Bainbridge Island Studio Tour

BY ISABELLE HAINES

PHOTOS COURTESY BI STUDIO TOUR

Long an island mainstay, this year’s Bainbridge Island Studio Tour is a little extra special. The free, self-guided art tour, which has been going strong since the early days of the Reagan administration, is marking its 40th anniversary. Just in time for the holidays, artists from Bainbridge and beyond are gearing up for another great show.

What’s changed in the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour’s 40-year run? When you get right down to it, not much. Through thick, thin and even a pandemic, the bi-annual art show has stuck to its warm, cozy roots.

“We have our little tagline that says ‘the heart of local art,’” said Dinah Satterwhite, who has managed the Studio Tour for the past 12 years. Her own work — photography and at one point silk painting — has been featured in the show for about 25 years. Like many others, Satterwhite found a local art community through the Studio Tour and is now helping others find their way into that same community.

The unique pleasure of the Studio Tour is right there in its name: The show gives customers (and looky-loos too) an invitation to explore some of the home studios and gardens of Bainbridge artists. The summer iteration of the show, which takes place during the second weekend of August, is a breezy, backyard affair. The winter tour takes place during the first weekend of December in rented community halls and studios across the island. This is Bainbridge Island at its best; a chatty, homespun snow globe.

The Studio Tour is also, as local art shows go, idiosyncratic. The show prioritizes artists from Bainbridge as well as from our neighbors west of the island, plus it requires all participating artists to attend for the entire weekend. Satterwhite said that the only exception she recalls was when a pregnant artist went into early labor just ahead of the show, and in that case, her parents stepped in to take over. The conversations between artist and patron are one of the Studio Tour’s great strengths, said Satterwhite, who attests to the relationships she’s seen grow over the years.

“Customers get engaged and, especially if they bought something, they feel kind of enriched that they’ve met you,” said Satterwhite. “We did so well after COVID, I think, because of those connections— people blew the roof off their sales.”

To be featured in the Studio Tour, each artist’s body of work is carefully juried. The artwork is evaluated using four criteria: originality, quality, craftsmanship and hand and spirit.

What’s hand and spirit you ask?

“The hand and spirit of the artist goes back to uniqueness,” said Satterwhite. “We’re looking [for a reflection] of your personality and something that’s unique to you that you’re putting into your artwork.”

It’s how attendees come across pieces like felted bird masks, welded cranes, dahlia paintings and bespoke dolls, all in the same show—the singularity and skill is part of the reason that so many customers keep coming back year after year.

“I’ve heard many, many times that people can count on the quality,” Satterwhite said. “I ask, ‘Oh, do you go to other shows?’ and they say very few, because you really don’t know if you’re going to get somebody’s first time making pottery, or somebody who has refined their instrument.”

It’s the artists, too, who keep coming back, sometimes for decades. Satterwhite recalled her own first Studio Tour 25 years ago. During that weekend, she found herself instantly embedded in a community of artists who were willing to give advice and assistance to a newcomer. “Some of those people from my first studio are still my best friends,” she said, “whether they’re still doing art or not.”

Now, as Studio Tour manager, Satterwhite is the one coaching new artists. She helps with everything from taking better photos of their art to pricing their work. She said that bringing in that new talent—and welcoming back old friends—is part of what keeps the Studio Tour exciting.

“Artists get a bad rap as being sometimes flaky and flighty,” said Satterwhite. “I haven’t really found that. I’ve found that people are just very genuine. They’re in this because it’s their passion, and they want to share that passion with others.”