The 18th annual West Bay Open Studios Tour sends visitors to working studios across Warwick, North Kingstown and East Greenwich on Nov. 7 and 8. The self-guided format lets visitors set their own pace; the Warwick Beacon reports the move from the tour’s longtime late-October slot was intended to avoid a scheduling clash with another art fair.
The tour runs Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the Warwick Center for the Arts. The tour’s site, westbayopenstudios.com, describes it as a self-guided event across the three towns, where visitors can go at their own pace. The warwickonline.com piece that prompted this look says the tour takes place rain or shine.
The tour formerly occupied the fourth weekend of October. The date changed to avoid competing with the Wickford Art Association’s fall art fair, the Warwick Beacon reports. The fair, held Oct. 24-25 at Gooseneck Vineyard in North Kingstown, featured 60 artists from across the Northeast and was free to the public, according to the North Star Reporter.
What the November Dates Could Mean
Rebecca Hamilton Stockdill, a co-owner of Studio 36 and an East Greenwich artist, hopes the November dates will help sales by putting the tour closer to the holidays and in shoppers’ minds, the Beacon reports. Studio 36, an independent art supply store in East Greenwich, opened in June and offers painting classes and workshops.
At Studio 36, Stockdill and Jesse Hashagen plan a Saturday demonstration: each will paint a still life in 30 minutes. The tour’s website says artists will also host demonstrations and give artist talks.
A Look at the Artists and Their Work
The participating artists work in painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, calligraphy, fiber, weaving and woodworking. The Beacon reports that Debbie Ferrazzoli is the sole North Kingstown artist on this year’s tour. Judy Hummel operates Changing Tides, a waterfront shop near Ponaug Marina in Apponaug that also serves as a weaving studio. She has run it since 2000 and specializes in Nantucket baskets with wood bases and tight cane weaves. The Bay Magazine quotes Hummel saying, “90 percent of my shop is made in New England.”
East Greenwich studios include those of fiber artist Janet Austin and woodworker Kim Boekelheide. Boekelheide makes wooden lamps and stools as well as advent calendars with 25 magnetized wooden doors that conceal treats. Each calendar takes about 45 hours to assemble; he has one for sale, with orders for new ones coming in 2027, the Beacon reports.
The tour also includes calligrapher Jane Rollins, owner of Scribe on Main Street, who is returning after a few years away as one of the original members. Painters Donna Mazzone and Dan Lake are new this year.
The $100 Incentive
Visitors who visit all 15 artists at 12 locations can enter to win a $100 gift certificate, according to the tour’s website. The Beacon reports that artists created a card to be stamped at each studio; the winner can spend the prize on art from any participating studio.
The tour's organizers say visitors can meet artists where they create, learn about their processes, view works in progress and find original artwork for sale. The tour's admission price was not confirmed, though a prior tour was reported by East Greenwich News as free and open to the public. A tour map is available through the tour's site.
What State Tourism Figures Can—and Can’t—Show
The Governor’s Office says Rhode Island welcomed 29.4 million visitors who spent $6 billion statewide in 2024. Those annual statewide figures provide broad tourism context, but do not establish fall or early-winter activity, attendance at the West Bay tour or sales by its artists.
