Janice Williams
Courtesy Photo “Sacred Matrix” by Marilyn Goodrich will be on display at Roslindale Open Studios.
The 5th Annual Roslindale Open Studios (ROS) takes place this weekend, Nov. 7 and 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. This free event will bring art and community together to meet 97 artists displaying and selling their work in over 44 locations throughout Roslindale in home studios, businesses and group sites. The sites are easily accessible by public transportation and on foot. At ROS, the public can purchase art at reasonable prices without gallery mark-ups.
Photography, sculpture, painting, textiles, mixed media and more will be shown at 28 home art studios. Individuals and families can take a peek into the creative lives of Roslindale residents. They will be able to see finished work as well as works in progress along with the tools of the artist’s medium. Visitors can talk to the artists in person and learn about their artistic passions.
A must-see studio is that of Marilyn Goodrich, an established book artist and calligrapher who lives and works in the neighborhood. Her artist books are in the prestigious collections of Harvard University’s Houghton Rare Book Library and in the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Collection at Florida Atlantic University and in numerous private collections and have been widely exhibited in museums nationally. Goodrich’s calligraphy and unique artist books build on historical models that inspire modern innovation.
Sculptor Rick Carpenter creates objects with volume and openness using carbon steel, stainless steel, copper and brass that are rough and powerful yet give an illusion of simplicity. His studio will be open as part of ROS.
ROS group sites will host multiple artists. A favorite at Boston School of Modern Languages at 814 South St. will be returning photographer Kristen Mallery with her “Hearts Happen.” According to Mallery, “Hearts Happen is a series of found hearts, captured with digital photography. No hearts were set up altered or injured in the making of Hearts Happen.”
Sacred Heart School at 1035 Canterbury St. will host two Boston Latin School Students, Ben Rukavina and Erik Hechavarria, recipients of scholarships from Healthy Roslindale and Roslindale Village Main Street.
Roslindale House at 120 Poplar St.—a Rogerson Communities property—will feature potter Robert Galuska. His pottery is fashioned from Polish wood-carvings done in a town called Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains of southern Poland.
Several Jamaica Plain artists will be showing their work, including Mary Birnbaum, Maggie Carberry, Mary Eng, Chris Harper Fahey, Kymberlee Keckler and Sandra Papson.
Families can combine art viewing with art making at the ROS group site at Sacred Heart School, 1035 Canterbury St. The auditorium will host artists of every medium—from sculptured giraffes by Jack Lawrence to brightly designed skateboards by Jen Hemenway to original woodcuts and
rubber block prints of animals, stories and plants by Ann Nydam.
Downstairs in the cafeteria, the Roslindale Arts Alliance and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will provide free “Create and Recycle,” a free kids art activity from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days of the event.
Many of the businesses in Roslindale’s business district will be hosting artists during the event. For those who may get hungry, the district offers American, bistro, Greek, Italian, Mexican and Chinese cuisines. Visitors to ROS will have an opportunity to win dinner for two at a Roslindale restaurant just by filling out an entry form at any group site.
The Longfellow House at 885 South St. will feature home studios and business artists who have art on display. There, visitors can pick up
a brochure with map to plan their ROS art adventure.
For more information, visit the ROS web site at www.roslindaleopenstudios.org or call 710-3811. ROS is sponsored by the Roslindale Arts Alliance.
The writer is Roslindale Open Studios and Roslindale Arts Alliance Coordinator.