By Arielle Appleby
An artist takes the long way to her studio, passing through a tranquil park bathed in morning light. She is alone, save a few squirrels and a grandmotherly figure thumbing pages of an old book on a nearby bench. She stops to admire a grand fountain and the crystalline droplets dancing in the morning light.
She may have slept through her alarm this morning, and a considerable queue of emails is waiting at the office, but there is no firm timeline in her work routine. She lives the inspired life of many who work in the creative enclave known as the SoWa Art and Design District, a neighborhood that runs on its own clock, just two miles from Boston’s briefcase-carrying crowd, and a place many consider the city’s artistic epicenter.
SoWa, short for South of Washington Street, was populated by squatters and abandoned buildings until about 20 years ago, when GTI Properties, the real estate managers of the SoWa Art and Design District, began reimagining the area. During the intervening years, many artists who initially worked in studios on Newbury Street and in the South End Artists Association packed up their paintbrushes and relocated to the hot-ticket studio at 450 Harrison Street – the SoWa Artists Guild.
On the first Friday of each month, and every Sunday of the year, the guild opens its doors to the public, allowing pedestrians to weave through four stories of about 100 studios and peek into a vintage market on the building’s basement level.
“The arts, I think people think of it as like an afterthought and forget the way in which we are all called to be creative,” said Christine O’Donnell, founder and executive director of ShowUp, a nonprofit contemporary art venue in Boston, and a SoWa resident. “It kind of feeds our souls. By supporting the creative community, we really are supporting … all of Boston.”
Debby Krim, a SoWa Artists Guild founder, photographer and artist, said the neighborhood is now more than a promenade of art galleries and studios. It has evolved into a home. “The bigger thing that happened as a result of the guild was this incredible community developed,” she said. “All that mattered was that you had this shared passion to create.”
Whether it’s still-life photography, charcoal sketches, intricate jewelry, landscape paintings or porcelain vases, there is a home for most forms of artistry in this area of Boston. “What’s amazing about SoWa and the huge number of artists is that everyone is doing something different, and everybody is good at what they do,” said Stephen Silver, a painter and founder of the SoWa Artists Guild.
The SoWa Open Farmer’s Market on Sundays has brought a new attraction to the area as the much-needed third space. Rows upon rows of white tents line the Artists Guild parking lot alongside local food trucks, art vendors, vintage clothing stalls and everything in between. Dozens of dogs and children weave through the legs of Sunday strollers as a local rock band strums a quintessential Sunday tune. The Open Market and the Artists Guild have a symbiotic relationship, where they both benefit from each other’s influence in the community. People can not go to one without noticing the other.
SoWa, like most neighborhoods, is not without challenges. The closest MBTA station is about a 20-minute walk away, and locals say buses are less plentiful and reliable in this quarter of town. “Maybe that’s what makes us a little bit special, though,” said Krim, who has been a resident artist of the SoWa Artists Guild for more than 40 years. “You have to walk here or drive here, and we are off the beaten path,” The next challenge, according to O’Donnell, of ShowUp, is to help people discover the neighborhood. With redevelopment and an influx of new residents, she said, many people lack a basic understanding of Boston’s geography. “People don’t understand that South Boston and South End are two different things,” she said. “And a lot of people kind of don’t go beyond Back Bay.” Even so, she suspects SoWa has plenty of room to grow as people seek experiences that generate popular social media posts.
In an increasingly digital world, each potential visitor has a personalized social media algorithm and the freedom to choose a news outlet that caters to their interests and opinions. However, it wasn’t always like that. “In the old days, we all looked at the same newspaper, and we all watched the 5 o’clock news,” Krim said. “There were some things that universally we were all doing the same thing at the same time, and we just don’t live our lives like that anymore.” Due to a fragmented media landscape, some people may miss SoWa, but others may be drawn to the niche and expressive opportunities of social media, which unite people who are passionate about the arts. Krim says the essence of SoWa is rare due to its deep-rooted and involved community, a positive gallery-studio relationship, and an air of positivity that fills each corner of the space.
Arielle Appleby is a student in the Boston University Journalism program. This story is a partnership between The Boston Sun and the Boston University Journalism program.