Planning Your Apples & Arts Studio Tour 2025 Route? Don’t Miss This Lancaster Collector Preview

What Is Apples & Arts 2025?

Every September, art lovers descend on Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry counties for the Apples & Arts Studio Tour 2025. Studios open, people wander, they peek at ceramics, paint, fiber, glass, you name it. It’s an institution. And for years, I was terrified to miss out.

My fear was simple: if I wasn’t on that map, if I wasn’t approved by the local art community, then who the hell was I? I was so busy trying to be a “good girl” and a “local artist” that I didn’t have the guts to ask for what I was truly worth. My bravado was just that—bravado.

But I’ve come to a hard truth: my art isn’t for a casual crowd; it’s for a quiet, intentional moment with a collector.

This year, I’m not on the official map, but Cherry Bomb Studio in Lancaster Village proper will be offering an exclusive collector preview during the same weekend. If you want luxury, intention, and art that lasts beyond one weekend, read on.

If you collect seriously—and want more than browsing—there’s a smarter way to plan your weekend.

image credit: Apples & Arts Studio Tour

What to Expect from the Apples & Arts Tour

• It’s a self-guided tour. You pick studios from the official map and build your own route. Mediums range from painting and pottery to sculpture, glass, and mixed media.
• Studios are open 10 AM–4 PM both days. It’s big variety and big driving.
• Prices skew toward smaller or impulse buys: cards, mugs, small prints. High-ticket work often sells before or after the weekend, or lives off the map entirely.

Lancaster & Cornwall Highlights for the Apples & Arts Studio Tour 2025

If you want to see strong work without endless zig-zagging, focus on these clusters:

• Cynthia Gatien Studio – Stop 29 with Lynne Ayers, Deirdre Cuggy, Meaghan Cuggy, and Sharon McDonell.
• Margaret Brown Studio – Stop 30 with Michael Hermann and Nancy Zink.
• Marlin Orchards & Garden Centre – Stop 26 here you’ll find fresh-picked apples, cider, and a bustling fall market. Ideal for a mid-tour break and perfect for apple picking in South Glengarry.
• 125 Pitt Studios – Stop 13, Cornwall – a downtown creative hub with multiple established artists under one roof.
• Cline House Gallery – Stop 16, Cornwall – a curated fine-art space known for its strong group shows.

These stops let you experience multiple artists or fall experiences in one place, which matters when the official map can make 15-20 minute drives look like a quick stroll.

“Art shows are fun in theory. Drive times, parking, tired feet—that’s what they don’t show in the brochure.”

Why I’m Not on the Official Map

I’ve done the tour enough to know how it works. Endless smiles. Lots of wandering. And yes, “Oh, that’s expensive” whispers (some said it out loud). Classic small-town stuff.

My real sales? Mostly not on the weekend. My collectors buy before or after. They trust in my work. They understand the value. My Sacred Hearts begin around $100, larger mixed-media pieces are priced in $2,500 USD. Represented by Xanadu Gallery, too.

During the tour itself, most buyers go for mugs, cards, or small prints. And that’s for them—but I’m done with that. I’m selling for people who know their own worth and see mine, too. (There’s a running gag about there being “No money in mugs” from when I owned and operated a gym. Still I haven’t learned.)

One Luxury Detour Worth Making

If you want a special stop off the beaten path, here it is:

Cherry Bomb Studio in Lancaster : Private Collector Preview

• Daytime Saturday Only (Apples & Arts weekend): Casual preview while work is being installed at my art studio , 29 Railside Rd., Lancaster On. You can pop in starting at 11AM, see what’s coming, and join the list for the private catalog.
• Evening (by invite only): Only catalog subscribers get the evening invite. First chance to see pieces before they hit gallery pricing or US dollars markets.
• Some pieces will already be marked Reserved in the catalog so collectors who know what they want (or want to decide before opening night) can act fast.

Want the private invite? Join my collector newsletter to get the catalog and evening details delivered first.

How to Plan Your Apples & Arts Weekend Without Regretting Anything

My own journey from being a hobbyist to a serious artist taught me a lot about making the most of an art tour. If you’re going to invest your time, you might as well invest it wisely.

• Bring a budget and be honest about it. Decide what you’re willing to spend on art before you start driving. Are you hunting for $20 cards or mugs, $100 beginner works, or hundreds to finally snag a piece from a known artist? Those “just a few little things” add up fast.
• Scope out the artists first. Go to the official Apples & Arts website and look through every artist profile. Mark the ones you can actually see yourself collecting. The tour accepts everyone—think farmers’ market meets art—so curation is up to you.
• Plot real drive times. The map is charming but not to scale. Two dots that look like neighbors might be 15–20 minutes apart. Lancaster to Alexandria, for example, is about 21 km / 13 miles—roughly 19 minutes by car. My husbands friend Oleg, an astrophotographer, looks like he’s “just down the road” on the brochure. In reality, he’s concessions away. Worth the trip if you love space and stars, but plan for the time. View map
• Curate your own tour. Map the artists’ exact addresses in your phone or GPS and create a route based on the pieces you actually want. Budget for the ones you really love so you don’t burn cash on small stops and miss a work you’d rather live with.
• Reserve what matters. If you know you want a higher-end piece—like something from my private collector catalog—it’s smart to secure it before the weekend even begins.

For Collectors Who Prefer Quiet Over Crowds