Orange County Artists Guild

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Carrboro, NC
Orange County Artists Guild

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The group is primarily made up of professional visual artists with considerable experience and dedication.

Orange County Artists Guild is a group of artists in Orange County, North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.
2026 Open Studio Tour: Nov 7-8 & 14-15, 2026
https://www.ocagnc.org The Guild was begun in 2000 by a group of diverse artists who participated in the Orange County Open Studio Tour, a popular annual event in the county since 1995.

10/31/2026

Here are some of the OCAG artists who work in fiber.
Come meet them, see their studios, and check out their work at the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour!

85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open and free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

Elaine O’Neil – Studio 9 Elaine🌙
Hollis Chatelain – Studio 14 Hollis Chatelain
Ali Givens – Studio 20 Ali Givens
Dawn Hummer – Studio 62 Dawn Garner Hummer
Susan Brubaker Knapp – Studio 63 Susan Brubaker Knapp
Trudy Thomson – Studio 85 Trudy Thomson

10/31/2026

Meet the Artist: Karen Paden
Oil paint on canvas
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both weekends – Studio 53 – Carrboro

“My paintings inhabit the space between the observed and the remembered, the physical and the imagined. Figures, landscapes, and fragments of the natural world emerge and dissolve, creating places that feel familiar yet remain elusive. I am interested in passage –through landscape, through time, and through the shifting states of a life. Myth, memory, and the history of painting hover at the edges of the work, not as narratives to be deciphered, but as echoes. I want the paintings to remain open: to suggest rather than explain, and to allow meaning to unfold slowly through looking.”

https://karenpaden.com
Karen Landrum Paden
https://www.facebook.com/karen.landrum.paden

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/31/2026

The preview exhibit for the OCAG studio tour is up at Hillsborough Gallery of Art Hillsborough Gallery of Arts ! Check it out – it’s a great way to see our work in person and plan your studio visits. It is on view until November 15.

10/30/2026

Meet the Artist: Susan Brubaker Knapp
Fiber / Art Quilting
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both Weekends – Studio 63 – Chapel Hill

Susan Brubaker Knapp is a fiber artist who works in fabric and thread. "Most of my art is realistic/representational in style, and starts with original photographs of the subjects, or my ink drawings based on them,” says Susan. “Botanical and nature themes (plants, insects, fish and birds) are most common, but I also adore type and bold graphic shapes, and create abstract pieces focusing on color and line, or experimental surface design techniques.”

Susan uses two primary techniques – wholecloth painting, and fused appliqué – and often heavily free-motion threadsketches the surface before quilting.

Since 2014, Susan has been the host of "Quilting Arts TV," which is shown on PBS, PBS+, Create TV, and YouTube. The show features accomplished fiber artists who demonstrate techniques and projects.

https://susanbrubakerknapp.com/
https://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
Susan Brubaker Knapp
https://www.facebook.com/SusanBrubakerKnappFiberArtist/
https://bsky.app/profile/susanbrubakerknapp.bsky.social

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/30/2026

Meet the Artist: Sasha Bakaric
Ceramics
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both weekends – Studio 69 – Chapel Hill

Sasha Bakaric creates functional and sculptural stoneware pieces inspired by microworld and organic textures of natural world.

Sasha will exhibit her work in the same studio as jeweler Emily Booker.

https://www.sashaceramics.com/
Sasha Bakaric
https://www.facebook.com/sasha.bakaric

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open and free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/28/2026

Meet the Artist: Rebecca Dotterer
Watercolor and ink
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both weekends – Studio 65 – Chapel Hill

Rebecca Dotterer is a full-time natural science artist working from her studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She creates art for exhibit, retail sales, wholesale and on commission.

Focusing her research and exploration on wildlife native to NC and the Southeast, Rebecca’s paintings capture the many details of nature and showcase the amazing diversity of plants and animals found in local and regional habitats.

Rebecca works primarily in watercolor and ink. While her paintings are often stylized, she aims to include enough detail to identify a particular species of plant or animal yet still allow for whimsy through creative composition.

