by Joey Phoenix Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2019 but has been updated to account for COVID times in March 2021. Festival season usually runs from May to October, plus the sprinkling of winter markets in late November and December, and most artists, makers, and creators are starting to consider which ones they want to participate in

by Joey PhoenixImages courtesy of Salem Arts Association This month, Creative Collective is celebrating Women’s History Month! Follow along as we tell the stories of women small business owners and woman-led organizations. Salem Arts Association has welcomed Heather Stewart (she/her/hers) as President and Sara Ashodian (she/her/hers) as Artist in Residence in 2021. The first exhibition of the year will feature Ashodian’s

By Joey PhoenixImages provided by Verse/Visual  Starting this Friday March 5th, 2021, visitors to Ipswich, MA will stumble upon signs containing mysterious QR codes. They’ll be on lampposts and yard signs, in windows, and even on coffee cups. Following these codes will drop you into a digital art space called VERSE/VISUAL, a non-traditional digital art festival that is part gallery,

The Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate and Wine Festival is just around the corner, and the perfect complement to this year’s predominately outdoor event, along with the Salem restaurant punch card and the ice sculptures, will be a custom window display. Why not add to the spectacle and joy by helping to create more art! Here are 14 artists and design

Images by Hannah Bailey This past fall, BioMed Realty in Cambridge selected Cedric “Vise1” Douglas (he/him) and Julia “Julz” Roth (she/her) to paint a vent shaft in off Kendall St in Kendall Square. The recently revealed mural wraps around four sides of the vent shaft in an inconspicuous corner of the Canal District, adding a pop of color to a

From The Center for Creative and Performing Arts at Salem State University The pandemic has created unique challenges for the arts in both how work is created and how work is shared with those who appreciate the arts. Artists are inherently problem solvers, and so our students and faculty have continued their work, just differently. Online exhibitions, rehearsing outside, rehearsing

By Anna Dugan of AnnadidathingAll images courtesy of the artist Setting boundaries and learning when to say no is such a difficult thing to do. I’m still practicing it, but I’ve found a few things very helpful in this process: 1. Expectation Setting Getting on the same page before starting a project is huge. Being up front about your expectations

by Joey Phoenix It was below freezing and windy in Salem, MA when I met up with photographer Susannah Bothe (she/her/hers) for a portrait session. The sun was bright on the Punto Urban Art Museum murals and the steam from laundry vents filled the alleys with a strange yet beautiful mist.  I couldn’t feel my fingers but I didn’t care.

While outside it might be cold and grey and ordinary, you don’t have to let that rule your interior decorating. With so many North Shore artists making beautiful pieces at affordable prices, you can cover your walls with bright pops of color and art that fits your taste without having to spend too much time searching. Here are some of

This holiday season, we’re highlighting local businesses as part of our #StayLocal2020 campaign. Scroll to the bottom for more information. From Express Yourself Since March we’ve hand-delivered over 1,500 customized art boxes to our kids, reaching them where they live, whether that’s in their home or a residential treatment center. Each box contains everything needed to create a project, making it possible