Festival season wrapping up in Chattanooga area with gift ideas from North Georgia artists

Contributed Photo by Tori Hunt / Tori Hunt, owner of Two Ridges Pottery in Flintstone, Ga., will have a selection of her pottery for sale, ranging from ornaments to serving pieces.
Contributed Photo by Tori Hunt / Tori Hunt, owner of Two Ridges Pottery in Flintstone, Ga., will have a selection of her pottery for sale, ranging from ornaments to serving pieces.
photo Contributed Photo by Julie Clark / A selection of handiwork by the artists participating in the Rising Fawn Studio Tour.

Still looking for gift ideas? Several artists in North Georgia may be able to help.

The Rising Fawn Studio Tour, featuring six artists from the Plum Nelly area of Lookout Mountain, has gone virtual this year. The sale includes fabric artwork by Bonnie Cayce, jewelry by Anna Cayce-Smit, metal artwork by Julie Clark, pottery by Mark Issenberg, wood carvings by Nikki Oliver and handpainted silk by Claire Vassort.

In Flintstone, Tori Hunt of Two Ridges Pottery will have her final showcase of the season this weekend.

These celebrations of art are among the final offerings on the festival circuit this season. Also concluding this weekend are Chattanooga Market's Holiday Market at the Chattanooga Convention Center, a Christmas Market at Northgate Mall and, for day-trippers, Christmas in the Village in Townsend, Tennessee.

Stone Mountain Christmas outside Atlanta and Smoky Mountain Christmas in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, continue through the new year.

Hunt says her pottery is meant to conjure "the beauty and simplicity of nature." The sale showcases a wide selection of handcrafted mugs, ornaments, nested mixing bowls, wine cups and serving pieces. The event will be open-air and covered.

photo Contributed Photo by Tori Hunt / Tori Hunt, owner of Two Ridges Pottery in Flintstone, Ga., will have a selection of her pottery for sale, ranging from ornaments to serving pieces.

Once a decades-long tradition among artists on the mountain, the Rising Fawn Studio Tour went dormant for several years until it was revived in 2018 as a driving tour among the artists' studios. Last year, the tour expanded to two days. This year, of course, brought COVID-19 concerns, so the artists opted for an online sale.

Cayce said she's done well with the virtual format, earlier this week completing orders bound for South Georgia and France.

"I think just having it keeps it in people's minds," she said. "Hopefully next year, they won't forget us, and hopefully next year we'll be doing it again in person."

Cayce said the event's Facebook page includes photos of the works available, and some of the artists can accommodate visitors by appointment.

Email Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com.

AT A GLANCE

THROUGH DEC. 18

* Northgate Mall Christmas Market: 271 Northgate Mall Drive, Hixson. Storefront set up with merchandise from 48 vendors, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 11-12, noon-7 p.m. Dec. 13, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 14-17, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 18. Free admission. knscraftshow.com

DEC. 19

* Christmas in the Village: Heritage Center, 123 Cromwell Drive, Townsend, Tenn. Celebration of Smoky Mountain pioneer traditions and demonstrations, 5-8 p.m., select Saturdays in December. $10 adults, $8 seniors, $7 children 6 and older. gsmheritagecenter.org

DEC. 19-21

* Open Studio Sale: Two Ridges Pottery, 39 Durance Drive, Flintstone, Ga. Wide selection of handcrafted pottery, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday. tworidgespottery.com/events

THROUGH DEC. 20

* Rising Fawn Studio Tour: Rising Fawn, Ga. Online art sale on event's Facebook page. 423-243-7688, 423-227-0423

DEC. 19-20

* Chattanooga Holiday Market: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. Nearly 200 vendors offer handicrafts, fine art and artisan food, plus live music and holiday bake-off with Lodge cast iron on Dec. 12; no Santa appearance this year; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. Free admission. ChattanoogaMarket.com

THROUGH JAN. 3

* Smoky Mountain Christmas: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn. More than 5 million lights, award-winning shows, food, treats, fireworks. $79 ($69 children and seniors). dollywood.com

* Stone Mountain Christmas: Stone Mountain Park, 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain, Ga. Nightly snow parade, tree lighting ceremony, Santa sleigh flight, open weekends plus Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks (closed Christmas Day). Admission fees. stonemountainpark.com

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