New arrivals to Great Falls will encounter a vibrant community of artists whose creations add to the quality of life in the village and beyond to the Washington, D.C. Metro area.

More than 100 painters, photographers, potters, jewelry designers, quilters, sculptors, printmakers, weavers, wood carvers and other artists call Great Falls home. They are members of Great Falls Studios, a network of creative people that works to promote artistic expression and make Great Falls a more artful place.

“Our community embraces creativity, and that helps to improve the quality of life for the whole town when residents can enjoy locally made art in public spaces, or visit artists in their home studios during our annual studio tour,” says Laura Nichols, a potter and the president of Great Falls Studios. “We want to invite new residents to join us and take part. Our member artists have moved here from many parts of the US and from around the world, including creative people originally from Sri Lanka, South Korea, China, Pakistan, Iran, England, Israel, India and Argentina. We welcome new members because their distinct creative experiences lead to mutual growth.”

The first community arts event of fall is a big one: The Ninth Annual Great Falls Art Studios Tour. It is a free driving experience that takes visitors to the home-based studios of local artists to meet the artists where they work. This celebration of creativity has become a major regional event and will take place Oct. 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 5. p.m. Last year it generated more than 7,300 studio visits as art lovers from across the metro area traveled to Great Falls.

Here is a summary of what's available to new residents (old ones, too) in Great Falls:

• Artists in our community. Great Falls Studios (GFS) is an all-volunteer membership organization of 101 working artists who live or work in Great Falls. It encourages artistic expression, serves the professional interests of its members and functions as a community service organization. For more information, go to www.GreatFallsStudios.com. There you can view events, calendar and artist pages with information and samples of their work. To join, call Laura Nichols at 703-901-7002.

More than a dozen individual artists in Great Falls also teach in their home studios. Check the GFS website for names, contacts and artistic specialties.

• Annual Studio Tour. Great Falls' signature art event is an annual free driving tour to visit artists in their home studios on back roads throughout Great Falls and at other venues across town. The tour, which is run by Great Falls Studios, has established the village as a place for quality art in the metro area. Over the past eight years, the tour has generated more than 17,000 visits to Great Falls art studios. This year the tour will be held on October 20 and 21.
• Art exhibits and festivals. In addition to the annual studio tour, GFS organizes two annual art festivals where work by Great Falls artists is sold. These take place at the Village Green Day School-one just before the holidays and one in spring. GFS also hangs art exhibits year-round in Katie's Coffee, Great Falls Community Library, Seneca Hill Animal Hospital Resort & Spa and at other venues. Events are listed on the GFS website.
• Online gallery. Residents can check out a gallery of locally created art on a virtual gallery curated by Great Falls Studios. Each month has a different theme, and the new exhibition is posted at the start of each month. Go to the GFS website, www.GreatFallsStudios.com, to see the latest month's exhibit and more examples of the work of our artists.
• Serving Great Falls. GFS members give free talks to community groups about the stories behind their creations and organize periodic programs at the library on the arts and art-related issues. To arrange for an artist to talk to your group, call Jan Bender at 703-430 9566.