50 artists • All Sales Benefit Cedarcrest • DEC 4, 4-6PM
INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS as of 10/1/26
DOWNLOAD PDF of these INSTRUCTIONS
Thank you for being part of one of the largest initiatives MAAA has ever undertaken outside of Art in the Park. Fifty artists! An inspiring collaborative effort to benefit a wonderful cause while shining a spotlight on our beautiful Gallery @ Syd’s. Please be sure you save the date in your calendar.
The oversight committee has tried to work through logistics for a smooth lead-up to a well-orchestrated event. Please read through and let us know if you have questions. Here is the plan:
1) FRAMES: We invite you to visit Indian King Framery after October 6 during their hours of operation, preferably not on weekends, to pick up your frame: TUE-FRI 10-5. Once you have your frame, it is your responsibility to return your art, framed (see info below for where and when). There can be no exceptions. If something happens and you cannot fulfill the commitment, we ask that you email us and return your unused frame to Indian King Framery promptly.
2) POSTCARDS & INVITATIONS: When you pick up your frame, we ask that you also take up to five “Save the Date” post cards and share them with people you think would enjoy the art and the benefit. The objective is to get more people in the door to experience the wonderful resource that is the Gallery @ Syd’s, so we ask you to share these cards thoughtfully. They can be mailed or handed out in person. Ideally, the save the date cards would be shared in October, so people save the date. If you have places where you could distribute a pile of cards, please let us know—for example, if you are an exhibitor in the Fall Foliage Art Studio Tour or the Monadnock Art Tour.
Matching invitations will also be at Indian King Framery. We would like to ask you to mail or deliver up to five invitations by mid-November.
In addition to direct mail, we will be doing digital marketing. Please provide a jpeg image of your work asap if you’d like to be featured in our email marketing and social media.
3) DROP-OFF: Saturday, November 14 is MAAA’s Annual Meeting at Hannah Grimes Center on Roxbury Street, 10-Noon. We would like to have you bring your piece to this event to share with the group and AFTER, drop it off at the Gallery @ Syds. This extra stop will give you a chance to see the Gallery and understand the flow of the event. So… Drop off Day is SAT, NOV 14, 12:15-2pm. Monday, NOV 16, 11-1pm is the back-up Drop Off time.
4) ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS: For this show, we are looking for our very best art and our very best presentation. It is important that we show that we care about our work and about the buyer. Exhibiting at the Gallery @ Syd’s is an educational opportunity for selling work professionally—we are all still learning. The expectation is that you will frame your art and turn in a professional-caliber finished piece. Some of us who are new exhibitors may have concerns about this. Here are some clear guidelines, with particular instruction for works on paper.
ALL ART MUST BE DISPLAYED IN THE INDIAN KING FRAMERY FRAME.
WIRE: For all art, in addition to the frame, a wire is required. The picture-hanging wire is attached across the back using hardware (d-rings, triangle-rings or screw eyes). No sawtooth hangers.
FRAMING FOR WORKS ON PAPER REQUIRING GLASS
GLASS: Approximately 1/3 of our artists will need glass for framing. This includes colored pencil, original prints, watercolor, pastels and multi-media. Jeanne Maguire Thieme, our Critiques with Care leader, suggests an easy way to get an 8×10 piece of glass for any work on paper is by buying an inexpensive frame at a discount store and using the glass. Some artists prefer using UV glass. If you need help with glass costs, MAAA will reimburse the purchase price if you submit a request. We budgeted for this. (Note: Jeanne’s actual art for the Benefit is shown here, in the actual frame. We have 50 of these frames waiting for us at Indian King Framery, thanks to Joann Fenton.)
MATS AND SPACERS: It is up to artists to decide what works best with their works on paper—a mat or spacers. If using a mat, your piece will be smaller than 8×10 and this is fine. Mats must be clean. All works on paper need a foam core or archival board backing (no cardboard).
BACKING: A paper dust cover can be used on the back of the painting to make the back look as professional as the front (see Jeanne’s sample here) but a white foam core backing is fine.
5) REFRESHMENTS: We are hoping to offset costs for this opening by asking our very talented artists to bring tidy but delectable hors d’oeuvres, treats and cookies. One-bite items that aren’t likely to spill or drip are best considering the furniture and carpeting. More about refreshments soon.
6) HOSTING HELP: We know we need greeters, refreshment table monitors and people who would be comfortable circulating with trays of hors d’oeuvres, as well as other helpers. To get involved, please reach out.
THANK YOU! On behalf of the event committee (Mary Iselin, Bob King, Jeanne Maguire Thieme, Mary Kirk, Sue Cadmus, Jenny Pettis and Ruth Sterling), thank you! We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting, SAT, NOV 14, at the Gallery afterward, or at the Gallery on Monday, NOV 16.
Thank you to all the artists and art lovers who are making this event successful for the Art Gallery @ Syd’s and for Cedarcrest.
Artists registration form here.