DECORAH - The 10th annual Northeast Iowa Artists' Studio Tour takes place Friday, Saturday and next Sunday.

It is Iowa's first, longest-running and one of the largest tours of artists' studios. This year 51 artists at 37 locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Numerous nationally-known fine artists work in studios nestled among the wooded hills and winding rivers with in a 35-mile radius of Decorah. Photographers, painters, basket weavers, quilters, silversmiths, fiber artists, woodcarvers, kaleidoscope artists and more are featured on this year's tour.

The tour encompasses many historic sites. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum's lobby houses Joyce Meyer, one of Iowa's emerging nature photographers, featured in The Iowan and Iowa Gardening. Shake your way through Kelly Jean Ohl's textured, musical rattles, or view Doug Eckheart's scenic paintings in the upscale elegantly restored Hotel Winneshiek's ballroom.

Renovated schoolhouses turned studios display jewelry by Darla and Glen Ellickson, and Painting by Jim Updegraff. Schwarz and his son Gunnar display pottery in the expansive 70-room structure now known as the South Bear Pottery School, originally a retirement home where the train used to deliver its passengers to the front doorstep.

North of Decorah, Steve Maeck's "Big Spring Panel Project" joins nature and sculptural art in a natural outdoor setting. Near Dorchester, enjoy the warmth of Jill Stephenson's pre-1880 rustic log home showing her reed baskets. Nearby Nate and Hallie Evans' wood-fired kiln sits tucked back into the woods. Visit here from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and hear acoustic music, including guitar, vocals and banjo of Karen Rochford and Dan Pease; violin and ukulele with Ellickson's daughter Aubrey or a classical interlude with Tom and Kasi Misseldine, father and daughter, on guitar, piano, and flute, while browsing Karen Haas Misseldine's Pottery.

Many artists will have in-studio raffles. For participating locations, visit www.iowaarttour.com.

The tour is free to the public.

For a brochure with the tour map, call Winneshiek County CVB at (563) 382-2023 or 1-800-463-4692 or email: tour@iowaarttour.com. For more information, view the official tour Web site: www.iowaarttour.com.