Joseph Marioni, left, Micah Gursky right in Marioni's Tamaqua StudioSaturday, October 24, 2 to 4 p.m.

TAMAQUA, PA (Immediate Release) – A Creative Manufacturing/Artist Open House, hosted by the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership (TACP), will feature ten unique locations including artist live/work studios, creative manufacturing firms, community arts programs, and a 20 acre public garden on Saturday, October 24, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Free of charge and open to the public, the event will offer a rare glimpse inside the behemoth studio of internationally noted contemporary New York painter Joseph Marioni.

Marioni’s work can be found in museums and public collections worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Art. The artist utilizes his Tamaqua studio at 110 East Broad Street to create his often enormous monochromatic paintings, 12 of which will be on exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum, opening this November 13.

World portrait artist Stephen Bennett paints massive, brightly hued portraits of indigenous people and international world figures. His studio, a former church at 224 West Broad Street, will be open for the tour. McCoy Design, 108 East Broad Street, a manufacturer of stylish, original handcrafted crystal sculptures for the home, will open its doors. McCoy Designs, as seen in  home design publications including the cover of Elle Décor, is retailed at high-end retailers such as Barney’s and Neiman Marcus.

Also on tour: The former Scheid’s Department Store, built in 1916 and located at 24 West Broad Street with 20,000 square feet of loft-like space, seven garages, and abundant northern light filled windows; Emma’s Friends Soaps & Lotions, at 101 East Broad Street is a manufacturer and online retailer of fine handcrafted natural toiletries, lotions and soaps. The company was founded to assist physically challenged children and individuals; The Tamaqua Community Arts Center, 125 Pine Street; the Tamaqua Historical Society Museum, 114 W. Broad Street; and Tamaqua Artist in Residence Studio, located at 27 Center Street.

Stonehedge Gardens, located three miles south of Tamaqua, 51 Dairy Road, will be open through daylight hours. The garden features 20 acres of sustainable horticulture, nature trails, water gardens, fine art sculptures, and pond.  For more info and location, visit www.stonehedgegarden.org.

“We are looking forward to showcasing the unique creative firms and places Tamaqua has to offer,” says Micah J. Gursky, Executive Director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership (TACP), tour sponsor. For more information about TACP, visit www.tacp.info or call 570-668-1192.

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