Mark your calendar for Oracle's 19th annual artist studio tour next weekend.
Tour days are April 9 and 10, with all working studios, galleries, historic ranches and group venues open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The self-guided tour begins at the welcome center, 1880 W. American Ave., where works by nearly 40 artists and artisans will be displayed and visitors can pick up a tour map.
A diverse selection of art techniques and media, from abstract to classic and functional to whimsical, is planned. Media will include wall art in oil, watercolor, acrylic, giclee, encaustic, and mixed media; photographic prints; and silver and gold jewelry with semiprecious stones, beads and crocheted pearls.
Also featured will be porcelain, stoneware, raku, and ceramic pieces; hand-built and wheel-thrown clay; woodcraft; textiles; metal sculpture; paper-mâché and journaling books; art books and rammed earth.
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Several studios have scheduled demonstrations and art talks as well.
Go to www.oraclestudiotour.com for a downloadable tour map and links to many artist websites. The driving route will be posted with directional signs, making it easy to find studio locations in the community's neighborhoods and along mountain-view roads.
Oracle is 35 miles northeast of Tucson on Highway 77 (mile marker 100). The welcome center is four-tenths of a mile from the Highway 77 turnoff.
Also of interest during the weekend, "Key Ingredients: America by Food," a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, will be open at the Oracle Historical Society's Acadia Ranch Museum.
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