The continual flow of the community makes each Open Studios event a unique experience you will not want to miss.

Open Studios at Western Avenue has been a Lowell fixture since 2006. Seventeen years later, the now hundreds of studios and lofts artists continually change their displayed work, the galleries host collections and shows on constant rotation, and new artists join all the time. There are well over a thousand works of art to see at any given time, so you could come back month after month and always find new things. Not sure where to start? Read on and have no fear!

Open Studio events are a marathon, not a sprint. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and plan to spend most of the day browsing, shopping, and most importantly; enjoying.  Links to digital walking tours by medium are available at the entrances to the studio building, or you are always free to explore on your own – getting lost can be half the fun. If you’re not up for the whole five hours, try picking a part of the buildings that you’ve never visited before and enjoy a short inspirational boost to your Saturday!

Start at the lofts building when embarking on your Open Studios journey. The Lofts are live-in work spaces for artists, and several of them open their lofts to the public for these events. Between the open lofts the halls are full of artwork, and there are two galleries with rotating curated shows – the Storage Closet Gallery on the second floor and a gallery on the first floor main hallway. The lofts building provides the unique opportunity  to see the life of a working artist – in real time.  Start on the first floor of the building at the hallway gallery and work your way up to the second floor.  While you’re here in the lofts building, don’t forget to visit our very own Resident Assistant and artist extraordinaire, George Middleton’s loft! 

Next head over to the studios building. The Studios are 250 work-only spaces where artists make their work in a wide variety of mediums. Once you make it to the studios building you will likely be ready for some mid-trip fuel at Nibbāna Cafe, located on the second floor, just inside the main doors! (Try Nibbāna’s Havana Latte with oat milk, a favorite of Elise Hartman, Operations and Programs Coordinator.)  Have a seat, relax, and chat while you enjoy your coffee. Don’t forget to check out who we have on the docket for food this month! Our food vendor will be located either in the lobby just inside the A-Mill doors or just outside of the Studios building.  Our resident foodie and Social Media and Events Manager, Henry Marte, selects our food vendors for each event. Fun Fact! Henry has a meal named after him at the staff’s favorite local diner: Gormley’s!

Located just across from Nibbāna Cafe is The Loading Dock Gallery – stop by to see their current show and the work of their members. When you are ready to explore the rest of the studios building, I recommend taking the passenger elevator up to the fifth floor and weaving your way down, making sure to spend time on each of the floors. While you are out and about, keep an eye out for our lovely Studios and Lofts Manager and brilliant photographer, Hope Greene!

Stop into any studios with their doors open and chat with the artists while you browse and admire.  Always take your time in the halls between studios, each floor of the studios building has a mini gallery with rotating shows that are organized by both Loft and Studio artists, and artists display and decorate the walls and halls around their studios.  Once you make it to the first floor, be sure to stop by ‘Woodworkers Row’, where you can find talented woodworkers of all kinds  – here you can also see the work of the art students at Refuge Lowell.  You may get to say hello to our Facilities Manager and co-founder of Refuge Lowell, 4 Nichols around woodworkers row!

Round out your day of art by stopping at the brewery taproom, where you can relax in the company of other art lovers while enjoying small batch beer made on site by expert brewers.

We look forward to seeing you at the next Open Studios!