Annual Natick Open Studios Returns For 2024

News release from Natick Art Association.

NATICK, MA — The Natick Art Association will hold its annual Open Studios weekend on October 19 and 20. This more than two decades old tradition is an opportunity for residents and neighbors to meet Natick's artists in an informal setting to learn about the artists' work and have the opportunity to buy art directly from the artists. Open Studio hours will be 11am-5pm both days.

This town-wide event takes place at home studios and group studio locations across town and in the Natick Cultural District. The participating artists work in a broad array of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, jewelry making, mosaics, mixed media, woodworking, and more.

Natick Art Association's members are busy with their creative work throughout the year, with many artists showing their work in regional juried shows as well as participating in and leading workshops in their mediums. This past summer, several members had artwork selected for the Danforth Art Museum's annual juried show.

One of the artists juried into the Danforth Show is Liliana Glenn who makes lampwork art glass beads used for making jewelry and other work. Liliana's artwork has also been selected for the "Fire & Water" show at Worcester State University, and she frequently teaches workshops at the Snow Farm craft center in Williamsburg, MA. Liliana's studio is located at a group location at 43 Main Street. Other artists at 43 Main include jewelry maker Deb Sayre and sterling silver craftsman John Holz.

Ceramic sculptor Suzanne Stumpf also had a work featured in the Danforth exhibit. Suzanne is a widely acclaimed, prize-winning artist who recently was awarded third place at the Marblehead Arts Association's national juried show this past May. She has a special interest in creating multi-component sculptures that can be rearranged for different experiences of the artwork. Open Studio visitors are encouraged to explore and rearrange her sculptures when they visit her historic Barn Showroom at 62 Farwell Street, one mile south of Natick center. In addition to sculpture, Suzanne makes one-of-a-kind porcelain pottery pieces.

Painter Ryan Black also has a solo studio. He has been in residence for 12 years at 57 Eliot Street in picturesque South Natick center. In addition to his work as a painter, Ryan has also been managing the Page Waterman Gallery for 17 years, most recently overseeing the business's move from Wellesley to South Natick. His current ongoing project is painting scenes which feature weathervanes.

Mosaic artist Carol Krentzman will be a guest presenter at the 3 Adams Street Studio in Natick Center for the weekend. She recently had three of her pieces accepted into juried exhibits of the New England Mosaic Society. She is familiar to Natick residents due to her multiple public mosaic installations in downtown Natick, especially on Court Street. During Open Studio weekend, Carol will once again provide artistic participation opportunities for visitors.

In addition to experiencing Carol's mosaic work, visitors to the large group studio at 3 Adams Street can sample a broad variety of other artistic genres, including painting, pottery, photography, fused art glass, jewelry, among others. Jewelry maker Jo LaFalce is a resident artist there, and she especially enjoys helping clients to refashion inherited jewelry into new original pieces.

The Natick Art Association's President Ginger McEachern's studio is also at 3 Adams Street. Ginger works in diverse mediums, including watercolor painting, handmade boxes, journals, and jewelry pieces. Photographer Conrad Gees, painter Carolyn Williams, fabric artist Helen Bellomo, multi media artist Denise Girardin, and glass artist Steve Levinsky are among the many creators at that lively location.

Other artists participating in Open Studio weekend include sculptor Jeff Olsen, watercolorist Nancy Levin, vessel maker Martha Gold, woodworker Steve Strout, and photographers Corinne Rhode and Rolf Larson.

A concurrent artistic event on the weekend is the Oldtown Calendar Competition which will take place once again at the Eliot Street Church in South Natick on Sunday October 20 from 11am-3pm. Dozens of photographers enter the competition each year, and visitors vote for their favorites. Photographers are charged to highlight what they love about the communities of Natick, Sherborn, Dover, and Needham, and winning entries are published in the next year's calendar.

For more information and to learn about all of this year's Open Studio participants and studio locations, visit www.natickartassociation.org