Artist Communities In The U.S.

7 Interesting Artist Communities In The US

I always find it interesting to explore new places and communities but I especially enjoy seeing what kind of culture and local traditions are in any towns or cities that I visit. I have listed some of the places I have experienced myself along with others that I hope to get to someday. Western North Carolina, where I have lived for the last year and a half, has some very deeply rooted art and craft traditions that I find fascinating. There are many small, locally run studios all throughout this beautiful, mountainous region to explore. The following list is but a small sampling of the artist communities in this diverse country of ours.

1. Door County, Wisconsin – I thought I would start with an area near to where I lived most of my life. This area of the state is well-known for its talented artists and you will find artistic creations of every type you can imagine.  Because it is located on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan, much of the art is inspired by the local natural beauty. 
2. Grand Marais, Minnesota – As long as we are talking about the midwest, I thought I would let you know that you’ll find Minnesota’s oldest artist colony in a renovated church on Lake Superior’s North Shore. It is a non-profit, began in 1947 and offers many different types of classes to educate artists of all skill levels. In the summer, it sponsors the Grand Marais Arts Festival.
3. Jerome, Arizona – This cool little community is a former ghost town located high atop Cleopatra Hill between Sedona and Prescott. It has not changed much in the last 100 years since many of the old buildings from the late 1890s are still standing and occupied by local proprietors. During the 60’s and 70’s, artists discovered this nearly abandoned ghost town and it became a thriving, eclectic artist community. 
4. Santa Fe, New Mexico –  There are more than 300 galleries and a dozen museums including the Georgia O’Keefe Museumin this beautiful town surrounded by mountains. It has become a great place for creative types to settle because of its offbeat feel and the relative peace and quiet that can be found here.
5. Santa Cruz, California – This is a hip, somewhat eccentric beach town that has something for (almost) everyone. There are lots of cool little shops and it has the definite feel of a free-spirited college town. With the redwoods nearby to inspire the local artists, there is a lot to love about this place.
6. Asheville, North Carolina – This town is close to where I now call home and has the River Arts District with more than 200 artists and their studios spread out along a one mile stretch of the beautiful French Broad River. There is the opportunity to explore arts, food and breweries here so plan to make a day of it.
7. The Sweet Blossom Gifts artist community – This is a community of talented female artists spread throughout the United States who create each piece by hand and with the utmost care and love for their craft. They have been hand-selected so that we may have a wide array of beautiful, high-quality personalized gifts available all in one convenient online store. We offer hand-stamped jewelry, leather goods, jewelry for moms and grandmothers, memorial jewelry and much more!

Please watch for upcoming blogs featuring our individual artists within the Sweet Blossom Gifts artist community.

- Susan