Leslie Calimeri works in her studio at the Chautauqua Art Gallery in Lakewood.

The North Shore Arts Alliance announces that the 11th annual Chautauqua-Lake Erie Art Trail Open Studio and Gallery Tour will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-26.

This juried event presents regional artists working in their studios or available at a gallery hub from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Each year, the event allows the public to discover places where artists work, ask questions about their creative process and find new treasures to enjoy at home. It draws thousands of visitors who follow the tour route from Forestville to Lakewood, through Westfield and Mayville and along Chautauqua Lake where they can stop at participating studios as well as discover the restaurants, wineries, breweries, galleries and shops along the way.

The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Art Trail welcomes five new participating artists to the 2019 tour, including Marvin Bjurlin (ceramics and sculpture), Leslie Calimeri (painting), owner of the Chautauqua Art Gallery in Lakewood, Rhonda Lee (wood) and Ted Lee (ceramics) from Lee’s Wood ‘n Ceramics in Fredonia, and Susan Gutierrez (painting) from Jamestown. They will join 16 returning artists including Dale Anderson, Thomas Annear, Bonnie Beyer, Riko Chandra, Audrey Kay Dowling, Kirsten Engstrom, Nancy Nixon Ensign, Katherine Galbraith, Karen Glosser, James Hoggard, Tom Janik, Mary Ann Jankowski, Marcia Merrins, Cynthia Norton, Pat Reno and Denise Williams-Stebbins.

As the North Shore Arts Alliance’s signature event, the Open Studio and Gallery Tour showcases professional artists from the Chautauqua County region whose work represents a variety of media: painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, fiber arts, wood, and mixed media. It allows artists to meet new collectors in a unique, personal setting and is a strong relationship-building event that increases awareness of local artists while offering exceptional art for sale. Also new to the 2019 event will be an educational opportunity at a kiln site on Newell Road in Dunkirk where artist Marvin Bjurlin and area potters will be actively firing pottery in a large wood-fired kiln called an anagama.

The North Shore Arts Alliance is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit co-operative marketing, promotional, and membership organization working on behalf of artists in Chautauqua County. In addition to the annual Art Trail event, the organization presents several artist member exhibitions throughout the county and seeks to foster an environment where art strengthens the county’s image, economic vitality, and quality of life.