Open-Studio City

WHEN THE ARTISTS IN BOSTON'S Fort Point Channel section held their first open-studio event in 1980, they were considered urban pioneers. Many of the huge, old buildings in the industrial area around Summer Street had been empty for years; food-packing, wool-importing, and trucking companies partially occupied others. Few people, other than factory workers, knew the neighborhood or ventured in, especially at night. But artists saw opportunity there and seized it as they began the slow transformation of the buildings into spaces where they could live and work.

"It was pretty exciting," says Lenore Tenenblatt, a painter, sculptor, photographer, and printmaker who has lived in Fort Point for 26 years. "There was a real community spirit. People would sign a lease for a whole floor, and groups of artists would get together and build their own walls."

According to Gabrielle Schaffner, coordinator for this year's Fort Point Open Studios, about 25 artists were involved in that trailblazing 1980 event. "They were so excited about how well it went that they decided to make it a regular thing," she says.

This year's "regular thing," set for October 15 and 16, will include 250 artists in about 15 buildings, including the newly renovated Midway Artists Building on 15 Channel Center Street, where three structures have been combined into 89 live/ work studios, along with office space, retail shops, and cafes.

Since Fort Point got the show rolling, open studios across Boston have grown so much that, collectively, they now make up the largest such event in the country, according to Sarah Hutt, Mayor Thomas M. Menino's director of visual arts programming. Approximately 1,400 artists participate in open-studio programs from South Boston to Roxbury, mostly in the fall, with East Boston's held in June.

The first fall event, the South End tour, is in its 19th year. "Initially, the South End [event] began with Boston Center for the Arts on Tremont Street inviting people for brunch and visits to studios of about 35 artists in the BCA only," says Christine Farris, producer of South End Open Studios for the last 10 years. "Eventually, more large buildings became involved, with more artists' studios. Since I've been involved, it has grown from 110 artists to over 300."

Area businesses have been supportive of the weekend event, Farris adds, as it benefits not only the artists but also neighborhood shops and restaurants. Hutt says this ripple effect is common - some open-studio events evolved into street festivals, with food vendors and musicians filling out the program.

In Jamaica Plain, where open studios have been going on for 12 years, more than 200 artists have registered to participate in October. "We're setting it up as a Neighborhood Walk, encouraging people to stroll and see the neighborhood," says the event's coordinator, Linda Costa-rides. "And it's the busiest day of the year for restaurants along Centre Street." On Sunday of the weekend event, the Brewery, a building where several artists have studios, will feature live musical performances by Boston blues and folk artist Sarah Blacker and local jazz and rock jam-band The Courtesy Tier.

In Roslindale, which is holding its inaugural open studios October 1 and 2, 54 artists are registered to participate in 23 locations. "It's definitely turned out to be much bigger than we had expected," says committee member Carolyn Thall.

As Boston celebrates its 375th birthday this year, Menino is emphasizing art and culture in the city's various neighborhoods. Dates and maps for events around the city may be found at www.cityofboston.gov/arts/openstudios.asp. The following is a listing of open-studio events slated for this month and next, in and around Boston.

SOUTH END
September 17 and 18, 11 a.m. to 6p.m.; 617-267-8862, www.useaboston.com. Printed guides available at 560 Harrison Avenue, 500 Albany Street (with free parking), and 539 Tremont Street (in front of the Boston Center for the Arts). Free shuttle-bus service between sites.

* More than 300 artists will exhibit painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, and fiber arts in buildings throughout the neighborhood. There will also be live music at three locations: jazz in the courtyard at 500 Harrison Avenue, an eclectic mix at Bates Arts Resource Center, 731 Harrison Avenue, and hip-hop on the plaza infront of the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street.

JAMAICA PLAIN
September 24 and 25, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; www.jpopenstudios.com. Information booths will be located at The Brewery, 31 Germania Street; J. P. Licks, 659 Centre Street; Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts, 24 Eliot Street; and in Hyde Square.

* In addition to individual studios, many of the 200 artists participating will exhibit in group shows, including one at the Arnold Arboretum and a juried exhibition at Forest Hills Cemetery Chapel.

ROSLINDALE
October 1 and 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 617-275-1973, www.roslindaleopenstudios.org. Printed guides available at Longfellow House, 885 South Street, and at Centre Cuts, 8 Belgrade Avenue.

* More than 50 artists will exhibit their work, many of them at Roslindale House, 120 Poplar Street. Sixteen artists will open their home studios to the public. On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the event will coincide with the Roslindale Village Main Street Harvest Festival, which will feature music, food, crafts, rides, and art activities.

ROXBURY
October 1 and 2, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 617-541-3900 ext. 2327, www.actroxbury.org. Refreshments, art, and printed guides to other studios and restaurants at Roxbury Center for Art at Hibernian Hall, 182-186 Dudley Street, and at Roxbury Community College, 1234 Columbus Avenue (free parking), Media Arts Building. There is a free shuttle-bus service between sites.

* Roxbury's open-studio event is now in its seventh year and will feature work from 150 participants from varied ethnic backgrounds. In addition to paintings and photography, the event will feature home accessories, dolls, and soft sculptures.

SOUTH BOSTON
October 8 and 9, noon to 5 p.m.; www.artistsfoundation.org/sobostonopenstudios. Artists will exhibit and sell their work at six locations. Printed guides available at the South Boston Arts Association, 78 West Broadway; King Terminal, 17 Powerhouse Street; and The Distillery, 516 East Second Street.

* South Boston has held open-studio events for 20 years. Many studios, in warehouses and older buildings, offer views of the city and harbor. Artists' works include watercolors, sculptures, oil and acrylic paintings, and installation art.

CAMBRIDGEPORT
October 1 and 2, noon to 6 p.m.; 617-877-9305, www.caosonline.org. Printed guides available in Central Square at Pearl Art & Craft Supplies, 579 Massachusetts Avenue; Toscanini's Ice Cream, 899 Main Street; and at Corners Frame Shop, 727 Memorial Drive.

* Yellow balloons and posters will mark the open studios for this 13th annual event. More than 80 artists in 40 studio locations between River and Sidney streets will exhibit and sell paintings, photographs, pottery, and sculptures.

CAPE ANN
October 8, 9, and 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 978-985-8091, www.capeannartisans.com. Printed guides available at Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, 33 Commercial Street, Gloucester, and Rockport Chamber of Commerce, 22 Broadway, Rockport.

* Magenta banners will mark the studios of the 15 artists participating in this open-studio event, now in its 22d year. Demonstrations will include the working of a potter's wheel and Venetian-style glass-bead making. Other participants include watercolorists, sculptors, photographers, and artists working in batik and mosaics.

FORT POINT CHANNEL
October 15 and 16, noon to 6 p.m.; preview October 14, 4 to 7:30 p.m.; 617-423-4299, www.fortpointarts.org. Maps available at 300 Summer Street, 249 A Street, and at the Midway artists building, 15 Channel Center Street.

* The Fort Point Arts Community's 26th Open Studios will feature 250 painters, sculptors, ceramists, bookmakers, photographers, and others, with 100 artists also participating in the preview event. The neighborhood is within walking distance of South Station. There will be live music at various locations and a central Art Tent, with exhibits as well as food vendors and arts activities for kids.

Barbara Claire Kasselmann is a freelance writer. E-mail her Bkasselm@cs.com.