Jeremy Ogunsky's pottery will be on view during Somerville Open Studios. Francisco de la Barra is known for his innovation of painting with spices. ~Photos courtesy of Jeremy Ogunsky and Francisco de la Barra. By Julia Fairclough Jerry Ogunsky likes to create a home setting when showing his pottery so that people can visualize what his ceramic stoneware would look like in their own home. He decided to showcase his art by turning his home into a gallery, where visitors can select what they like from the kitchen table or a shelf. Like 360 other artists throughout the city, Ogunsky is preparing for the big annual event: Somerville Open Studios (SOS), which runs May 1 and 2 from noon to 6 p.m. In its 12th year, SOS has grown and improved in numerous ways. But most important of all, is the sense of community. "What better way to let my neighbors know what I like to do, to show them my pottery, and get to know other people in the community," said Ogunsky, who is a newbie to the event. Ogunsky moved to Somerville two years ago. He has never participated in a Somerville artist event before and thinks that showing off his utilitarian pots will help him break into the artist community here. SOS has a 60 percent turnover of artists each year, with the bulk being new artists, said SOS event coordinator Peter Belford. This year's theme focuses on the perceptions, history, contradictions, and diversity of Somerville. Two long-time SOS venues at either end of town anchor the 101 studio sites-the Nave Gallery in Teele Square and the Brickbottom Gallery off Washington Street heading into East Somerville.

The Center for the Arts at the Armory on Highland Avenue and the Somerville Museum on Central Street are at the city's center. There's also the spacious Vernon Street Studios in Magoun Square.

The museum will host the SOS group exhibit, "A Taste of Somerville Open Studios," with the opening taking place on April 17 and running through May 14. For this exhibit, each SOS artist will submit their favorite piece that best represents what they do. People can check out what's on display at the museum before SOS, and see what artists they would like to get to know better during the two-day event, Belford said. Visit www.somervillemuseum.org for museum hours.

What's neat about the Armory space is that it provides a venue for nearly 40 artists who don't have suitable spaces to open to the public. Francisco de la Barra, will show his "spice" paintings at the Armory (renditions of local chefs rendered in spice and acrylic, as well as other figurative works) this year, since he gave up his former studio space. This is his fourth year with SOS.

"Participating in SOS helped me to test the waters of showing my art; to see peoples' reactions to my art," he said. "If anyone out there is insecure about showing their work, it's a great way to put yourself out there."

De la Barra added that it's great for visitors to walk through the artist's studio space to get into the psychology of the artist. That is what open studios affords.

Another highlight this year is the Haiti Projects Sewing Cooperative, which will be displaying their work at the Mad Oysters Studios. The cooperative provides work skills to produce heirloom-quality items, and all proceeds will go directly to the women producing the linens, nightgowns, kerchiefs, and similar items, Belford said.

This year also welcomes Design Annex, a project of Union Square Main Streets that provides shared facilities for small design firms. For SOS the annex, located in the heart of Union Square, will highlight some of the resources they can provide, as well as visual art produced for their members, Belford said.

The city agreed to lift the resident parking restriction on Saturday, May 1 so that visitors can park and walk to the studios of their liking.

Keep an eye out for the map stands, which will sprout up around the city, including the neon green hands that serve as news racks for the open studios maps.