Although the popular image of artists may be most widely associated with black-clad urban dwellers, a lot of creative activity also takes place in more rural settings. A case in point is the western part of Rhode Island, where 40 artists from Foster, Glocester, and Scituate will open their studios to visitors this Saturday, November 3.

Painter and printmaker Mary Akylas Harman, a transplant from Boston, says there's a larger artistic community in the greater Foster area than most people would suspect. "If you think about it, it makes sense," she says. "There are great homes with great spaces. It's kind of a hidden community. And there's a long history of people from RISD coming out here."

The official starting point for the open studios event is the South Foster Volunteer Fire Station on Route 94, just north of Route 6, where maps for a self-guided tour, free cider, coffee, and restrooms will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be demonstrations of glass blowing, stone carving, printmaking, wood working, and other skills, and artists will offer for sale paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, fine furniture, and other works. The event will conclude with a suitably noisy celebration from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring a silent auction, free food, and the music of the Parallel String Band, at the South Foster Volunteer Fire Station. For more detailed information, check www.fosteringarts.org.

The event's sponsor is the Foster Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit group that was established in 1999 to bring people together in northwest Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut to talk about the arts and enjoy music. The foundation's programs include the Peeptoad Coffeehouse at the North Foster Baptist Church, which attracts musicians such as Cheryl Wheeler (November 23) and John Gorka and Tom Paxton (February 4, 2002).

For artists like Harman, the foundation has strengthened her sense of community and helped her to make new friends. As she says, "At the end of the day, you know there are other artists out here to talk to." With the open studios, even city folks will have a chance to join the fold this weekend.

Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com.

Issue Date: November 2 - 8, 2001