“…and the cookies disappeared fast!”

In 1982, Dixon Potter Nausika Richardson thought it would be a good idea to organize an artist's studio tour. The village of La Cienega south of Santa Fe had held a successful tour for several years and she thought that local Dixon artists might benefit from a similar event.

She pitched the idea to jeweler Carolyn Thomas (now Carolyn Kingson.) Together they formulated some rules, reached out to other artists, and divided up chores.

A 1987 tour map.

 Nausika was successful at getting publicity in Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. Carolyn drew up a “crude” map. They approached other artists to participate and divided up jobs. The artists compiled mailing lists they had developed from their gallery connections, and maps were mailed to the list.

Everyone made a plate of cookies. No one expected many people to come as, unlike La Cienega, Dixon is not close to Santa Fe. The cookies disappeared fast as unexpected crowds descended on Dixon. It was a rainy weekend. City folks were getting stuck in the mud. It was a mess, but everyone had a good time.

Embudo and Rinconada to the left, Horse Race Mesa center, Dixon to the right. Photo B.Barreto

Saturday evening, stunned artists showed up at El Quinto Sol, pockets full of spending money, to celebrate and dance to “The Bumpers.” “We were all broke,” said Joan McDonald. “Now we could get a new roof or tires.”

Thus were the humble beginnings of our annual fall tradition, where we open our doors and show all of our new works. If we're lucky, the sun is shining and the leaves are still painting the trees.

—Shel Neymark