Mixed Media
28th Annual Eldorado Studio Tour
If visiting 72 open studios to see work by more than 100 artists over the course of a single weekend sounds daunting, the good news is you can tailor the 28th Annual Eldorado Studio Tour to your own interests — be they in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, fiber art, glass art, ceramics, jewelry, or a host of other media. The largest self-guided artist studio tour in New Mexico covers a lot of ground: The community of Eldorado occupies nearly 21 square miles of territory, and one look at the map proves that this census-designated community is a haven for artists.
If you want to get a taste of what you’ll see on the tour, a preview exhibition opens with a 5 p.m. reception at the Eldorado Community Center (1 Hacienda Loop) on Friday, May 17. There, you can talk to artists and see examples of their work.
The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, and the preview show is open both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
But where to begin? You can follow the tour in numerical order or mix it up. It’s up to you. An alphabetical listing of participating artists is available in the brochure, which can be downloaded (a detailed map is also available) at eldoradoarts.org/brochuremap. The Eldorado Arts & Crafts Association, the tour sponsor, also lists artists by genre on the site, so you can zero in on what you’re looking for and plan ahead.
The tour is free, but you’re on your own for lunch. Area restaurants Cafe Fina (624 Old Las Vegas Highway, 505-466-3886, cafefinasantafe.com) and Arable (7 Avenida Vista Grande, 505-303-3816, arablesantafe.com) serve up modern American comfort foods and locally sourced fare; La Plancha de Eldorado (7 Caliente Road, 505-466-2060, laplanchadeeldorado.com) features Latin dishes in a casual setting. Visit eldoradoarts.org for more information. — Michael Abatemarco