The beautiful weather was second only to the beautiful artwork that filled Dedham’s common areas on Sunday. The second annual Dedham Open Studios featured 95 artists specializing in a variety of media, all celebrating with residents and other art-lovers all over town.
“We’re so excited about so many activities happening in Dedham for Open Studios,” said founder Jennifer Barsamian. “People come from all over the surrounding areas and we’re so happy to be able to showcase Dedham.”
The artists were able to display and even sell their work out of their own homes, or can choose to show with other artists in gathering places like the Endicott Estate, Dedham Community House, Allin Church, First Church and Parish and NewBridge on the Charles.
Court Street resident David Adler is a second time participant in Dedham Open Studios, and showed his framed nature photos on the front farmer’s porch of the home he shares with wife Liz Brown. Taken everywhere from the Galapagos Islands to Antarctica to their bedroom window, Adler’s photography started as something he just did on vacation. But when others started noticing what an eye he had for composition, he began a website and started displaying his work. A snapshot of orca whales he took from a raft off the coast of Antarctica even made it into the pages of Smithsonian Magazine in 2008.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have, but it matters that you have it with you when you see something great,” said Adler, who is a full time computer software designer. “I always have a camera nearby.”
Eric and Lichtaim Medwid displayed their work at Dedham Community House—he with his watercolors and Peruvian textiles and she with her hand-rolled paper necklaces, a style reminiscent of her native Peru. Eric Medwid requested the community house location because the couple lives just down the street. It is his first year participating in Open Studios.
“I began just sketching and then started doing watercolors a few years ago,” said Eric Medwid, who is a full time carpenter and painter. “We thought this would be a nice place to display and meet some local people.”
Some of the paintings he had on display included one close up of the Dedham Public Library, another of Dedham Square and a third of a Boston lighthouse.
Dedham Square was blocked off to traffic for the afternoon, and a handful of large, ceramic rabbits held court in front of the Dedham Community Theatre. A part of Dedham Shine’s Dedham Public Art Project, it’s an initiative to publicly celebrate Dedham’s artistic heritage and bring a little whimsy to the streets.
The beautiful weather was second only to the beautiful artwork that filled Dedham’s common areas on Sunday. The second annual Dedham Open Studios featured 95 artists specializing in a variety of media, all celebrating with residents and other art-lovers all over town.
“We’re so excited about so many activities happening in Dedham for Open Studios,” said founder Jennifer Barsamian. “People come from all over the surrounding areas and we’re so happy to be able to showcase Dedham.”
The artists were able to display and even sell their work out of their own homes, or can choose to show with other artists in gathering places like the Endicott Estate, Dedham Community House, Allin Church, First Church and Parish and NewBridge on the Charles.
Court Street resident David Adler is a second time participant in Dedham Open Studios, and showed his framed nature photos on the front farmer’s porch of the home he shares with wife Liz Brown. Taken everywhere from the Galapagos Islands to Antarctica to their bedroom window, Adler’s photography started as something he just did on vacation. But when others started noticing what an eye he had for composition, he began a website and started displaying his work. A snapshot of orca whales he took from a raft off the coast of Antarctica even made it into the pages of Smithsonian Magazine in 2008.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have, but it matters that you have it with you when you see something great,” said Adler, who is a full time computer software designer. “I always have a camera nearby.”
Eric and Lichtaim Medwid displayed their work at Dedham Community House—he with his watercolors and Peruvian textiles and she with her hand-rolled paper necklaces, a style reminiscent of her native Peru. Eric Medwid requested the community house location because the couple lives just down the street. It is his first year participating in Open Studios.
“I began just sketching and then started doing watercolors a few years ago,” said Eric Medwid, who is a full time carpenter and painter. “We thought this would be a nice place to display and meet some local people.”
Some of the paintings he had on display included one close up of the Dedham Public Library, another of Dedham Square and a third of a Boston lighthouse.
Dedham Square was blocked off to traffic for the afternoon, and a handful of large, ceramic rabbits held court in front of the Dedham Community Theatre. A part of Dedham Shine’s Dedham Public Art Project, it’s an initiative to publicly celebrate Dedham’s artistic heritage and bring a little whimsy to the streets.
Ultimately, 15 rabbits were commissioned by area artists through a juried process and will be installed all over town shortly. After four to six months, they will be auctioned off with all proceeds going towards funding for the arts. The rabbit was symbolically chosen because it was a symbol of Dedham Pottery, which was produced in town from 1896 to 1943.
“It’s a nod to the crouching rabbit which is an iconic symbol of Dedham Pottery,” said Dedham Shines co-founder and co-president Monika Wilkinson. “It’s significant to people worldwide and we wanted to recognize and celebrate that artistic heritage.”
Some of the rabbits on display included a glow-in-the-dark mosaic, one themed like a playing card, and another called “Bunny in the Clouds”, which included a tranquil blue sky, fluffy clouds and yellow daffodils all landscaped on a large, pink-eyed rabbit.
Over at Newbridge on the Charles, 12 residents displayed their work, from ceramics to pastels, to sculpture and stone. This is the first year that the community has participated in Open Studios.
“So many people here are still using their creativity and evolving as artists,” said Jane Baker, Community Marketing Specialist for Hebrew SeniorLife. “We wanted people to see that we’re active and engaged and also expose our resident artists to other residents.”
One such resident is Helene Ross, who is a retired professor of fine arts. She has lived at NewBridge for the past three years and spends her time knitting and painting watercolors mixed with a little acrylic for more control. “I never find the days long enough,” she said. “I’m a very lucky person.”
The watercolors she showed at Sunday’s open studios were various scenes of her time spent in Provence, France—from a flower market to a pastry shop to a sunny afternoon at the seashore, complete with sunbathers and umbrellas. Ross said it takes her about a month to complete a painting, and she is currently working on one of her daughter’s newly purchased home in Cambridge. She loved answering questions about her artwork throughout the afternoon.
“It’s great that I have this work to do, it’s my saving grace,” said Ross, who was wearing a sweater she finished knitting the night before to wear for the event. “I love to show my work and it’s great that people ask so many questions.”
To view David Adler’s photography online, visit www.davidadlerphotography.com. To view Eric Medwid’s work, visit www.emedwid.com. To learn more about the Dedham Public Art Project’s rabbit sculptures, visit http://dedhamguild.com/dpap.
