Viva Nancy Luce! is the theme of a new show opening Sunday, Oct. 12, at Treehouse Studios in West Tisbury, with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. The exhibit will feature works of art related to the life of Martha’s Vineyard’s eccentric folk hero who became known in the 1800s as the chicken lady.

Participating in the show will be several Vineyard artists including Virginia Blakeslee, Pat Albee, Jerry Messman, Gail Tipton, Jennifer Rapurino, Sheila Fane, Ruth Major DeWilde, Rose Treat, Paul Murray and Ruth Adams. Also expected to be represented will be “last-minute” submissions by other artistic Nancy Luce fans.

Nancy Luce, an early Island entrepreneur, rode a horse from rural West Tisbury to Edgartown, selling woolen goods from her neighborhood to sea merchants in the bustling seaport town. Later, as her health declined, she wrote poetry about her beloved chickens, as well as verses regarding her difficult life, and published small books which she then sold to tourists.

This is the eighth annual Nancy Luce” show at Treehouse Studios, now located across from the West Tisbury post office on State Road. The gallery also continues to show other works by area artists, as well as paintings and prints by past Vineyard artists, including Stanley Murphy, Francis Chapin, Max Kahn, Eleanor Coen and Virginia Beresford.

For details, call 508-693-6645.