2025 Apsley Studio Tour: Come and Meet Your Creative Neighbours!

By Rachel Conlin

Artist Studio Tours in Ontario have been around since the early 1980’s, with the first being established in 1979.  Many have come and gone since, but some, like the Apsley Studio Tour, continue to flourish.  This dynamic tour, set in the North Kawarthas and now in its 32nd year is well known for its ‘look behind the scenes’ of exemplary local artists and their guests.   The scenic drive alone, along back roads abounding with fall colours and shimmering waterways, is enough to entice anyone on the excursion.  But it is the artists that truly make this tour special.

With a mix of celebrated artists and emerging newcomers alike, the Apsley Studio Tour is renowned for its diversity in creative style and quality artisanship.  Disciplines include pottery, painting, woodwork, furniture, jewellery, glass art, fibre art, textiles, metal work, mosaics, pyrography, beekeeping, felting and dyeing. Words cannot say it all; within each discipline there is a multitude of styles making the Apsley Studio Tour so distinctive and so very interesting.

This year, the tour welcomes four new artists and two new locations, plus two returning artists. The artists are friendly and welcoming, and many tour members will be doing live demonstrations throughout the weekend, sharing the fascinating way in which their art is made and their passion for creating.  As a visitor, you will experience a glimpse into the lives, studios and works of these interesting people. Demonstrations include glass-blowing (Studio F), painting (B), jewelry making techniques (E), felting on a felting mill (O), needle and nuno felting (E), mosaic prep (G) and pottery wheel throwing on a dock (H)!

The Apsley Studio Tour boasts 33 artists displaying and selling their unique, one of a kind art at 12 different studio locations dabbled around lakes and through forests from the Apsley area to Coe Hill and surrounding areas.  The event takes place on Saturday Sept. 20 & Sunday Sept. 21, 2025, from 10am to 5pm both days.  It is a self-guided tour, in which the guest can choose which studios they wish to visit.  Along the way enjoy local restaurants, a picnic at the beach or park, or stay at local accommodations. For more information on the Apsley Studio Tour and its wonderful artists visit our home page at apsleystudiotour.com where you can also download the mobile Toureka! App for an easy to use planning and mapping tool to navigate the tour.