By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
Recently I spoke with Vicki McFarland, a local artist, board member of the Chatham-Kent Arts Council, and chair of the CK Artists Studio Tour.
The fourth annual Studio Tour, presented by the CK Arts Council, is the largest one yet. It takes place May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and May 31 from noon to 4 p.m. During that weekend, artists across six communities in Chatham-Kent open their studios and welcome visitors into their creative spaces. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet local artists, learn about what they do, see their work up close, and in some locations even try your hand at creating something yourself.
Stops on the tour include Walpole Island, Wallaceburg, Dresden, Chatham, Blenheim, and Ridgetown. You can visit as few or as many studios as you like. There is no admission fee and no schedule to follow—just explore at your own pace and experience art wherever your curiosity leads you.
This year’s tour includes 26 stops, many featuring multiple artists, with more than 50 artists participating in total. Joni and I have attended each year, and every visit has been fascinating. Whether visiting a single-artist studio or one of the shared artist hubs, the conversations are always engaging. Those hubs often lead to discussions that move beyond technique and into the broader role the arts play in our communities.
This year is also the first time musicians, authors, and even a podcaster have joined the visual artists on the tour. Vicki and her committee hope to continue expanding the range of participants in future years, reflecting the full creative landscape of CK.
I asked Vicki why the CK Arts Council hosts the Studio Tour. She explained that one goal is to bring the artistic community and the broader public together to experience the arts collectively and to better understand how deeply creativity is woven into Chatham-Kent. The tour helps residents recognize just how rich our arts community truly is.
Artists also contribute far more to the local economy than many people realize—think of the restaurants that benefit whenever there is a theatre performance, concert, dance production, or gallery opening. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Less visible, but just as important, is the role the arts play in supporting mental health and strengthening community connection. The CK Artists Studio Tour remains free to attend thanks to volunteers and community support, and donations to the CK Arts Council directly help make events like this possible across Chatham-Kent.
That broader impact of the arts is visible across many disciplines in CK—not only in studios, but on our stages as well.
As I mentioned in my last column, I recently had the pleasure of playing tuba with the Chatham Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Devon Hansen, at St. Andrew’s United Church. The church was packed for the latest Saturday’s at 7 concert, and the choirs that preceded the orchestra were beautiful.
The fact that a community the size of Chatham supports an orchestra—especially in this era—is truly an accomplishment. An ensemble of more than 30 musicians from across CK performing challenging works by the masters is genuinely inspiring.
To make the mental-health benefits of the arts more tangible, I will share a brief story about Devon. I have noticed that whenever he is conducting—whether in rehearsal or performance—he is smiling. The day after the concert he shared that he had been dealing with two significant losses in his life at the time of the performance. It never showed—but the music clearly helped carry him through the evening.
As Devon reflected, “Music has a way of meeting us exactly where we are, saying what we cannot, and holding us when words fall short.” I would suggest that all art has a way of doing that.
Closer to home, the fact that a community the size of Wallaceburg supports a 60-piece Wallaceburg Concert Band is equally remarkable.
These ensembles contribute enormously to the lives of their musicians and to the fabric of the community itself. One of the greatest strengths of the performing arts is their ability to bring people together to work toward a shared artistic goal.
That same spirit of connection is what makes the Studio Tour such a meaningful event. It brings the arts community together. Building that collaboration is not just part of the mandate of the CK Arts Council—it is at the core of what the organization exists to do.
This is an absolutely fantastic event to expose your children to a wide variety of arts. It may even be the catalyst that leads to a lifetime of creative passion.
The CK Artists Studio Tour is one of the easiest ways to experience just how much creativity surrounds us every day in this community. Pick a stop—or several—and see what your neighbours are creating.
Information, including maps and brochures, will be available through the CK Arts Council Facebook page, local libraries, and participating studios in early May.
