Get Your Art for Free

If you're into seeing your art in museums. You'll have to wait until Thursday nights 5-9pm to go to the ICA for free, or pick up your $7 Museum of Fine Arts tickets at the library ahead of time. Thankfully, though there's lots of places to see great art around Boston -- in galleries.

Just about every community in Boston does an Open Studios, which is one of the nicest ways to spend an afternoon. Wandering through folks' houses you can get your fill of food, booze and art. This weekend will be The Distillery's Open Studios. Tour the old rum distillery, see artists at work in Southie, a neighborhood not known for it's fine arts, but has recently been changing.

The SoWa Open Market in the South End becomes a hot spot every Sunday during the summer, when you can pick up some antiques, locally made crafts, organic produce and gourmet grilled cheese. The SoWa artists guild's studios right next to the market are open everyday, but once a month on Fridays they have Open Studio night as well.

Figment Festival is happening all weekend on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. A festival of participatory arts, last year I hula hooped, sat in a tent of rose petals and helped run a bike-powered stereo. Definitely not your usual art show.

Newbury Street Galleries generally don't have the same festivities or free food as galleries, but you can see some great (and awfully kitschy) art geared towards the very rich and tourists.

Made in Fort Point, which is trying it's darndest to become Boston's hottest art neighborhood, has gallery openings every week. Subscribe to their newsletter (or check my calendar) to find out about their myriad of events.

Coolidge Corner Arts Festival is this weekend, showcasing over 80 artists, with an emphasis on useful and sellable art - necklaces, pottery and the like. Even better, the Brookline Food Festival is happening right next door.