In addition to painting and exhibiting original artwork, Rebecca partners with local vendors to produce nature art in different forms and price points that people can functionally use and enjoy (like art mugs, magnets and stickers.) These unique items celebrate the beauty of the natural world and are inspired by her original watercolor and ink paintings.

Rebecca believes in making personal connections to nature and getting outdoors. She hopes her work inspires you to know native wildlife - plants and animals found in your own neck of the woods, sky, river or ocean - and work to conserve it.

https://www.deerwoodstudio.com

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/27/2026

Meet the Artist: Gracen Guy
Jewelry and photography
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both weekends – Studio 37 – Chapel Hill

Gracen is a new member!

As an artist and jeweler, Gracen Guy loves exploring the link between identity and adornment. She enjoys combining and working with different mediums of jewelry to add dimension and meaning. She primarily focuses on traditional metalsmithing practices, as well as a variety of beading techniques. Recently, she has been exploring the introduction of photography to her work, allowing her to embrace the impractical aspects of adornment in a practical way.

“Jewelry is more than ornamentation,” says Gracen. “It is a language of identity, storytelling, and empowerment.” Whether she is crafting physical pieces or styling and creating for photography, she uses adornment as a tool to explore the intersection between body, beauty, and meaning.

Whether her work is made for everyday wear or is more of an exploration of artistic adornment, symbolism always plays a central role in her process. It allows each object to carry layers of meaning and emotional resonance. Gracen’s work is often inspired by the organic forms found in nature and the complexity of the human body. She often draws inspiration from mythology, botanical symbolism, and feminine archetypes to create designs that resonate with something deeper than mere aesthetics.

“Every piece I create, whether wearable or conceptual, aims to connect the wearer or viewer to a story, a feeling, or a piece of themselves.”

https://www.gracenguydesigns.com/
Gracen Guy | Gracen Guy Designs
https://www.facebook.com/gracen.guy

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open and free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/26/2026

Meet the Artist: Elizabeth Emerson
Acrylic on canvas
OCAG Open Studio Tour
Both weekends – Studio 30 – Chapel Hill

Elizabeth Emerson works in acrylic on canvas. Her paintings feature subjects from her travels around the world and are characterized by a vibrant and painterly quality. Emerson’s studio is located in a lovely pastoral setting just outside Chapel Hill. She welcomes visitors during the Tour and by appointment.

Elizabeth Emerson

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

10/25/2026

Art is coming in for our final Tour Preview Show at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in Hillsborough! This event is designed to give you a chance to look at some of our members’ art and see if you’d like to visit their studios to see more (or purchase the piece you see on display at the gallery.)

Don’t miss the opening reception this Friday during Hillsborough’s Last Fridays & the Art Walk!

121 N. Churton Street, Hillsborough
919-732-5001
Open Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun noon to 4 p.m.
www.hillsboroughgallery.com

The Tour Preview Show runs at the gallery Oct. 27-Nov. 15.
Opening reception: Friday, Oct. 30 from 6-9 p.m. during Hillsborough’s Last Fridays & the Art Walk

10/25/2026

Meet the Artist: Pamela Groben
Clay
OCAG Open Studio Tour
First Weekend Only – Studio 10 – Hillsborough

Pam Groben uses white stoneware clay to make hand-built functional pots. She uses a variety of techniques and is inspired by patterns and textures from nature to architecture. Patterns are translated into the unique handmade stamps she uses to impress wet clay slabs and then build her forms. Glazes and underglazes enhance the textures and patterns in the pots and make them a joy to hold.

Pamela Groben
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.groben

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85 Studios, 106 Artists in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Now in its 32nd year, the 2026 Orange County Artists Guild’s Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November, 7th and 8th / 14th and 15th.

Studios will be open free to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.

For a downloadable, printable map and brochure, visit our website here: https://www.ocagnc.org/tour

Address

PO Box 216
Carrboro, NC
27510

Website

http://ocagnc.org/

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