Special to the Gazette
For more than 30 years, Boston artists and art lovers have looked forward to the Jamaica Plain Open Studios (JPOS), a free annual event where the public can meet artists, experience their studios, and enjoy and purchase artwork directly. Organized by the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, this lively community-centered weekend celebrates the arts in Jamaica Plain (JP), a vibrant neighborhood where artistic connections and history abound. On Sept. 28-29, from 11am-6 pm (Saturday) and 11am-6pm (Sunday), this year’s event will showcase artwork by approximately 200 artists at over 60 sites across the neighborhood—inside artists’ studio spaces, plus group sites at Curtis Hall Community Center, the Loring Greenough House, The Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts, several churches, and elsewhere throughout JP. In 2024, JPOS will feature the work of ironworkers, jewelers, painters, ceramicists, printmakers, textile and paper artists, sculptors, clothing designers, woodcarvers, photographers, and more, highlighting the broad range of artistic media on display in a single weekend. Participating artists represent a diverse group of creatives at all stages of their careers.
Several local businesses, such as Tonino restaurant, Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers and Insight Realty, not only sponsor the JPOS event, but will also host artists’ work in their spaces. In addition to the usual kid’s table with fun art-making opportunities, this year’s event will feature a JPOS Young Artists’ Guide by educator Pete Curran. It will include tips for talking to artists, a mini-scavenger hunt, and space for young people to doodle their favorite works of art. Pete, a Middle School Art Teacher in Wayland explained, “My ten year old daughter, Tallulah and I have been going to JP Open Studios for a couple years. Last year, I noticed that she and other kids were mostly talking to their parents instead of to the artists.” Watching these interactions, Pete was inspired to use his skills as an educator to create something that would encourage young people to engage directly with the artists. Illustrator and graphic recorder Felipe Alvarez de Toledo and scientist and nature photographer Nicolas Devos will be opening their studio for the second year this fall. When they heard about the new Young Artists’ Guide, Felipe exclaimed, “I love drawing with kids!”
Nicolas concurred that his beautiful photos of animals would also interest young people. They agreed to share some answers to the questions in the Young Artist’s Guide. “What made you decide to use this medium?” Nicolas, who identifies as a scientific photographer rather than an artist, shared, “When I was 18 years old, my father gave me a camera, and I started to take pictures.” He continued to make photos as he matured, and emphasizes that his vision and skills are constantly evolving.
“My goal is to make people love the animals so they will advocate for conservation. I create beauty in my photographs, because showing these animals in the best light inspires others to care. It takes patience to get the framing right, but showing others how beautiful the world can make a difference.” Felipe said, “I always doodled in class. My family moved around a lot when I was a child; we lived in Barcelona, Argentina, and Syria and I always took pleasure in doodling what I saw. During the pandemic, I was inspired to make a serious commitment to drawing.” “What kinds of art did you enjoy when you were young?” Felipe continued, “Living in all those different places with different histories, I loved ruins, monuments, and new cultures.” In his sketchbook on Instagram, there are amusing illustrations, documentation from his work as a graphic facilitator, and drawings of monuments and places he has visited and explored. Nicolas shared, “Even before I received the camera from my dad, I enjoyed traveling to the wild areas of Belgium where I’m from, as well as to the Alps.
Those trips to the countryside made me want to become a scientist.” Nicolas’ day job is, in fact, in science. He works at a local biotechnology company on gene therapies for cardiovascular health. If you want to know the answers to other questions, you’ll have to stop by their studio at the end of September. The Jamaica Plain Arts Council is pleased to offer a forum for artists, arts supporters, and local businesses to interact and make connections, to enhance and enrich appreciation of artists’ studios and their work, and to showcase the healing and transformative power of art.
The Young Artist’s Guide and interactive maps of artist sites can be found at www.jpopenstudios.com. Physical copies of both can be found at the information booth at JP Licks (659 Centre St.). Maps will also be distributed to local businesses and group sites. All JPOS sites are MBTA accessible on the Orange Line as well as by several bus routes.