PUTNEY, Vt. – The Putney Craft Tour, the oldest continuous craft tour in the country held during the long Thanksgiving Weekend, draws thousands to artisans’ studios to experience where art begins and purchase one of a kind works. This year the 42nd Putney Craft Tour will come straight into people’s homes, offering “tour-goers” the opportunity to shop and browse the collection virtually. This year’s online tour will feature 19 artisans, including glassblowers, potters, jewelers, weavers, painters, woodworkers, artisan cheesemakers, and winemakers.
The virtual tour kicks off Friday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. and continues throughout the weekend until Sunday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. The tour’s website will be open for browsing in advance, but the artisans’ online stores will not be open until Friday morning. The tour has produced short videos of each the artists, which is a great way to engage with the artists, to discover their secrets, and to browse their collections. Several of the artists will be available by appointment to share their work via a Zoom call.
Each year the tour also partners with Sandglass Theater and Next Stage Arts. This year is no different. Sandglass Theater artists Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller will conduct an hour of puppet making for the whole family. During this free, online workshop, they will create a beautiful little shadow box and animate two-dimensional puppets on a screen. To participate go to their website for a materials list. The workshop will be available at www.sandglasstheater.org.
Several of the Putney Craft Tour artists will also open their Vermont studios to visitors with set appointments. Please go to www.putneycrafts.com for more information.
Before planning a visit to Vermont, visitors are encouraged to go to www.healthvermont.gov/response/coronavirus-covid-19/traveling-vermont.