The Boston Arts Festival

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The Boston Arts Festival

Free September 12-13 2026 in Christopher Columbus Park. Showcasing Boston's local fine artists and musicians. Rain or shine. We look forward to hearing from you!

This premier event kicks off Open Studios season around the city, and after a year's absence, is back in full force! This juried show features some of the most talented artists and musicians that help to make our city a little more colorful. Attention artists and musicians - applications and FAQs are on our primary website, so please visit us www.TheBostonArtsFestival.com if you wish to be considered for this event.

08/19/2026

John Picard is a fine art photographer and mixed media artist. His work has been recognized through juried awards, gallery exhibitions, and curatorial selection. He has been composing his whole life. That long practice shapes how he sees — composition, light, and timing as instincts rather than decisions. He works across parallel tracks. The foundation is straight photography — medium format, intentional post-processing, printed on fine art paper and textured metal. From there he builds outward into mixed media originals on archival paper and image transfers on panel, finishing each by hand. The image is the foundation; the hand is the finish.

08/12/2026

Sarah Holland is a self-taught artists based in Medford, Massachusetts. She draws inspiration for her oil paintings from across the Northeast.

08/05/2026

Lisa Goren was born in California and raised in NYC. And yet she has dreamed of Polar landscapes since she was in her teens. Her first trip to Antarctica (1998) inspired her to capture this world. Travels to Iceland and Alaska followed. Her watercolors examine this unfamiliar landscape and create questions about the nature of abstraction and our planet with her representations of unfamiliar, threatened terrains. Earning a place on the 2013 Arctic Circle Residency, she chronicled the journey in the New York Times (http://nyti.ms/1PAO5mr). During the Pandemic, she worked on smaller paintings of animals in “human” spaces as well as portraits of health care workers (chosen to be in The Best Art Created by Washington Post Readers During the Pandemic by Washington Post). Since then, she has expanded her work on animals - continuing her project on whalebones and images of animals confronting the viewer. Recently, Lisa participated in several artist residencies: Iceland, France (2024), Nantucket, and France (2025).

08/03/2026

Originally from Wales, UK. Neil Wyatt established his craft in painting and 3 dimensional art, in clay & pot work. Since moving to the United States he has progressively been working in the medium of oils and inks in an attempt to develop and identify his own unique style with a goal to exhibit his work throughout New England Wyatt's paintings are developed with .a keen interest in design. He incorporates the use of strong color, line and shape into his painting, using nature, familiar places, and man made substances as his subject matter. Many of the paintings are created with the idea that movement, or different forms of motion can be fused with the tangible and as a consequence, these images are broken down to evolve into contemporary abstracts. Other pieces formulate a more representative style. "It is however the process of painting that has been the primary goal in my work. Watching and experimenting with the use of technique, is what has holds the fascination for me, and how all these elements interact with each other and evolve towards a final piece of work." In 1999 Wyatt attained a bachelor's degree in counseling and found that the process of healing held parallel similarities to painting. As a result he incorporated this into his art and began a new career as a freelance art therapist working with abused children. Currently Wyatt is working in Massachusetts for a non-profit agency where he manages a day program for individuals who are developmentally disabled. It is here that he has created "Independent Art initiatives" for individuals that collectively work together to create combined collages and mixed medium art. Wyatt has won several national and State awards for his work. The "Association of Developmental Disabilities Provider Award" 2007 Best contemporary Artist in the medium of oil/acrylic category at the Narragansett Art festival, Rhode Island 2008. The 2007 "American Network of Community Options and Resources Award" for Direct Professional Innovation. "I still believe that the "process" of creativity is the most rewarding and believe that art is not only for everyone, but can be achieved by

