Chatham Arts Council

Chatham Studio Tour
2025-12-07 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-13 10:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-14 12:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Chatham County, NC, United States
2025 Chatham Studio Tour – Professional Artists, Fine Art, Open Studios
Explore open studios, discover fine art, and meet the artists! The tour occurs over the first two weekends in December. The event is free and self-guided, offering a wonderful chance to find unique holiday gifts.
The 33rd Annual Chatham Artists Guild Studio Tour takes place December 6–7 and 13–14 (Saturdays 10 PM–5 AM, Sundays 12 PM–5 AM). Enjoy two weekends of art, inspiration, and scenic drives through Chatham County, NC, as 59 local artists—including 14 participating for the first time—open their studios to visitors.
The Guild’s professional artists produce an inspiring variety of fine art across different media, including stunning oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings; captivating drawings; exquisite glass and ceramic works; enchanting jewelry; striking photography; and innovative mixed-media and digital creations. Each studio reflects the artist’s personal touch and creativity.
You can find information about the artists and an interactive map of each studio at https://chathamartistsguild.org/studio-tour/. Free tour brochures are available at local businesses throughout the area. Whether you’re seeking an art-filled getaway or a unique gift shopping experience, the Chatham Studio Tour is a must-see.
A Preview Exhibit by the 2025 Chatham County Studio Tour artists is on display at The ArtsCenter, 400 Roberson Street, Carrboro, from October 30 through December 2, showcasing an inspiring range of artwork. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 9 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Pittsboro Finally Fridays Arts Walk
2025-12-19 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-01-16 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-20 17:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Downtown Pittsboro, Pittsboro, NC, 27312, United States
Stroll through downtown Pittsboro the third Friday of every month and see artists of all kinds performing or selling their artistic creations. Many downtown stores stay open late for your added convenience.

The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts Celebrates the Pastel Works of Jody Nash
2026-01-16 17:00 - 20:00 | Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, 27514, United States
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is pleased to present the pastel paintings of Jody Nash in a Featured Artist Show that will be on display from Tuesday, January 6–Sunday, February 1, 2026. There will be a reception on Friday, January 16, from 5–8pm.
Although Jody Nash has worked in a variety of media over the years, she rediscovered her love of soft pastels in 2020. While her earlier work in oils, printmaking, and photography centered on the human figure, she found herself turning to landscapes for these new pastel paintings. Nash notes that, “Landscapes sit firmly in our personal experience, memories, and dreams. They represent the places we have lived or visited, the places we long for, and where our ancestors once stood. Landscapes, quite literally, are the ground we walk on.”
Nash chooses subjects with rich colors and strong textures; she is drawn to interesting plays of light and imagery, such as reflections on water, light filtering through trees, or the way sunlight shimmers across a pond. She uses archival sanded paper and professional-grade pastels to create these paintings in her studio, referencing her own photographs as well as carefully selected open-source images.
Her most recent work focuses on the landscapes of North Carolina and the American South, and she has begun “incorporating subtle elements of human presence—a house, a boat,” into these pieces. She has further plans to branch out into works depicting urban landscapes as well as interior spaces, a project she is especially excited to begin.
Jody Nash creates landscape paintings that are simultaneously tranquil and passionate—the curl of an outer-banks wave, the fire of a sunset, the undulations in a field of grain—these familiar scenes are masterfully depicted in a way that makes the viewer see through the appreciative eyes of a very talented artist. Please join us at The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts as we celebrate the works of Jody Nash.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is an artist-owned cooperative Fine Art and Craft Gallery located a few steps north of the Chatham County Courthouse circle. Artist works include a variety of media: oil, acrylics, watercolor, high-voltage woodburning, wooden mobiles, pastel, pen and ink, photography, fused glass, ceramics, jewelry, basketry, handcrafted fine furniture, painted gourd vessels, and sculptural works in stone, steel, bronze, clay, and wood.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
44-A Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
https://www.pittsboroarts.org
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday: 10:30am–5:30pm, Sunday: noon–4pm, Closed Mondays
Third Friday: additional hours of 5pm–8pm
First Sunday: additional hours of 10:30am–5:30pm

