Natick Artists Open Studios

Natick Artists Open Studios, the annual town-wide exhibition of Natick artists’ work, will be held on October 20 and 21 this year, from 11 AM to 5 PM each day. Much of the art will be displayed at a few central locations: the Morse Institute Library, the Town Hall, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and other venues in Natick Center. Outside the town center, individual artists will show their work in areas that can be located on the NAOS maps. Brochures with maps and sample photographs will be available at kiosks throughout town.
Deb Sayre has been planning and coordinating the NAOS weekend for the last few years. She appreciates the variety of the Natick Artist Open Studios. “This has been going on 17 or 18 years, and we are still uncovering more members of the art community,” she said. “There is a guy who paints whale tales on wood. There are metal works, mosaics, glass, creative photography, an assortment of artists. There are so many people that do things as hobbies that are just amazing. Every time we discover one I’m just thrilled.”
One of the exhibits at the Morse Institute Library will be a juried selection of art that represents the quality and variety of Natick artists. Jessica Roscio, Curator at the Danforth Museum, will judge. “We have a growing art community, and we felt it was time to sense different levels. We have exceptional artists, had enough to warrant having a show for the best of the best.”
This year the organizers are introducing a passport program. Passports will be available at any art venue and can be marked with a sticker at each venue visited. At the end of the day, anyone who drops off a passport at the last place visited will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate for any open studios artist, or reimbursement for art purchased that day. There is no minimum number to visit. The drawings will happen at the end of each Open Studios day.
Some venues will have live music and most will offer snacks and treats. Art will be available for purchase at most venues. “There is a running conversation, is it a show? Is it a sale? It is an art show. From my point of view, it is an opportunity to see how creative other people are,” Sayre said. In the seven or eight years she has been involved with Open Studios as an artist, she has seen creative evolution and is awed by the freshness of the art. “People carve wooden buckets into candle holders or make shovels into statues. If someone can think about it and manifest it we’ll show it.”
A mosaic and jewelry artist herself, Sayre had a memorable experience at the Tucson Gem and Bead show many years ago. Long white tents were set up by the side of the road and artists conversed freely and creatively. “I talked to cowboys, and managed to find a New England connection with everybody. It was the best two days of my life.” Interacting with artists became Sayre’s priority. “For me I wanted to be part of something in community and have the opportunity to associate with creative people.”
Sayre and a team of volunteers, including Liliana Glen and John Holz, encourage the openness of the studios, not only in terms of doors but of minds. Open Studios provides opportunities to see from one other’s perspectives. Sayre is amazed by the ability to see differently and create something. “It’s one thing to dream and another to make that dream a reality.”
The sharing of perspectives will continue after NAOS weekend with a creative photography show called “Perspectives” at the Morse Institute Library. The exhibit will ask the question, what do you see, and how can you alter that to create something new? It can be seen in November and December of this year.