07/29/2026

Matthew Pricken is a freelance artist & designer currently living and working in Vermont at his home art studio. Working with a composite of pen/ink & watercolor, his work focuses primarily on realistic renderings inspired largely by his travels around the world & his reverence for the environment. Through his work, Matthew strives to minimize backgrounds or reference materials in order to isolate the subject, focusing on what he finds most important. As a self taught artist, Matthew has sought to constantly advance and evolve his style by continuously experimenting in new mediums. His first series, dedicated to the history of classical European architecture, relied exclusively on a cross-hatching style using only a ballpoint pen. Changing styles, Matthew began to introduce new shading techniques into his works by incorporating watercolor and relying less on cross-hatching. This style gave his work a noticeably softer and looser feel, while still keeping the signature rigid and defined nature of a pen outline. Over time this adaptation to new medium has lead Matthew to fuse the two styles together. He uses a ball-point pen to create bold and distinct outlines, then using watercolors, softens those boarders until they flow together harmoniously. Currently he is working on an Animal Series that attempts to highlight the natural flow and beauty of watercolors, by focusing heavily on blending and layering to achieve vivid detail.

07/22/2026

Melissa Fredette- "I am a native New Englander who came to painting late in life. I retired early from a corporate career and decided to finally explore this interest that’s followed me since childhood. These days I spend my time seeing where the paint takes me, traveling at home and overseas, and spending time with family and friends. My paintings are inspired by the vibrant colors and natural beauty of New England and my travels abroad. Whether it’s the lap of the sea against the rocks, the beat of a hummingbird’s wings or the petals of a flower, nature has much to teach us about the beauty in simple moments of nature. I love pattern, the play of colors together, and exploring finished vs. unfinished effects."

07/15/2026

Melanie Sartori- "My work is inspired by elegant and vintage design styles, places that I travel to, and vintage mural techniques. I have been showing my work at fairs for a few years and have done over 30 murals in that time. My work is often freehand florals featuring relaxing, meandering strokes, and that influences my floral styles. The use of sheer paints and layers allows the color in my work to light up and be silhouetted atop a layer of gold foil. A trip to Europe influenced my work and inspired me to create Byzantine and decorative art-influenced works, but more fun."

07/09/2026

Manizhe Zahedi- "I am an Iranian artist driven by a lifelong passion for creativity and the vibrant energy of the natural world. My work is a bridge between the abstract and the realistic, reflecting my deep fascination with nature’s colors and organic forms. As a self-taught artist, my journey has been defined by constant exploration and experimentation rather than formal training. This curiosity has allowed me to build a diverse portfolio that spans across mixed media, landscaping, still life, and abstract pieces. Beyond my own practice, I am dedicated to nurturing the creative spirit in others. I regularly lead workshops and art classes, helping aspiring artists—especially children—discover and trust their own unique voices. My goal is to create visually captivating work that pushes boundaries and invites viewers to step into my personal perception of emotion and beauty."

06/30/2026

Matthew Cowles is a self taught oil painter who works almost exclusively via palette knife. Upon completion of college Matthew embarked on a decade long stint in corporate America, followed by a few years of teaching within The Springfield Public Schools. Upon the birth of his daughter he became a stay at home father who found time to paint late into the night. This return to art, having previously stopped upon the completion of high school, finds Matthewexploring still life and landscape oil paintings that blur the lines between Impressionism and Abstraction.

06/23/2026

"Nature, Biology and the interconnectedness of all life has always fascinated me and my work reflects that. I strive for each piece to embody the grace, beauty and complexity found in nature. Through glass, I trace the hidden patterns that shape our world, seeking harmony between movement, balance, and the pulse of life itself." Shane Dorey’s glass sculptures explore the intersection of nature’s design and the artist’s curiosity. Rooted in close observation, his work captures the vivid colors, intricate patterns, and organic flow of living forms. Through a blend of meticulous detail and the fluid motion of molten glass, Shane creates pieces that feel both precise and alive. Art work that is an enduring reflection of the natural beauty that inspires them.

Address

Boston, MA
02110

Opening Hours

11am - 7pm

Website

http://www.TheBostonArtsFestival.com/

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