NELLISTON — The 2012 Artists’ Studios Tour, sponsored by the Arts Factory of Montgomery County (TAFMC), will take place on Saturday, September 22, from 1 to 5 p.m. Ten outstanding artists from western Montgomery County have agreed to give the public a rare glimpse into their working environments, techniques of mastery and recent works.

Featured artists are: Joanne C. Resch, a watercolorist in Fort Plain; MaryAnn Nellis, a potter in Canajoharie; Robert E. Smith, a fortepiano maker, restorer and furniture maker in St. Johnsville; Terry Potoczny, a Minden photographer; Jan Skidmore, a multi-media artist in Fort Plain; Chris Duncan, a sculptor in Canajoharie; Alice Smith Duncan, a gilder and frame restorer in Canajoharie; Matthew Hopkins, a painter in Ames; Michael McCarthy, a blacksmith located in Ames; and Jasmine Crowe, a potter in the Sprout Brook area.

TAFMC began as an idea about two years ago when it became clear the Tri-County Arts Council, which had loosely represented artists in Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties was disintegrating. President Robert Buck explained the new group’s purpose: “The Arts Factory (of Montgomery County) was formed to organize and promote area artists, artisans and art venue services. Our goal is to stimulate cultural opportunities, like the Artists’ Studios Tour, for the residents of and visitors to the townships of Root, Canajoharie, Palatine, Minden and St. Johnsville.” The group, not yet a year old, will celebrate their first anniversary in February, 2013.

To encourage the celebration of the arts in Montgomery County, the Board of Supervisors will issue a Proclamation declaring Sept. 16 to Sept. 22 to be Arts Week in Montgomery County.

Tickets for the Artists’ Studios tour are $10 and may be purchased at the Fort Plain Free Library, the Margaret Reaney Memorial Library in St. Johnsville and at the Canajoharie Library from September 8 through the afternoon of September 22.

The following area restaurants are participating in the studio tour by offering lunch and/or dinner specials on the 22nd: Cosmo’s Bar & Grill (St. Johnsville), The Table and Dome 49 (Fort Plain), Mercato and The Elephant Bistro (Canajoharie).

For additional information, please call Bob at (518) 542-0542.