Manchester Citywide Arts Festival wraps up this weekend: An act of creative magic you won’t want to miss

Citywide Arts Festival Schedule of Events: Click here

MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Citywide Arts Festival has arrived this week, beautifying and engaging the creative magic of the city with events, public art displays and art making opportunities for Manchesterites of all ages.

Kicking off earlier this week on September 16, the festival highlights artistic endeavors of all mediums and experiences with a diverse blend of visual, musical and performance based art throughout the Elm Street/downtown area. Presented by local property management company Red Oak Apartments, the festival finds home for its loaded event schedule in creatively-focused small businesses and community staples such as the Palace Theatre and the Bookery, alongside more artist dedicated spaces like Studio 550 and Forever Emma Studios. A myriad of free activities provided across nearly every day of the festivities provide accessible options for all to be involved in the fun.

One of the primary hosts of the festival’s art-making opportunities is the often overlooked Studio 550. Stationed a short walk away from the bulk of Manchester’s nightlife along Elm Street in the Gaslight District, the deceptively spacious studio holds host to a countless number of pottery wheels, stained glass studios, classrooms, showrooms and more.

It seems to sprawl infinitely, labyrinthian and bursting with the life and magic of creation. The space holds home to low-cost, all-in lesson workshops and classes for artists of any experience level; no experience, materials or tools required. Everything one could need is provided, facilitated, instructed and assisted by 550’s team and resources. Specializing in pottery and stained glass with unique classes such as weaving and watercolor intermittently available, the studio seeks to encourage and provide chances for creativity to people of all ages. On Tuesday, 550 engaged the public in a more direct manner; bringing the beauty of creation right to the sidewalk to meet them.

Bringing a pop of color and life to the sidewalk, the 550 team chose to execute a small scale mural at the edge of the roadway along the front of the studio’s elevated stoop. The public was invited to join in on the fun, helping to fill in the outline of birds, vines and blueberries almost like a giant coloring page. With music, studio tours and free snacks, the event transformed into a raucous afternoon of fun for the kids, teens, and parents who stopped by to contribute.

Mural designer and teacher Mattea Schevey described the process as “a joy” to behold. “I felt the excitement of the teens and children contributing to art that will be a part of the Manchester community for years to come,” Schevey said.

Experiences like this allow the community to be a part of the legacy and presentation of the place they call home, lowering barriers to access for those with a spark of painterly spirit in their heart to find and enjoy their passion. It also provides a unique memory and piece of identity for people to find in their hometown, walking and driving past the piece for years to come with the reminder of their respective contribution.

Studio 550, alongside partner organization Open Studio NH, hope that the event will not only drive up interest in the studio itself, but will highlight a new program the two organizations are launching just next week.

A creative fellowship for teens in high schools across Manchester, Open Studio is a free program intended to foster the expression, talent and voice of students throughout the first semester of the school year. With weekly meetings in a dedicated Open Studio space within 550, teens will have the opportunity to create their own body of work under the guidance and tutelage of studio coaches and Schevey as Mentor Artist providing technical artistic support. 2024’s theme, “Some Of Our Parts,” is intended to highlight the vast complexity of who we are both to ourselves and others.

Schevey and coaches intend to explore the idea of collage within the pieces, compiling smaller works to create a larger whole alongside collecting materials, scraps and interesting tidbits from day to day life. With a focus in oil and chalk pastel, Open Studio hopes to provide access and experience with high quality art materials and fine art techniques that may be limited or unfamiliar to some. Co-founder Sandra Jin feels the bold nature of the material lends itself to the theme in many ways.

“We’re encouraging bold, unapologetic self-expression, where agency plays a key role—students get to decide how they represent the pieces of themselves that matter most,” Jin said.

The program will culminate in a gallery exhibition highlighting the student’s work and process throughout the sessions. It introduces and gives agency to students over an important part of the artistic career field; displaying, advocating for and selling your work. Students train with and learn from professional artists and creative mentors while building fundamental skills for their own futures within the creative economy.

Open Studio also serves as an important social fixture for teens to engage with their friends and trusted adults in a safe, laidback, casual environment. Fellow co-founder Laura Zorawowicz was inspired to carve a space like this for young adults after finding solace in a similar program in her own youth. “Open Studio is based on a program that I and the program’s cofounder both participated in.  It was a safe, supportive, communal space that had massive impacts on our lives, as well as those of the other alumni. Many participants of that first open studio program went on to work in art related fields, others work in education, engineering and other creative thinking centered roles.” When Zorawowicz and Jin reconnected at a fellow alum’s wedding a few years ago, the gears clicked into motion naturally to bring the idea to the 21st century.

“The outcomes of Open Studio are less about the art, and more about creating a safe space – physically, emotionally, and creatively – where teens can be themselves in community and find pathways to fulfilling their greatest potential.” While having a glorious portfolio is a perk of the program, Open Studio is more focused on the lasting impact it can have rippling into their fellows adult lives. Zorawowicz sees transferable skills within their program to almost any industry.

“They learn how to interact with creative professionals, how to give feedback, how to speak about their work, and how to organize an event.  All of these are workforce development skills, if not life skills,” Zorawowicz said.

Equipping students for the real world while also playing to an emotional outlet and passion for many kids who can find themselves slipping between the cracks in traditional social groups, the impact the program hopes to leave is profound.

It is hard to make any argument that Open Studio falls short of these lofty goals, as the mural painting event was populated by a group of teen alums of 2023’s session that plan to return for the next. While there are still seats available, the class is already almost at 50% capacity just from kids who want to cash in on the fun all over again. The team is thrilled to see such enthusiastic engagement and agency from the students.

“The biggest takeaway we hope for these teens is that they belong and deserve to take up space,” Zorawowicz said.

While the fellows will be left with the lessons, techniques and skills they developed in the course as well as their portfolio, there is a special magic to the memory this public art piece will inspire in them for a lifetime to come.

If you know someone who is interested in taking part in Open Studio, please reach out to openstudionh@gmail.com for more information. If you would like to make a donation to support the program, you can find them on GoFundMe.com under “Fueling Creativity: Support Open Studio NH.”