Marblehead artists opened their studios to the public Sunday, inviting residents and visitors to step inside their creative spaces for the town’s first-ever community-wide Art Crawl & Open Studios event.
The idea was inspired by Marblehead Arts Association Director Xhazzie Kindle, who experienced a similar art crawl while on a trip to London.
As organizers developed the event, Amy Hourihan said they reached out to artists associated with the Marblehead Arts Association and invited them to participate.
“The criteria was simply that the artist needed to have a functioning studio space and room to show their work,” said Hourihan, who is a printmaker.
The inaugural Marblehead Art Crawl invited residents and visitors to explore the studios and creative spaces of 32 local artists, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their work and the stories behind their art.
“It is an honor to show our work and spend time explaining why we do what we do,” said Michele Fandel Bonner, a 3D and mixed-media artist with a studio on Jersey Street.
Peter Ziegler displayed his landscape work in his home.
“I think it’s valuable to raise the level of knowledge about what artists do,” Ziegler said.
For many of the participating artists, art holds a deeply personal place in their lives. Olesea Fiodorova, owner of Olesea’s Art Studios in MacRae’s store on Washington Street, has been an art teacher for 30 years.
“I can’t imagine my life without art,” she said.
Fiodorova said she enjoyed seeing people walk in throughout the day to look at her paintings.
Using a digital map, participants traveled along Marblehead’s scenic roads on self-guided tours to the various studios.
Marblehead resident Bernie Miner spent much of the day exploring the crawl with her friends Jennifer Rein and Nicole Decardenas. While visiting Steve McClure’s studio at the Willie Shaker Gallery, Miner spoke about the importance of the connection between artists and their audiences.
“My favorite part is meeting the artists and sharing what’s special,” Miner said.
At the studio of Jonathan Sherman, Sherman displayed a wide range of his work, including oil paintings, sculptures, drawings and original manuscripts. He said the Art Crawl gave visitors an opportunity to experience the creative process in a more intimate way.
“The invitation to look behind the curtain of creativity connects them with an aspect of their own humanity,” Sherman said.
Paul McCarthy, a Marblehead resident whose office is across the hall from Sherman’s studio, does not make art himself but said it is important for towns to have art.
“What kind of town is it if you don’t have art?” McCarthy said. “The fact there’s a lot of people wandering around gives you a sense of community.”
Throughout the day, residents talked with artists about techniques, listened to stories and participated in classes at the Marblehead Arts Association.
Aliia Irck Cohen, who opened her studio The Paint Girl, said the conversations were just as meaningful as showing her finished paintings.
Kindle said hundreds of people participated in the Art Crawl.
“We’ve had so much positive feedback that we’re definitely going to make this an annual event,” she added.
Deborah Highberger, co-owner of the Acorn Gallery School of Art, agreed it was a big success.
“Part of art is to share it with the community,” she said. “The Art Crawl gives people the opportunity to meet and share.”
