The mission of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is to support artists in the Jamaica Plain Communty through the JP Open Studios event, exhibitions, professional development and cultivating an audience.
The Jamaica Plain Arts Council (JPAC) was incorporated in 1984 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization to create a multicultural arts center in the community of Jamaica Plain. The Jamaica Plain Multicultural Arts Center opened in 1987 and due to funding and business partnership challenges closed in the mid-1990’s. During the planning stages for the Arts Center, a group of artists in the Amory Street building set aside one weekend in the fall to invite the public into their studio spaces to see their work and tour their studios. The group coordinated with the Jamaica Plain Arts Council and in 1993, Jamaica Plain Open Studios became a community wide event coordinated through the Jamaica Plain Arts Council. When the Arts Center closed, the Jamaica Plain Arts Council remained to organize, oversee, and coordinate Jamaica Plain Open Studios. Jamaica Plain Open Studios (JPOS) has been an annual weekend-long celebration of the arts that provides an opportunity for Jamaica Plain artists to show and sell their work for the past seventeen years. Because of the growth and complexity of the event, and because a major source of financial support expired in 2005, a committee was convened to develop a strategic plan for JPOS that would clarify an overall vision of the JPOS event as well as address issues of governance, staffing, fundraising, and marketing. This committee transitioned, with the vote of the membership into the Jamaica Plain Arts Council (JPAC) Board of Directors in 2005 As one of the oldest Open Studios programs in New England, JPOS continues to expand and promote artists to new audiences every year. JPOS is a fun and unique way for the public to meet the artists, see where art work is created, explore the wealth of interesting neighborhoods in JP and purchase wonderful works of art. JPAC Board: Brian Bishop Gail Bos (Vice President) Anne Brown (Treasurer) Joy Cochran (co-President, Organization Chair) Thomas Durand (Juried Show Chair) Rob Festa Matt McKee (co-President) Kate Moss Shawn Provencher Robin Radin (Local Ad Sales Chair) Bill Shamlian
search #jamaicaplainarts to see some work of our local JP artists!
Mission: The mission of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council is to support artists in the Jamaica Plain community through the Open Studios event, exhibitions, professional development and cultivating an audience
Operating as usual
Photos from Jamaica Plain Arts Council- JP Open Studios's post
Join our Team! Now more then ever the arts need your support. We will be having a virtual gathering later in January to get to know each other and look at the 2021 agenda and how you can help! Please complete the online form or send us an email at [email protected].
[10/31/20] FYI - longtime JPOS sponsor Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers is hosting a Winter Craft Market in their parking lot for 4 Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. All the info for the call for vendors is here: https://www.jamesonandthompson.com/market and there's a link to the application.
Jamaica Plain Open Studios is proud to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Through our BLM Voices Seen campaign we invited artist to submit pieces that represent, support and speak to Black Lives Matter. These pieces were presented over the past two months. Sharif Muhammad's image presented here is the last in our series, however, our commitment to supporting diversity and equality will continue. On this weekend, which would have been the 27th annual Jamaica Plain Open Studios, we hope you will remember to support local artists throughout the JP community - whether in person or online.
Image: “The Black Body” by Sharif Muhammad
Thank you to all the artists who took part in our BLM Voices Seen campaign. All submissions from BLM Voices Seen will be posted on our website in October.
#BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“I Can’t Breathe,” “Let it Fly,” “Protect His Young Highness”
Digital Paintings Part 2
“My art lately has acted as an emotional outlet during these trying times. The flag is a symbol that continues to come up in my work. I’m a black man and I’ve been thinking a lot about the flag that I’ve been expected to salute and pledge allegiance to during my whole life. That flag has never meant liberty and justice for all. I’m supposed to show pride in my flag because it represents my home, but I cannot until I feel that my people matter under that flag. As it stands, the flag is an assault on black and brown bodies.” -Sharif Muhammad
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“Black Liberty,” “We Are Kings,” “George”
Digital Paintings
“My art lately has acted as an emotional outlet during these trying times. The flag is a symbol that continues to come up in my work. I’m a black man and I’ve been thinking a lot about the flag that I’ve been expected to salute and pledge allegiance to during my whole life. That flag has never meant liberty and justice for all. I’m supposed to show pride in my flag because it represents my home, but I cannot until I feel that my people matter under that flag. As it stands, the flag is an assault on black and brown bodies.” -Sharif Muhammad
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“I’m an activist-artist based throughout Los Angeles, so as you can imagine, times have been tough for me. But that toughness is nothing compared to what I've seen of video after video, article after article, song after song about the terrible conditions Black people have found themselves in due to the actions of police officers who claim that their job is to ‘protect.’ I hope my art can be a worthy addition to the many brilliant pieces being made in support of Black Lives Matter, a movement EVERYBODY should be a part of.” -Jared Schwartz
#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
"They try to burn us yet the Water is our Mother"
Acrylic on canvas 12x24
“This work is meant to remind Black people that though we suffer now, our souls our essence, our humanity are unbreakable. We are one with the universe, the Water is our Mother.” -Taffie Lucia Gwitimah
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #RaiseYourVoice #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“Silent Gesture”
Wax, 2020
Inspired by the “Human Right Salute” by the Athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the Olympics games in 1968.
