Boston is a city known for three things in equal measure: its history, its food, and its accents. Most people think of cities like New York and Los Angeles when it comes to being at the forefront of art and architecture, from the Met to the Getty, downtowns Manhattan’s creative architecture, like The Beekman, to the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown L.A., but Boston is coming in close behind as a haven for new work. In recent years, the city has gained a reputation as a destination for creators and appreciators of the arts alike, prompted in large part by Boston’s South End Gallery Walk.
Tucked between posh Back Bay and up-and-coming neighborhoods Roxbury and Dorchester, the South End’s meticulously maintained 19th century architecture and affordable living have made it the ideal hub for artists in the city. The highly walkable neighborhood is home to both visual artists, whose studios make up much of the neighborhood’s southern end, and creative professionals working as performers, chefs, and small business owners. While the weekday manages to bustle with business at restaurants like French-inspired Gaslight Brasserie and farm-to-table bistro The Gallows and the area’s many unique boutiques, the area truly shines once the weekend hits. On Saturdays and Sundays, the area is home to farmer’s markets, the SoWa Vintage Market, a fleet of neighborhood food trucks, and, of course, the monthly studio tours that draw crowds of locals and tourists alike.
The South End’s reputation as an artist-friendly enclave has been a self-fulfilling prophecy, with more and more creative types turning out each year to occupy the artist studios in what’s affectionately known as “SoWa,” or South of Washington Street. On Harrison Avenue, two large artist spaces sit just steps from each other at 450, home of the SoWa Artists Guild, and 500, offering open studios on the first Friday of each month during the summer. Each fall, this practice extends deeper into the neighborhood when some the city’s best art is put on display in this creative hub for the South End Gallery Walk, which occurs over the course of a single weekend. Close to 300 artists display their work each year, presenting a dazzling array of painting, photography, ceramics, metalwork, and other mediums to the countless visitors who pass through. While many art enthusiasts are forced to go home empty-handed after a day at their favorite museum, that’s far from the case at the South End Gallery Walk. Participants are encouraged to support their local artisans and can purchase most, if not all, of the soon-to-be famous work on display. If you can’t make it out for the Gallery Walk in the fall, you can check out the neighborhood’s SoWa Art Walk, which takes place in the spring, or drop in on the first Friday of the month to visit the area’s open studios.
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