Youth and longevity at 2025 Waltham Open Studios

Last weekend, large crowds of more than 2,000 people came out to enjoy the works of 70+ local artists during the 2025 Waltham Open Studios.

It was an event that brought many different art disciplines together. This included ceramicists, digital media artists, filmmakers, jewelers, multimedia artists, painters, performance artists, photographers, printmakers, puppeteers, sculptors and more — an impressive collection of creative talent within the city. 

Many of the artists help out or contribute financially, but the organization has had difficulties in recent years. Tishman is experimenting with different ways of keeping people motivated and able to support the open studios. This includes promoting sponsorships and also organizing a fundraiser together with The Waltham Times. 

She realizes the cultural importance of the studios in the Waltham community. Previously she noted that with the fundraiser she hopes to contribute to the city to make new “exhibit spaces, create a 50th anniversary event, expand outreach to Waltham public school students, improve website capabilities, replace outdated signage and increase the marketing budget to attract more visitors.”

For all of these residents, and Waltham itself, the studios form a longstanding cornerstone of the local community, contributing strongly to the vibrant culture in the city.  

One of the highlights was the group exhibition at Studio Noma Art. Over a period of just two months, tens of different high school and middle school students came to the studio to learn and make art. Visitors, like Mack, whose girlfriend was exhibiting, were very impressed with the quality of all the artworks.

Their teacher and curator, Suyoen Ji, has been doing this for four years. She emphasized how it’s “difficult for students in high school to exhibit their creativity and their art.” These open studios “allow them to do so, before they continue on to college.” She saw quite a few students who were interested in pursuing their creative impulses further after high school, and this helps them build a portfolio for that. 

Although Perran mentioned she was slightly “nervous and stressed” showcasing her work, she also seemed very proud.

With their impressive collection of restored equipment, they focus almost exclusively on working without digital resources, relying solely on analog cameras, printing and developing. It means the process of making an image for them takes much longer, but Amadon emphasized that that’s the art of it. The process of film creates “happy little accidents” that give the final product character and a story.  

Those stories have kept the collective together for more than a decade, an impressive longevity shared amongst many of the artists and initiatives in the studios. Amadon was happy that these projects aren’t just “sizzling out” but continually contributing to the Waltham community.