Introduction
The Jamaica Plain Arts Council is a working board, made up of individuals from the arts, business and local community. Board members participate in the planning, organization and the heavy lifting to support artists and create arts related events in Jamaica Plain, in accordance with its mission statement. It is the non-profit 501C3 organization that puts on the Jamaica Plain Open Studios and other events in and around Jamaica Plain. It was formed to help organize the Jamaica Plain Open Studios and gain continuity from year to year.
It is the non-profit 501C3 organization that puts on the Jamaica Plain Open Studios and other events in and around Jamaica Plain. JPAC was formed to develop art awareness in JP and, in 1999, assumed organization of the Jamaica Plain Open Studios to assure continuity from year to year.
In its continuing evolution, at the end of the 2004 JPOS, the Long Term Planning Committee was formed to chart the future of the JPOS. These meetings occurred over an 8 month period and resulted in the Long Term Plan. The JPAC endeavors to put the plan to action, to continue to produce the event and support the meeting of local artists with art lovers, and art supporters.
The JPAC (and JPOS) can be contacted via snail mail at:
PO Box 300222
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 855.5767
History
The Jamaica Plain Arts Council (JPAC) was incorporated in 1984 as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization to create a multicultural arts center in the community of Jamaica Plain.
The Jamaica Plain Multicultural Arts Center opened in 1987 and due to funding and business partnership challenges closed in the mid-1990’s. During the planning stages for the Arts Center, a group of artists in the Amory Street building set aside one weekend in the fall to invite the public into their studio spaces to see their work and tour their studios. The group coordinated with the Jamaica Plain Arts Council and in 1993, Jamaica Plain Open Studios became community wide event coordinated through the Jamaica Plain Arts Council. When the Arts Center closed, the Jamaica Plain Arts Council remained to organize, oversee, and coordinate Jamaica Plain Open Studios.
Jamaica Plain Open Studios (JPOS) has been an annual weekend-long celebration of the arts that provides an opportunity for Jamaica Plain artists to show and sell their work since then. Because of the growth and complexity of the event, and because a major source of financial support expired in 2005, a committee was convened to develop a strategic plan for POS that would clarify an overall vision of the JPOS event as well as address issues of governance, staffing, fundraising, and marketing. This committee transitioned, with the vote of the membership into the Jamaica Plain Arts Council (JPAC) Board of Directors in 2005. As one of the oldest Open Studios programs in New England, JPOS continues to expand and promote artists to new audiences every year. JPOS is a fun and unique way for the public to meet the artists, see where art work is created, explore the wealth of interesting neighborhoods in JP and purchase wonderful works of art.
The mission of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council is to support artists in the Jamaica Plain community through the Open Studios event, exhibitions, professional development and cultivating an audience.
