The Garrett County Art Glass Tour, now an annual event, is scheduled for this coming weekend, August 3 - August 5. Hours are 10am to 5pm each day. This is a free self guided tour of three local glass studios and galleries, all within a ten mile radius.
Each studio depicts a different glass art form. Lou DiCarlo works with Stained Glass. At his gallery you will find Tiffany style lamp shades, colorful windows, jewelry boxes, sun catchers, clocks and other items. He is located in Mountain Lake Park, just outside of Oakland.
Simon Pearce Gallery is internationally known for beautiful blown glass items. Perfect clear glass tableware is the trademark for this studio. At Simon Pearce there is a catwalk for visitors to view the action of the teams of glassblowers. Simon Pearce is also in Mountain Lake Park off of Route 135.
Snowbird Creations Glass Studio, which I've written about before, features art glass that has been fused or melted in a kiln. Julie Turrentine is the artisan and she has a diverse glass gallery and fully equipped studio on site. Her dichroic glass jewelry is her trademark, but she also enjoy creating large glass sculptures, glass paintings and designer tableware. Her studio is located in the Sky Valley vicinity in Swanton.
This weekend is a unique opportunity for visitors to step inside the workplace of three very unique glass studios, meet the artists, and purchase handcrafted artwork.
More information concerning the tour, as well as directions for the tour can be found at the Visitors Center in McHenry, the Garrett County Arts Council Art Gallery, The Train Station, and many other local businesses. Each glass gallery will also have guides for visitors to use. Call 301-387-4624 for more information.