Open Studios: Art in Context

Every spring, artists in and around Boston open their doors to embrace both the warm weather and the crowds of inquisitive visitors. Boston’s first Open Studios began over thirty years ago, when Fort Point artists organized themselves in an effort to transcend limited gallery space. The original event now has grown city-wide and beyond, involving hundreds, perhaps thousands, of artists from diverse local communities.
Free and open to the public, Open Studios give viewers the rare opportunity to see art in the intimate setting of its creation. Visitors can talk one-on-one with artists, learning about the techniques and personality that transformed thread into cloth or steel into sculpture.
These events also give artists a chance to create relationships with the general public and to sell their work. Gabrielle Schaffner, a Fort Point potter, says, "It’s nice to see what people respond to in your work, and to see who your work is going to. I miss that kind of organic connection when I sell through a gallery."
Open Studios turn the often solitary act of creating art into a community event, and artists often form connections with one another as well. Group display areas result in new collaborations and the exchange of influence, ideas, and inspiration.
Since many events charge only a small fee for artist involvement, the Open Studios allow a broad demographic of artists to participate, from the established to the emerging. Open studios present an opportunity for new artists — and artists new to the area — to make themselves known. They also lend visibility to artists whose discipline has yet to take a prominent place in galleries and museums. Chris Letizia, a bookbinder recent both to Somerville and his craft, will open his studio for the first time. He says, "It’s a good way to put a hand up and say, ‘I’m here.’"
At any given Open Studio weekend, visitors will encounter diverse media,

with work ranging from sculpture to painting, furniture to printmaking, textiles to ceramics, and beyond. One Open Studio even boasts a category deemed "emotional stuffed animals."
Permutations of the event are unique to each community. Some Open Studios include writing and the performance arts; you can encounter musicians in North Cambridge, poetry readings in West Medford, and a recycling-themed fashion show in the South End. You might find yourself in a converted garage or a church basement, eating pretzels in an artist’s living room, or strolling across a factory floor.

Open Studios transform the way we envision space, challenging us to reconsider what qualifies as an "artist studio" and to find rich cultural communities in formerly unexplored, overlooked neighborhoods. The industrial area of Harrison Avenue, not long ago a No Man’s Land, now draws thousands of visitors to its galleries and thriving artist cooperatives each month.
This attraction benefits local businesses, who open their doors to visitors seeking a favorite new eatery or shop in addition to a favorite new talent. The flourishing relationship between local art and business demonstrates art’s importance to the economic life of the community.
Look closely, and you discover the subtle yet dynamic interrelation of art and its context. The landscape of West Medford creeps into the language of its poets, and the energy of East Boston finds its way onto the life of the canvas.
Open Studios reveal the cutting edge of contemporary art. With each Open Studio, we witness the site of art’s creation in the company of its creators. Those who attend the Open Studios find their thirst for culture quenched and their time well spent.