Where to find the best in local art

Hyannis Main Street Artist Market Promotional Photo provded by Marie Grady Polcic and Kyle Kochiss

     If you are a lover of art and unique works, you can usually find it locally. Local artists are in every corner of the world and love to help support their communities through their work. Every time a local artist makes a sale it helps the community in which you and they live by keeping funds in the community. So next time you are looking for something unique and wonderful look no further than your own local area. I am going to provide you with a list of five great places to buy local art and what to ask and look for to make sure it is truly local work.

1. Art/Craft Fairs - This is the number one place to find local art work, if you know what to ask and look for at a booth. Usually the best shows to go to to find local artists are those run locally and not the gigantic ones that go on for miles. A smaller show run by the local library, church or a town affair, has limited space and therefor will generally give those spaces to local artisans. Not to say you can't find local art at the larger shows, but it will be harder to sift through all the booths to find them. Once at a show be sure to ask the artist what town in your area are the from and where s their studio if they have one? This will help you determine if they are truly a local. Also always check the signs on a booth, sometimes a town and state will be listed on the sign or maybe even a business card, or an about the artist card/poster.
2. Galleries - A gallery is a terrific place to find local art work, especially if it is locally owned and part of the local artist guilds. Many town art galleries are specifically for local artisans only and you have to be a member to sell/show your work in them. But you have to ask the gallery owner or staff where the art work/artists are from to be absolutely certain. This is very important if you are going to a gallery that is not town run, because these are not under any restrictions of where the artist they carry come from like in a town run gallery. Many galleries will also include about the artist information as well and this can help you determine where the artist is from.
3. Boutiques - Just like the gallery scene, many wonderful local boutiques specialized in local artwork, especially those with a large art community. They are not the ones you see in every city, these are the small boutiques run and owned by local people. But many of these will supplement their shop with non local items and artwork as well. So again it is very important to ask about the artwork and look for about the artist information. You can of course let the shop owner know you are looking only for local artists work, they are usually more than happy to help since it helps them as well.
4. Artist's Studios/ Co-ops - Many local artisans have a working studio that may have a shop to display and sell their work. Some artists have full time studios and other have part time ones, so check with the artist for their hours ahead of time. This type of shop is wonderful because you may even get a peak at the artist at work which is fantastic! Some studios may even host more than one local artist (the artist co-op) and sometimes they even offer classes or demonstrations, letting you get a front row seat to the process. Also if an artist has a studio you can visit, this may open the door to another great opportunity, the custom piece! A custom piece is one made just for you and can be extremely special since you get to help in the design process.
5.  Artisan Market's/ Cottages or Shanties - Many of the artisan market's or seasonal cottages now boast local artist's only. Most of these rotate artisans as well so they are constantly changing the line up to many people's delight. Here on Cape Cod it has become a wonderful place for artist to share the season and have a semi permanent shop during the busy months. Many are town run by the arts programs to help the local artists and bring something unique to it's visitors. As always not all are town run, so it is best to find out through the artist's or the promoter's if the artist and artwork is strictly local. Most have websites with lists of the artist who are participating. These list almost always have bio's on the artist's, when they will be at the market's, their website and usually where they live and make their art.

     So the next time you want to enjoy some local art and support your community, go check out these terrific places. They have a uniqueness to each area and you are sure to find something terrific to bring home and treasure!