Artist: Silvina Mizrahi
"Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. It is up to all of us -Black, White, everyone- no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out” -Michelle Obama
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“The Stars Falling Off”
Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20"
“I watched our flag reshaped by wind and was humbled. The length and width of the stripes shifting , accompanied by the repositioning of stars... the fluidity, the freedom with which familar symbols merged, then disappeared... thick stripes transformed into fine squiggly lines and some times appearing as dots and dashes. I think It was then I saw the perfect metephor, the best description of what it was/is to be Black, Brown, Red, Yellow in America.
We are forever engaged in the struggle to assert our presence/our story
in a country that seems committed to dismissing, if not eradicating, our presence on this planet. We know our lives matter despite all efforts to erase our presence. Our love is so deep and profound, we will cling to the flag and assert who we are and what we gave and continue to give here now and forever.” -Janet Cormier
“Slipping/Holding On”
Acrylic on canvas 18” x 20”
“Black Lives Matter. Our belief in the American Dream has worn thin, but we continue to march and assert our right to be here.” -Janet Cormier
#BLMVoicesSeen #BlackLivesMatter #RaiseYourVoice
~BLM Voices Seen~
"Memorial Day", acrylic on canvas, 2020.
“I'm an abstract painter who ordinarily doesn't work with a social theme as a framework for my art.
However, given our current times and the awakening of people to the plight of African Americans within our society, I've been exploring themes of loss and redemption. We're all impacted by the implications of George Floyd's death and the many others brutalized by mindless forces of society.
My painting was influenced by Picasso's ‘Weeping Woman’ - a painting completed during the period of ‘Guernica,’ his anti-Fascist masterwork. This abstract work is suggestive of a female figure, responding to the death of George Floyd, murdered on Memorial Day.” -Diane Novetsky
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #RaiseYourVoice
~BLM Voices Seen~
“‘Middle Passage’ (charcoal pencil and sumi ink wash on paper) expresses the experience of an enslaved African woman (one of more than 60 million Africans, according to the acclaimed novelist, Toni Morrison) en route to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade during the 16th – 19th centuries. Lost to her homeland, lost to her freedom, identity and self -- but ultimately found?” -Sandra Clyne
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“I want to highlight two quotes that were as important and impactful in history as they are today:
‘If you're not careful the papers will have you hating the people who are being opressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.’ -Malcolm X
‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the one's we've been waiting for. We are the change we seek.’ -Barack Obama
The first photo took place on Centre Street while the entire street was down on one knee. The second is an aerial view of the march afterwards. ” -Julio Aguilar
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“These designs were created in response to the current racial uprising and social justice movement. Each element of the designs, from the masks and shirts, the hair, the names, and the yellow circle hold weight and are there to draw the viewer's attention to different facets of the Black struggle and movement for equity. For example, the names of people murdered at the hands of police and/or in a hate crime can be found in the hair of the masked women. ‘Blacktivated’ is a term that I (as far as I know) have coined to describe the feeling I have been experiencing as people rise up in the name of social equity.” -Desiree Okoh
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“This is a poster design that I made and posted around the city. As an educator with the Eliot School of Applied Arts' community partnership program, I designed this for my virtual and nonvirtual classrooms. It holds me accountable to sticking with antiracist work in teaching and in citizenship. If people want, they can do one hour of antiracist activism and download it!”
