OCTOBER 24, 2012
Arizona’s largest art studio tour marks 16 years with more artists, studios, events
CAVE CREEK – It draws residents, visitors, patrons and art enthusiasts from across the Valley and across the nation every year. The Sonoran Arts League’s Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour and Sale is Arizona’s largest and most popular six-day art studio tour. It’s held the last two weekends in November throughout Cave Creek, Carefree and north Scottsdale.
Originally created by Sonoran Arts League in 1975 as the Cave Creek Craft Council, Hidden in the Hills (HITH) has evolved into the League’s flagship event.
The HITH self guided tour provides opportunities for interaction with more than 160 Sonoran Art League artists at nearly 50 neighborhood studios. Paintings, sculptures, jewelry and mixed media creations -- everything from abstract art to wearable art – can be purchased before, during and after the tour.
“In 2011 we had more traffic, sales and commissions than ever before,” said HITH co-chair Pamela Mangelsdorf. “We definitely made an economic impact and expect 2012 to be even better with record numbers of artists and studios participating.”
Mangelsdorf works in watercolors, oil and acrylics. She’s on the Tour in Studio 27.
Yearly, members of Sonoran Arts League compete for the privilege of having their art featured on the cover of the award-winning Hidden in the Hills Directory. An elaborate mixed media gourd mask by Jane Boggs was selected for 2012.
Boggs’ mask was picked from the works of nearly 90 Sonoran Art League artists. “I’m excited and honored,” Boggs said. “It’s the first time a three-dimensional piece has been chosen.”
Boggs and four other Sonoran Arts League artists will be designing and offering their creations at Studio 38.
Added to this year’s tour is an exhibition by Cave Creek Unified School District students.
Sonoran Arts League, a long-time supporter of student art and provider of art scholarships, will feature a Youth Art Exhibition at the Desert Foothills Library – also known as Studio 1. Select pieces by budding young artists from kindergarten through senior high school will be displayed.
Also scheduled is a bus tour for more than 50 Cactus Shadows High School art students and their teachers, compliments of Sonoran Arts League on Friday, November 16.
The bus will be loaded with advanced placement art seniors, promising art students from juniors on down to freshmen and several International Baccalaureate students with an interest in art.
The League’s intent is to show off studios with a variety of work and connect students with artists. Some studios also offer hands-on experiences.
2012 Chairman Karen Budan oversees the flow, structure and logistics of HITH, which will enable the community to meet the largest group of artists in the event’s history. “This is a thrill for me,” Budan said. “To be among such a wide variety of professional artists who have dedicated their lives to art or have made second careers of becoming artists is amazing. I love sharing the excitement with so many appreciative people.”
HITH is held the last two weekends in November: Friday through Sunday, Nov. 16-18 and Friday through Sunday. Nov.23-25. Hours: 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free. Tour is self guided.
For maps, HITH Artist Directory or Information: www.hidddeninthehills.org.
Social Media: www.facebook.com/hiddeninthehills; www.twitter.com/sonoranartsleague.
Phone: 480 575-6624. Address: 6051 E. Hidden Valley Drive, Cave Creek and P.O. Box 1689, Cave Creek, AZ 85327. Web: www.sonoranartsleague.org