February at the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts—"Love Letters to the Earth”
2026-02-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, 27514, United States
Please join us at the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts as we celebrate the gourd sculptures of Martha Danek and the paintings of Sarah Graham. This show will be on display from Tuesday, February 3rd through Sunday, March 1st, with a reception on Friday, February 20th, from 5:00pm-8:00pm.
Both artists consider their relationship with and appreciation for the natural world as foundational to their art practices. This show, “Love Letters to the Earth,” is an expression of that relationship.
Please join us for this exhibition as we celebrate the works of these artists, and the overwhelming beauty of our natural world.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is an artist-owned cooperative Fine Art and Craft Gallery located a few steps north of the Chatham County Courthouse circle. Artist works include a variety of media: oil, acrylics, watercolor, high-voltage woodburning, wooden mobiles, pastel, pen and ink, photography, fused glass, ceramics, jewelry, basketry, handcrafted fine furniture, painted gourd vessels, and sculptural works in stone, steel, bronze, clay, and wood.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
44-A Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
https://www.pittsboroarts.org
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-5:30pm, Sunday: noon-4pm, Closed Mondays
Third Friday: additional hours of 5pm-8pm

Red Hot Valentine Improv at The Plant!
2026-02-25 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Fair Game Beverage Company, 192 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro, NC, 27312, United States
Skirt the ice and come warm your hands by this comedy improv “fireplace” with a show based on your suggestions! Yes you’ll have a hand in creating this special Valentine-focused show, like shooting Cupid’s arrow!
Actors Bart Hubbard, Anoo Tree Brod, John Donovan and Jane Allen Wilson spread the love.
The show starts at 6:00 but come early for one of Fair Game’s special cocktails with spirits and kombucha made on site. Enjoy fresh locallly prepared food at eateries housed along the Plant’s pedestrian strand.
Brought to you by Sonder & Scenius Improv Productions.

Coy Quakenbush: Featured Artist for March at The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
2026-03-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, 27514, United States
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is pleased to announce Coy Quakenbush as its Featured Artist for the month of March, presenting a diverse body of hand-built pottery and sculptural works that bridge tradition, experimentation, and form.
The exhibition will include modern Mata Ortiz–inspired pottery, sculptural vessels, and freestanding sculptural works, alongside pit-fired and raku pieces that emphasize surface, fire, and organic variation. Also featured are new Peruvian-inspired whistle vessels, extending Quakenbush’s ongoing study of ancient sound-producing ceramic forms and their sculptural possibilities.
Coy Quakenbush has worked with clay since the late 1990s; his work reflects a deep respect for historical pottery traditions while remaining open to discovery, evolution, and experimentation through process. This show will feature works that reflect his decades-long exploration of clay as both a functional and sculptural medium.
An Artist Reception will be held on Friday, March 20, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, offering visitors an opportunity to meet the artist and learn more about his techniques, influences, and current work.
The exhibition will be on view throughout the month of March during regular gallery hours.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is an artist-owned cooperative Fine Art and Craft Gallery located a few steps north of the Chatham County Courthouse circle. Artist works include a variety of media: oil, acrylics, watercolor, high-voltage woodburning, wooden mobiles, pastel, pen and ink, photography, fused glass, ceramics, jewelry, basketry, handcrafted fine furniture, painted gourd vessels, and sculptural works in stone, steel, bronze, clay, and wood.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
44-A Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
https://www.pittsboroarts.org
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-5:30pm, Sunday: noon-4pm, Closed Mondays
Artist Information:
Coy Quakenbush
Website: CoyQuakenbush.com
Phone: 336-213-7340

