Fans of Vernon Street Studios attended the opening of their 40th anniversary celebration at the Somerville Museum.

By Mariya Manzhos

In 1974, the Rogers Foam Factory on Vernon Street made the sixth and seventh floor of their building space available to new tenants. However, the conditions were not exactly inviting. “When we first came there it was filthy dirty, there were no walls, it was just an empty space with pigeons everywhere,” recalls Karen Moss, an original member of the small group of artists to rent the space.

Undaunted, the group rolled up their sleeves, installed drywall, sanded the floors, and transformed the grimy and barren area into a series of art studios. But the hard work brought other benefits. “We had a wonderful community,” says Moss. Since then, Vernon Street Studios has grown into the largest group of artists in Somerville and one of the oldest in the Boston area to open their studios to the public.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary, Vernon Street Studios is showcasing the work of over 60 Vernon Street artists in the galleries of the Somerville Museum. “We’ve always wanted to do a show here, so we said let’s make this a big celebration,” says Heather Balchunas, coordinator at Vernon Street Studios and one of the artists. “You get a nice flavor of what Vernon Street has to offer.” The exhibition opened on November 14 and will run until December 31.

The diversity of the mediums on display is striking: among the works are abstract oil paintings, a cityscape weaved on cloth linen, giclee iphoneography, a colorful collage of bratz dolls, small figures of rats having a conversation, a paper mache boat, and mixed media pieces from street materials. A screen adjacent to the gallery wall plays interviews with the Vernon Street artists in their studios.

There are close to 100 studios in the Vernon Street complex, but some artists share or sublet their space and balance their art-making with their “day jobs.” Jeanne-Marie Crede, iconographic mixed medium artist who has been sharing studio #82 for 10 years, comes in the morning and usually stays until 1-2 p.m. before heading to her day job. Dana Mueller, an established photographer and adjunct professor in Boston, uses her studio primarily for educational workshops. There is no fixed criteria for getting a studio at Vernon Street. Professional and novice artists work side-by-side.

Despite the gentrification that has occurred in some areas of Somerville, Vernon Street Studios, which still shares the facilities with the working foam factory, has remained an affordable option for artists and other creative workers, and is the biggest mixed-use working space in Somerville.

“We should acknowledge the Rogers family for embracing you and bringing you in,” said Gregory Jenkins from the Somerville Arts Council in his remarks to the artists at the anniversary exhibition opening. “The beauty of Vernon Street is in their low cost studio space where a lot of younger people who are coming out from school can afford space,” Jenkins said.

Vernon Street is one of the last studios in the area that is not evicting artists. Alex Farrell, a 32 year-old mixed-medium artist, had to leave his old studio in Somerville after the building was bought to be remodeled for condos. He found his current studio at Vernon Street through Craigslist. “I got really lucky finding a space at Vernon Street,” says Farrell. Getting space is not always so easy, however, and there is currently is a waitlist for studio rentals.

Jenkins affirmed his belief that Vernon Street Studios are essential to Somerville. “What you’re bringing is the vitality of how you work together, the vitality of how you are creating and engaging with the community.”

The artists are gearing up for the Vernon Streets Open Studios on December 6-7 at 6 and 20 Vernon Street from 12-6 p.m.