration and decay" In addition, she explains that she wants show viewers "the isolation and alienation that we sometimes feel in times of extreme uncertainty."

Join us November 15-18 and“Celebrate the Tradition” with local artists and artisans. You can call NCLAC’s offices between 9-2 on Monday-Thursday at (318) 255-1450 for more information. Brochures and tour maps are now available! You can pick your brochure and map up from the Dixie Center for the Arts; feel free to by at any time before or during the tour to get one.

Be sure to visit our event at Facebook.com/HolidayArtsTour and “like” it to spread the word!

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Elli's Country Store

Elli's Country Store is a new destination on the Holiday Arts Tour map this year. Located at 3980 Hwy 822 in Dubach, Elli's Country Store is a charming place to visit that offers a variety of items, from lye soap and pillows to barn-wood items and quilts. Owner and artist Renae Dickerson says she built her cabin studio to make "a home for her many projects." She has items on site to use for unique photo opportunities, including a '66 Wildcat and antique farm implements. Renae uses her grandmother's lye soap recipe, which was used 100 years ago on the same land, and enjoys using recycled materials to create work that is both beautiful and useful.

Also at Elli's will be Kimberly Roach, a maker of embellished hair accessories and jewelry. Kim is a full-time pediatric physical therapist and calls herself "a local crafter." She makes ladies' jewelry and infant/girls' feather headbands and hair clips. Her jewelry is made using natural shell, freshwater pearl, and crystal in unique designs with silver tone and copper tone metal chain.  The feather hair accessories are made using beautiful colored curly goose feathers, shabby chic petite flowers, rhinestone and pearl accent flower centers, on either elastic or metal headbands or alligator clips.

Elli's will also be a Sprout Sunday destination on this year's Tour, with a handmade Christmas ornament project for Sprout visitors from noon-4pm. Be sure to visit Elli's and shop with Renae and Kim.  They'll be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Lovely tradition: Hannah's Quilts and Crafts

Jessica here, with another talented artist to be featured during NCLAC's 15th Annual Holiday Arts Tour. The title this year is "Celebrate Tradition" and a visit to Hannah's Quilts and Crafts is a way to do just that.  Hannah Marie Lee is a professional quilter, who has a shop that's truly full-to-the-brim with quilting fabric , supplies and notions. I myself am a maker of things, and wow, a trip to Hannah's is awe-inspiring, as you see a world of visual possibilities. Whether you sew or not, the shop is a treat, with its 2000 of bolts of fabric, but also with Hannah's remarkable quilts. She has a long arm quilting machine, which she uses to create her own quilts, but also to quilt for others. That's right! If you are unable (or unwilling) to quilt like your grandma, Hannah can do it for you! A passed-down quilt is a special token that can be used and treasured for generations.  Hannah works in both traditional and more contemporary quilting styles, with a wide range of patterns and color schemes. She also offers classes and kits, and is a kind, gracious hostess.

Hannah's store is located off I-20 exit #93 and is 4.1 miles from Choudrant, on Highway 145. Hannah has been quilting for over 20 years. Hannah's Quilts carries rulers, patterns, magazines, books, threads, fusion, batting, extra wide fabrics, and just about everything any quilter would need at very competitive pricing. Hannah welcomes groups or the casual browser Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PM and Saturdays 9AM-2PM.

For next week's Tour, Hannah will open her studio on both Saturday and Sunday, November 17-18, from 11am-5pm. Be sure to make the drive out to her place, as it's like no other.

Holiday Arts Tour

Sierra Rasberry at RE/MAX

Jessica here. Like many of you, when Frothy Monkey closed I was very disappointed: 1, because there was no more coffee downtown, and 2, because the location was great and I hated to see it unused. Well now, I'm happy to say, Brandon Crume of RE/MAX Realty has opened shop in the Frothy's former location, and he's made a wonderful transformation. The space is amazing-- a very contemporary, sleek aesthetic with beautiful lighting....AND even better, he's jumping right into the downtown Ruston scene by joining NCLAC for Holiday Arts Tour! His featured artist next weekend will be Sierra Rasberry, a student of Architecture at Louisiana Tech University. In talking about her first involvement with the arts, Sierra said:

I was pretty introverted as a child, so the word “bored” never entered my vocabulary. I was always exploring, drawing, and looking at the beautiful world around me. My mother always stressed how important beauty was in the world (she was a professional make-up artist). My mother enrolled me into an out-of-school weekly art class when I was 6 and I stayed there for years. Melanie King (my first art teacher) and my great-grandmother, Audie Brown, are the main sources of my creative motivation from early on. They taught me to never fear messing up and to simply create for the joy of it!

Sierra will be displaying a variety of work, including fiber arts, sculpture and prints. Be sure to stop in and visit her at RE/MAX. This is her first year participating with Holiday Arts Tour, so be sure to check out her work and give both she and Brandon a warm welcome.

Warm and Sweet: Joni McDonald at Social Bites

Jessica here. Today I'm happy to tell you about Joni Hunter McDonald, who will be selling her hand-tied scarves at Social Bites for Holiday Arts Tour next week. I first met Joni years ago at a craft fair where we both had booths. She was, and is, a cute, bubbly personality who "builds" scarves that are as cute and bright as she is.  She calls her line j. melcena, in honor of her grandmother, Jessie Melcena Williamson Hunter. Joni says her grandmother taught her how to read, how to sew, how to cook, and how to be creative.  Sounds like a pretty important lady! Joni says, "j.melcena is my way of honoring this precious woman."

Joni uses vivid and bold color combinations in her scarves. In combining fibers, such as wool, silk and cotton, with assorted weights, such as laceweight and bulky, Joni is able to make very unique scarves that make a fun statement. She also creates custom orders, which opens up a world of possibility for gift-giving.

Joni will be displaying her scarves at Social Bites of Ruston, located on the corner of Vienna and Mississippi. Social Bites is Ruston's newest dessert hot-spot. Cookies, cupcakes, petits fours, you name it---beautiful AND super tasty. Heather Bailey has created a busy little bakery that customizes in cakes and cookies for all occasions, from birthdays to weddings. The space is bright and cheerful,  a perfect match for j. melcena scarves.

Be sure to mark your calendars for November 15-18, when NCLAC's Holiday Arts Tour spreads throughout Ruston. "Like" our facebook page to stay up to date on all Holiday Arts Tour activities.