The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts Presents the Photography of Eric Saunders
2026-04-17 17:00 - 20:00 | Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, 27514, United States
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is pleased to present the photography of Eric Saunders in a Featured Artist Show that will be on display from Tuesday, April 7th through Sunday, May 3rd, 2026. There will be a reception on Friday, April 17th, from 5-8pm.
Eric Saunders’ work transports viewers in a way that allows us to view familiar scenes through a new lens, turning images of natural and urban subjects into abstract art. Saunders writes, “In general, my subject matter in photography is outdoor landscapes and architecture. I try to communicate the beauty of abstract art, and/or the beauty or intrigue of transient moments in nature and life.”
For this show, Saunders will be displaying large photographs on canvas, along with smaller framed and unframed archival ink prints and cards. Please join us to celebrate the work of this truly talented photographer.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is an artist-owned cooperative Fine Art and Craft Gallery located a few steps north of the Chatham County Courthouse circle. Artist works include a variety of media: oil, acrylics, watercolor, high-voltage woodburning, wooden mobiles, pastel, pen and ink, photography, fused glass, ceramics, jewelry, basketry, handcrafted fine furniture, painted gourd vessels, and sculptural works in stone, steel, bronze, clay, and wood.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
44-A Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
https://www.pittsboroarts.org
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-5:30pm, Sunday: noon-4pm, Closed Mondays
Third Friday: additional hours of 5pm-8pm

Pittsboro Gallery of Arts Presents the Work of Janet Place, Glass Artist
2026-05-15 17:00 - 20:00 | Pittsboro Gallery of Arts, 44-A Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, 27514, United States
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is pleased to present the work of fused glass artist, Janet Place, in a Featured Artist Show that will be on display from Tuesday, May 5th through Sunday, May 31st, 2026. There will be a reception on Friday, May 15th, from 5-8 pm.
Place draws her inspiration from two distinct sources—the flowing, transparent style of Murano glass, and the vibrant, organic forms of mid-century modern design. Looking at her work, it is easy to see the blend of these inspirations—her beautiful, kaleidoscope-like colors are sometimes blended and flowing, and other times filled with surprising pops of shape and color that will take the viewer directly to that mid-century design period.
Please join us in celebrating the work of this talented artist. We think that you will find her work to be much like Place herself—colorful, accessible, and fun!
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts is an artist-owned cooperative Fine Art and Craft Gallery located a few steps north of the Chatham County Courthouse circle. Artist works include a variety of media: oil, acrylics, watercolor, high-voltage woodburning, wooden mobiles, pastel, pen and ink, photography, fused glass, ceramics, jewelry, basketry, handcrafted fine furniture, painted gourd vessels, and sculptural works in stone, steel, bronze, clay, and wood.
The Pittsboro Gallery of Arts
44-A Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC 27312
https://www.pittsboroarts.org
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30am-5:30pm, Sunday: noon-4pm, Closed Mondays
Third Friday: additional hours of 5pm-8pm

Full of Whimsy & Rage Opening Reception
2026-05-15 18:00 - 20:00 | NC Arts Incubator, 223 N Chatham Ave, Siler City, NC, United States
Full Of Whimsy and Rage, showing May 1 – June 10, 2026 at PAF Gallery in Siler City, North Carolina features the abstract works of Ash Lorusso and Paget Marion Blythe. Their bold, bright acrylic and mixed media paintings emphasize both the power and the resilience of art making during this collectively tumultuous time. In a culture that rewards productivity, and emotional numbing, choosing to slow down and attune creatively becomes an act of rebellion. Through color, gesture, and layered marks, their paintings are a refusal to disappear. This show insists that creativity is not a luxury, but a vital tool for transformation and rebellion; one that allows rage to bloom into connection and strength.
“The work of the artist is to turn her rage into flowers.” – Audre Lorde
Ash’s work explores the stages of memory/identity loss, repetition, and desire paths. A desire path is an informal trail formed by repeated use; shaped by instinct rather than design. These lines are quiet evidence of choice, resistance, and the deeply human urge to move intuitively through time. Similarly, her paintings trace the accumulation of thought, feeling, and experience, carving paths forward in ways that oscillate between clarity and tumult, between safety and confusion.
Paget works in acrylic, mixed media and collage. She is particularly interested in using traditional iconography and artifacts from “women’s work” to question identity narratives. Imagining the silent stories behind textile remnants, discarded papers and found objects, her paintings allow these materials to gain new agency. Many of her recent works also play with the concept of excavation; painted and collaged layers are physically manipulated, torn and/or removed to allow for destructive revelations in the composition.
Full of Whimsy & Rage is funded in part by a grant received from the United Arts Council of Wake County and the opening reception will coincide with Siler City’s downtown third Friday music series on May 15.
