Sylvia Lopez Chavez and Elisa Hamilton
Sylvia Lopez Chavez and Elisa Hamilton will have an interactive public art exhibition at The Eliot School for the 2016 JP Open Studios
Want to get the most out of your time at this year's Jamaica Plain Open Studios? We've put together this guide to help.
During Open Studios, which run Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 200 artists will showcase their work at 40 sites around the neighborhood. The massive event is free.
Open Studios is a fixture on the JP calendar alongside other can't miss events like Wake Up the Earth, the JP Music Festival, the Lantern Parade and JP Porchfest.
You'll find art in nearly any media you can imagine, from photography to furniture and jewelry to painting.
If you're looking for a particular kind of art, Open Studios has a terrific searchable website for you to locate artists working in that genre.
You'll also find print guides to this year's Open Studios at many local businesses, as well as at information booths at The Brewery, 284 Amory St., and JP Licks, 659 Centre St.
Chris Helms
JP Open Studios maps are available at many businesses throughout the neighborhood.
Don't plan too much, though. We've found that half the fun of Open Studios is stumbling across types of art you didn't think resonated with you. So we highly recommend wandering the neighborhood for at least part of your Open Studios experience.
Open Studios makes it easy to see several artists' work at once with group shows scattered across the neighborhood:
- The Eliot School, 24 Eliot St.
- The Brewery, 284 Amory St.
- Mozart Park, Mozart and Centre streets
- Loring-Greenough House, 12 South St.
Open Studios coincides with the Latin Quarter Fiesta, hosted by the Hyde Square Task Force. On Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. There will be public Zumba classes, crafts and games for kids, a serious dominoes tourney and music acts capped off by the bachata of Chicomanía.
Parking in JP, even on the weekends, can be a hassle. So one stress-free way to experience Open Studios is by bike. There's even an organized bike tour each day from 1-4 p.m. This year's theme is "Edible Artistry" and the route starts at Fiore's Bakery and ends at The Brewery.