More than 45 artists will open their studios to the public during the annual Turquoise Trail Studio Tour, scheduled for the last two weekends of September along one of New Mexico’s most scenic routes.
The self-guided tour runs Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, featuring painters, sculptors, jewelers, photographers, ceramicists, fiber artists, glass artists and other artisans working along the 65-mile stretch of Highway 14.
The route traverses the nationally designated Scenic Byway of the Turquoise Trail through historic mining towns between Santa Fe and Cedar Crest, allowing visitors to see artists in their natural habitats while taking in the high-desert landscape.
Featured stops along the tour include Origami In The Garden in Cerrillos, where artists Kevin and Jennifer Box offer special tours of their sculpture garden featuring monumental origami-inspired sculptures. Other participating artists include glass artist Sandra Auestad, jewelry designer Lucy Barna, and longtime tour participants Barbara Harnack, Glen Neff, Michael Lancaster, Lori Swartz, Michael Wright and Kenneth Wolverton.
The current iteration of the tour began in 2021 as artists sought to reconnect with the community following COVID-19 shutdowns. The all-volunteer, artist-managed event replaced previous tours that had operated under various names over 20 years, including the Madrid Studio Tour and Cerrillos Studio Tour.
Jennifer Box, who co-owns Origami In The Garden with her husband Kevin, serves as one of the tour organizers. Last year’s event drew visitors from more than 15 states and several international locations, with some artists seeing 30 to 50 visitors daily.
The tour highlights the region’s complex multicultural artistic heritage, which includes Native American pottery and jewelry makers from the original San Marcos Pueblo, Spanish colonial traditions, and contemporary artists drawn to the area’s distinctive landscape of red rock formations and high desert vistas.
Participating communities include Santa Fe, Cerrillos, Madrid and Cedar Crest. The tour now features 49 artists working in diverse mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, glass art and jewelry making. Visitors can obtain brochures and maps at any artist studio to plan their route through the historic mining towns and scenic landscape. An interactive tour map showing all participating studios is available at turquoisetrailstudiotour.com/map.
Highway 14 received the National Scenic Byways designation in 2005 through efforts by the Turquoise Trail Association. The free, self-guided tour allows visitors to observe live demonstrations, meet artists and purchase artwork directly from creators. Maps and additional information are available at turquoisetrailstudiotour.com.
