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SALT LAKE CITY — Art lovers and collectors will have the rare opportunity to peek inside the private studios of some of Utah’s best artists this Saturday during the first-ever Utah Masters Fine Art Tour.
The event is similar to the Parade of Homes and offers visitors the ability to step inside and see the spaces where the creativity happens and masterpieces are created.
Fifteen artist studios will be open to the public and the tour, which goes from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, is free.
The event includes sculptors like Blair Buswell, known for his work on the busts for Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees. Over the last 30 years, he has created more than 95 busts of NFL football players.
Visitors to Buswell’s studio will also be treated to a display of his other sculpture work, including busts of Presidents Thomas S. Monson and Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Husband and wife artists Shari and Howard Lyon will also be opening their studio for the tour.
At their studio, visitors will see some of the original artwork for Magic: The Gathering — a card game played by millions globally.
Howard has been an artist for the game over the last several years and had the opportunity to travel the world sharing his talent.
Whenever he travels he draws large crowds hoping to get an autograph.
“Last time we were in Japan, we were in Kyoto, and we had a line about four hours long, which was unbelievable,” he said. “It was people just waiting to get an autograph.”
We just thought there needed to be a way that we could highlight some of the really fun, amazing talent that we have in the state.
–Shari Lyon, an organizer of the studio tours
Shari Lyon is one of the organizers of the studio tours. She and other artists collaborated on organizing this first-ever tour to some of the places Utah master artists work.
“We just thought there needed to be a way that we could highlight some of the really fun, amazing talent that we have in the state,” she said.
Other artists who will open their studios are:
- Joseph Brickey
- Ryan Brown
- Casey Childs
- Michael Coleman
- David Dibble
- Ben Hammond
- Cristall Harper
- J. Kirk Richards
- Gary E. Smith
- Bryan Mark Taylor
- Jane Anne Woodhead
Visitors can plan their itinerary according to location and interest. The Utah County tour is free and no RSVP is required.
A map of studio locations can be found here.
Organizers said they plan to hold the event each November but participating artists could vary.
