Fayetteville, United States

12103 Hazel Valley Road Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701 United States, United States

35.939509, -93.985156

outsider art,art

Terra Studios

Terra Studios, a magical art and nature wonderland near Fayetteville, Arkansas, combines Ozark beauty with whimsical art.

Terra Studios is a unique nature and art oasis located in the Ozark Mountains near Fayetteville, Arkansas. Founded in 1975 by artists Leo and Rita Ward as a glass and pottery studio, it grew from offering art lessons to mass-producing Leo's signature "Bluebird of Happiness" glass birds via mail order. After over 8 million Bluebirds were made, the property transformed into an artistic wonderland filled with stone labyrinths, ponds, gnomes, trolls, and a magnificent "Wizard's Chair" sculpture made of clay and colored glass. Though the Wards retired in 2007, Terra remains an active artist community featuring galleries, a cafe with live music, glass blowing demonstrations, and pottery classes - all surrounded by the creative fancies of Ozark folk art set against the natural Ozark beauty.

Terra Studios, Art Environment, Fayetteville, AR

Labyrint at Terra Studios, Art Environment, Fayetteville, AR

Take the beauty of the Ozarks, throw in a few hippie artists and a touch of magic, and the result is Terra Studios, a nature and art oasis near Fayetteville, Arkansas.

In 1975, Leo and Rita Ward founded Terra Studios as a glass and pottery studio that would be open to the public. Both were artists, Leo as a master glass craftsman and Rita as a potter and sculptor. After teaching art classes for eight years, Leo created Terra's signature piece: the Bluebird of Happiness. The small, hand-shaped glass birds quickly became very popular and a mail order business was established and other artists presented their work at Terra Studios

In 2007, the Wards retired to pursue more private artistic endeavors, and Terra passed to new ownership. After producing over 8 million Bluebirds, no part of the property has remained untouched by art. Even the trash cans are trolls with gaping mouths that gobble up your trash. There's a maze of standing stones, a cafe next to a pond, and more gnomes, trolls and fairies than you can count. There's also Otis Zark's dim garden, through which visitors can reach the centerpiece of the collection, the Magic Chair, made of molded clay and gorgeously lit colored glass.

Many artists still reside on the property, and the art is in constant production. You can watch glass artisans make bluebirds in the gallery, pottery classes are offered, and local musicians play in the café on weekends. Terra is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the natural beauty, surrounded by the clay and glass flights of creative, offbeat Ozark folk artists for which they are known.

Wikipedia

Durham, Arkansas unincorporated community in the United States (35)

Durham School (Durham, Arkansas) school building (23)

Durham Township, Washington County, Arkansas township of Arkansas (21)