Putney, Vermont was settled in 1753. Among the early settlers were owners of grist and sawmills who took advantage of Sacketts Brook as it flows through Putney’s center and other surrounding bodies of water. In 1978 woodcut artist, Margot Torrey, organized the first craft tour. The Putney area has long been the home of artists and craftspeople and Torrey wanted to draw local attention to the artists and their works.
This year, 27 artists who create botanical prints, ceramic sculpture and pottery, hand blown glass, hand dyed cotton fabric and quilts, handmade cheese, hand wrought ironwork, metalworking and jewelry, oil painting, sculptured handmade tiles, stained glass, woodworking, and wood carvings welcome visitors into their studios and galleries. They are all happy to answer questions, and many of them work on pieces during the event, explaining and demonstrating their craft.
A printable version of a map of studios taking part in the tour is available on the Putney Craft Tour website. Maps can also be picked up at any studio on the tour and various locations in town. Since the tour is self-guided, you decide whether you want to visit each studio in numerical order or focus on those of artists whose work most appeals to you. The tour draws about 2,000 visitors.
The meal offered for all three days of the tour at the Westminister West church in the center of Westminister, a big bowl of soup and a roll or piece of cornbread, is an institutution. There are several soups on the menu including a vegetarian soup. A variety of homemade desserts are also available for sale.
For the past several years, we have enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal with friends on Friday. They visit us for the weekend and on Saturday we take a leisurely drive from studio to studio. We make a point of visiting our favorite artists, including John Ewald and Peggy O’Toole and their sculptured handmade tiles, Ken Pick and his pottery, Vermont Shepherd Cheese, David Mischke and his pottery, and Maggie Lake and her exquisite botanical prints.