The Boston arts community and resident are looking forward to celebrating the 29th year of Jamaica Plain Open Studios (JPOS), a free, annual event that gives the public the opportunity to meet some of the city’s premier artists and experience their diverse array of work first-hand.
Organized by the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, this lively and community-centered weekend will celebrate the arts in one of Boston’s most eclectic and vibrant neighborhoods, Jamaica Plain (JP), an area of the city rife with artistic connections and history. From 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 24-25, 2022, Open Studios will showcase the work of more than 100 artists at 40-plus sites across the neighborhood—from the front steps of artists’ creative spaces, to the outside of Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers in Bartlett Square, to the schoolyard at the historic Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts.
JPOS 2022 will feature the work of ironworkers, jewelers, painters, potters, printmakers, quilt-makers, sculptors, woodcarvers, photographers and more, highlighting the broad range of artistic mediums on display in a single weekend. The participating artists also represent a diverse group of student artists and newcomers as well as more established practitioners.
Lisa Goren, a Hyde Park-based watercolorist, has participated in JPOS for more than a decade, and for 20-plus years, she has created paintings based on her travels to Alaska, Antarctica, Iceland and near the North Pole, focusing her work on polar and frozen landscapes.
“My first and only trip to Antarctica was in 1997. It was life-changing. The area was so beautiful and so vast—just stunning. I hope to bring a small part of that to my paintings,” Goren said.
Goren has taught art at local schools and, since the coronavirus pandemic, organized pop-up shows that have showcased the work of Boston-area artists outdoors. She previously served on the board of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council and now volunteers for the organization, so Open Studios holds a special place in her heart. As part of JPOS 2022, her work, both past and present, will be on display at the Footlight Club at 7 Elliot St. A.
“JP Open Studios was the second or third place I ever showed my art, and it was welcoming from the beginning. People come and they talk about your work. They’re interested, engaged, positive and encouraging,” Goren said. “Other artists I have presented with are now friends of mine for life. It’s more than just a local arts show.”
Marc Cote, a Framingham-based printmaker, is another returning artist. The dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Framingham State University, Cote has taught printmaking, illustration and foundation studies to undergraduate and graduate students for decades. He was previously the president of the Boston Printmakers and still serves on its board.
Cote noted that he has participated in JPOS for roughly 15 years and lived in the neighborhood in the 1990s and 2000s. He has a deep appreciation for the artistic vibrancy of the community.
“I have a strong connection to and love for JP. The neighborhood has long appreciated a wide range of artistic content and approaches. It’s one of the rarer audiences that will buy my scary work!,” Cote said.
Cote’s art includes woodcuts, monotypes and sculptures that feature expressionistic, figurative imagery. His work draws from the subjects of children’s tales, myths, fables and novels as well as his own personal experiences. As part of JPOS 2022, he will be showcasing his art, both past and present, at the First Baptist Church at 633 Centre St.
“Open Studios is a kind of wild, wonderful event that gets the people out in the streets—families, older audiences, teens and people in their 20s who are just beginning their artistic collections or are artists themselves,” Cote said. “It’s really fantastic.”
The goal of JPOS 2022 is to highlight the many wonderful artists in the community and put on full display the healing and transformative power of art. The Jamaica Plain Arts Council is excited to offer a space for supporters of the arts, artists themselves, friends and neighbors to connect and appreciate artists’ studios and creative spaces.
Free maps of where participating artists will be stationed will be distributed at JP businesses and will be available during the event at the information booth at the JP Licks at 659 Centre St. Maps are also available for download at www.jpopenstudios.com. All Open Studios sites are MBTA accessible on the Orange Line at the Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street and Forest Hills stations as well as on several bus routes. More information is available by calling JPOS at (617) 855-5767 (JPOS).