-Abigail Neale
#BLM #BlackLivesMatter #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
‘Algia Benjamin, Spare Change News Vendor’
“I met Algia, who has been with Spare Change News since 1992 at Porter Square. I would see him each time I had to go to work at Sign of the Dove Gallery, a cooperative where I am a member, always playing jazz while selling his paper. I was struck by his gentle, and kind personality. He is a beautiful man, large in stature, but soft spoken and courteous. A Zen like spirit, I found him very moving. I invited him to model for my portrait class at my studio. The attached image is my sculpture of him. You can read more about him here: http://sparechangenews.net/2011/12/algia-benjamin-spare-change-news-vendor/
Not unlike many people, I have had to face unemployment due to this pandemic myself, but he on the other hand has had to deal with much more. I have not seen him since the start of COVID-19. I have often worried about him, hoping he is okay.” -Sholeh Regna
#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #BLMVoicesSeen
~BLM Voices Seen~
“My photography is a celebration of the people who reside within Jamaica Plain. With each new portrait I make, it is my hope that I find a deeper and more meaningful understanding and appreciation for the diversity of people, cultures, and ideas that grace our community. In sharing my work with others I seek to expand my audience's awareness for the complex, layered, and rich amalgam of the people and places of Jamaica Plain.” -Robin Radin
#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #BLMVoicesSeen
JPOS (Jamaica Plain Open Studios) is proud to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Inspired by the momentum and opportunity for change of the Black Lives Matter movement, the JPOS board has selected four JP local organizations that support BIPOC as recipients for donations; Hyde Square Task Force, Tony Williams Dance Center, Teen Bridge c/o Eliot School and Urbano Project. These organizations work to assist young people who are pursuing artistic paths. It is our hope that these donations can provide a positive impact to the organizations’ programming efforts to support upcoming generations, build artistic skills and foster love for the arts.
We are also launching our BLM Voices Seen campaign. We asked artist to submit pieces that represent, support and speak to Black Lives Matter. We are happy to be able to present these works to you over the next few weeks on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
(Image credit: The Black Body-Digital Painting-Sharif Muhammad. Cropped image-the full piece will be featured in a future post)
[07/01/20]
REMINDER: JP Call To Artists
JPAC remains committed to assuring JPOS is reflective of our entire artist community and the JP community at large. We support Black Lives Matter and justice for all.
As a visual arts organization, we want to help make your voices heard (seen) through art. We are offering artists a chance to submit pieces that represent and support BLM, oppose racial injustice in all forms, and support equality for all. We will highlight selected work along with the artist’s short statement either daily or weekly depending on the number of submissions we receive.
And JPAC has committed to donate to organizations that support people of color including JP local groups: Hyde Square Task Force, Teen Bridge at Eliot School, and Urbano. We will also be making a donation to The Massachusetts Bail Fund on behalf of all artists who participate.
WE ARE HOPING YOU WILL WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS!
If you have relevant art you would like to be considered please send your image along with a brief statement (3-5 sentences) to [email protected] with the heading "JPAC BLM Justice for All".
This campaign will run across all of our social media sites.
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
Jamaica Plain Arts Council- JP Open Studios's cover photo
[06/25/20]
Jamaica Plain Open Studios 2020 is canceled due to PUBLIC SAFETY concerns during this continuing Covid-19 pandemic. We will continue to meet virtually and discuss possiblities to safely share the creativity, vibrancy and artistry in our community. We celebrate the strength and scope of this creative energy. It is what inspires and fuels us to make Jamaica Plain Open Studios the annual celebration of art for the past 27 years.
The Jamaica Plain Arts Council looks forward to JP Open Studios 2021: September 25th-26th, 2021
If you have ideas for alternatives to our traditional open studios event, please email [email protected]. Please provide as many details as possible.
Register for Sharing & Selling Your Art during Social Distancing FREE Webinars
Register for Sharing & Selling Your Art during Social Distancing FREE Webinars
Sharing & Selling Your Art during Social Distancing FREE Webinars
Timeline Photos
Cozy neighborhood pub with an unbeatable craft beer selection, creative cocktails, and upscale pub fare
Stand Up Break In is The Riot Theater's official standup comedy show, every Thursday night at 9 PM.
Neighborhood bar and restaurant in Jamaica Plain focusing on new American food. American craft beer and old world wine in a comfortable setting with ample outside dining.
Located at 3496 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain, The Midway has presented the best performers and the best VARIETY of acts in Boston since 1987. We can host private events! Contact us at [email protected]
Geeks Who Drink's weekly pub quiz at the Jeanie Johnston in JP. Hosted by Quizmaster Tyler Crosby, Wednesday nights at 8pm.
Jamaica Plain's Neighborhood Taco/Tequila Spot Order now: www.toasttab.com/casa-verde
Costello's Tavern a true American Neighborhood Sports Bar & Restaurant family owned and operated Since 1935. Located at 723 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, Costello's Tavern is the best place to catch all your favorite teams with all college & professi
The New Gallery Concert Series presents new pieces of music and visual art, along with the composers and artists who create them. New Music. New Art. Come Celebrate the Now! Always a great time, always unique!
Quality comfort food, dynamically mixed cocktails, and a selection of local and imported brews.
We present Centre Street Sanctuary, a safe haven for those seeking comfort in dining, built on the old campus of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament. Unwind, relax, drink, eat, be merry, and enjoy! All Are Welcome!
GLBTQ folks and friends dancing every Tuesday. Two-step, west coast swing, and line dancing to hot country and pop. Beginners welcome, lessons at 7pm!