Arts Eats & Beats Studio Tour

The Grand Bend Studio Tour began 12 years ago through the vision of Glen and Janette Baillie. As the years have passed, the tour has grown to include the outlying area with stops as far as Parkhill, Hensall, St. Joseph’s and now adding Exeter and Bayfield.

The Baillies are looking to a well-deserved retirement and are passing the reins to Winona Bailey, while also rebranding to recognize the success of the tour, which now includes artists, food and music from three counties. The Arts, Eats & Beats Studio Tour will run May 14-15 and include stops across Lambton Shores, Middlesex and Huron Counties.

Bailey got involved in 2019 when five one nine prints and frames, where she works as Creative Lead and Designer and sells her own paintings, photography and multimedia, had its grand opening as part of that year’s Studio Tour.

The date was chosen to coincide with Paint Ontario to make it a true celebration of the arts in the area. There will be at least 10 studio stops and eight restaurants, with another 15 or more artists displaying at breweries and restaurants for the weekend. In total, Bailey expects there will be 30 or 40 different stops on the tour. The date will also serve to kick off the busy summer season and give a marketing head start for all of the individual artists.

The goal of the tour is to provide a co-operative marketing framework where the individual artists can gain more attention as part of a larger initiative and it has been successful over the years. “We are so grateful to Glen and Janette for their leadership vision and hard work over the years,” says Bailey.

The group is now working on a new website and some updated signs and print materials. To keep up to date as the tour develops, follow the tour on Facebook and Instagram and bookmark the website www.artseatsandbeatstour.ca