Fourth Annual Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour self-guided tour
Nov. 19-21
www.portsmouthartstour.com for directions to the studios, 603-436-3818

This self-guided tour of five studios, with 15 individual artists provides the opportunity to learn about the techniques used to throw clay; etch and print monotypes; layer porcelain as in Japanese neriage (ner-e-ah-gay) or nerikomi; design jewelry; print archival-quality fine art photography; interpret a children's book manuscript for illustration; forge metal; or design a temple. An annual highlight is Peter Happny's workspace, where he offers tour-goers the option of choosing objects from his sizeable junk collection to design a small piece that he will assemble permanently in the following weeks. New this year is a raffle to benefit art programs at the Portsmouth High School.

Open Studios at The Mills at Salmon Falls
1 Front St., Rollinsford
Nov. 20 and 21
Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.freewebs.com/themillsatsalmonfalls/index.htm, 207-363-9894

More than 70 of the Seacoast's most gifted painters, potters, printmakers, master furniture designers, woodworkers, framers, gilders, jewelry makers, photographers, collage and installation artists, as well as writers, performers, and dance and yoga instructors, call the Mills at Salmon Falls home. This is sure to be an awe-inspiring annual happening, if their buzz-worthy open studio this spring was any measure. Be advised: the upper mill has five floors with a spiral stairwell and is not handicapped accessible.

Sanctuary Arts' Victorian Art Salon
117 Bolt Hill Road, Eliot, Maine
Nov. 27-28
opening reception Saturday 7 to 10 p.m.; regular hours Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
www.sanctuaryarts.org, 207-438-9826

Last year it was the Bizarre Bazaar; this year, the folks at Sanctuary Arts kick up their heels with the Victorian Art Salon, featuring more than 80 artists and hundreds of works under $400. The opening reception on Saturday night in the sanctuary of the former Eliot church features live music and period-costumed servers offering refreshments in the parlor-eclectic-formal or period clothing optional. Sunday includes more of the same, plus a poetry reading at 2:30 p.m. Painters, sculptors, metal and wood artists, photographers, assemblage and collage artists, and a few select art-jewelers will be represented.

Barn and Beyond III
8 North Road, Kensington
Nov. 27 and 28
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
603-778-9599

The Red Shoe Gang continues their Thanksgiving weekend tradition with a group show held in member Kitty Clark's 1870s barn in Kensington, set up every year with lighting as a gallery. "We call it 'Barn and Beyond' because we do paint locally but travel beyond. Several of us went together to Italy, this year, so we'll be showing some of our Italian paintings, too," Clark says. Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.

Durham Art Association

Holiday Fine Art and Craft Sale
Mill Pond Center for the Arts, 50 Newmarket Road (Route 108), Durham
Dec. 4
Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
603-868-8999

The main house at Mill Pond Center for the Arts will be festively decorated for the holidays and filled with fine artwork and fine crafts by 25 regional artists, members of the Durham Art Association and invited guests, whose work ranges from paintings and handwoven items to notecards and ornaments.

Button Factory Open Studios
855 Islington St., Portsmouth
Dec. 4 and 5
Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
www.buttonfactorystudios.com/artists.htm

The granddaddy of them all promises a dazzling array of locally made fine art and photography, crafts, jewelry and more. And that's just from among the 40 working studios. The decorated hallways will include work-fine art photographs, clothing, paper, etc.-from visiting artists as well, plus Celtic Christmas music by duo Reaganta. Organ maker Darron Wissinger will have his studio open; he's just finishing work on his newest instrument and will have it on display.

Holiday Renaissance at Langer Place
55 S. Commercial St., Manchester
Dec. 4 and 5
Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
www.langerplace.com, 603-626-4388

One of Manchester's best-kept secrets is Langer Place, a haven in the historic Amoskeag Millyard dedicated to working artists and their fans. Last year a blizzard shut down the whole city, and still people poured through the doors. Guest artists, music, theater and food will fill the hallways for shopping and entertainment on all three floors.

12th Annual NOBO Show
Fox Brothers Furniture Studio, 39 Liberty St., Newburyport, Mass.
Dec. 10-12
opening reception Friday 6 to 10 p.m.; regular hours Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
www.noboarts.com, 978-462-7726

Focusing on the unique qualities of three-dimensional art and craft-from functional everyday objects to one-of-a-kind museum-quality pieces-the juried show brings together 19 nationally renowned artisans in the unusual and intimate setting of a working furniture studio. Industrial saws are transformed into jewelry cases and workbenches into display tables for blown glass, while makers of hand-crafted shoes invite you to put up your feet for a while. A percentage of the proceeds of sales from the show will be donated to the YWCA of Greater Newburyport.

Second Annual Artstream Holiday Open Studio Sale
56 North Main St., Rochester
Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
www.artstreamstudios.com, 603-330-0333

Artstream's mission is to develop and maintain a fine arts gallery as an essential element of the community, promoting a creative mix of emerging and established artists from the surrounding area. Visitors to the open studio will find unique works in jewelry, art quilts, sculptures, pottery, paintings, greeting cards, wearable art and more. Refreshments and gift wrapping will be available.