All three artists
found what they needed at the Brickbottom Artists Building complex at 1
Fitchburg Street, a 250,000-square-foot space of artists lofts tucked
alongside the McGrath Highway comprised of 150 studios. It is one of
the largest artist live/work spaces in the country, according to Goss,
one of the founding members.

Brickbottom, together with Joy
Street studios, will hold its 21st open studios on November 22 and 23
from noon to 6 p.m. Run by the Brickbottom Artist Association (BAA),
the annual event is one of the oldest open studios in Boston.

"I'm
really lucky to have found a place like this, since there aren't many
of them around," said Blackerby, an interior designer, who moved into
the complex in March. This will be her first year participating in the
open studios.

Baldwin, who moved into Brickbottom three years
ago, agreed that living amongst artists offers a personal enrichment
that could not be found on the average residential street. There's a
community feel that cannot be replicated outside of such an
environment, he said. The diversity of art forms feeds his passion for
building stage sets, as well as drawing in pen and ink.

This
year over 50 artists-including glassblowers, fabric artists, painters,
mosaic artists, architects, installation artists-will open their doors
to about 2,000 people who move through the complex each year.

It's
also the fifth year that the adjoining Joy Street gallery will partake
in the event. The first year five Joy Street artists participated and
this year there will be 47, said Julie McAskill, who has been with Joy
Street since the beginning. "It's great to see more opportunities for
artists," she said. "We keep doing outreach to attract more people."

The
Brickbottom Artists Building was established in 1988 by 100 artists,
most of them from Fort Point in South Boston, who pooled their money
(each person put down $500, Goss said) to purchase the Atlantic &
Pacific Tea Company Building at 1 Fitchburg St. It then took three
years-from 1985 to 1988-to renovate Brickbottom.

"The people
in the building have a great relationship with each other," said Pier
Gustafson, BAA President and founding member. "We worked hard to make
this building happen with our own money. By the time we moved in we
knew each other really well, and we have kept that strong relationship.
We know each others' art and families."