On Sunday, Oct. 18, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., the Eliot Church at 45 Eliot Street in South Natick hosts the annual Old Time Calendar photography competition. Page-Waterman Gallery is at 57 Eliot Street, and Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary is at 280 Eliot Street, where a Natasha Broude landscape exhibit runs through Oct. 31. That puts three stops for art on a single South Natick street during the same weekend. Nearly all of the late-fall dates after that, from Halloween through the Nov. 12 holiday kickoff, are in Natick Center or on the Town Common.
This is the 24th annual Natick Artists Open Studios, set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The organizer, the Natick Art Association, operates under the nonprofit Natick Center Cultural District and has more than 100 artists and artisans: painters, printmakers, sculptors, potters, jewelry makers, fiber artists, photographers and mixed-media artists. Most of the Cultural District's calendar happens downtown. Open Studios uses downtown venues too, but it also reaches well beyond the Center, and the association's layout reflects that.
Two Maps and No Set Route
The Natick Art Association offers two printable maps, one for downtown and one for neighborhood locations, plus venue pages that list the artists at each site. It doesn't suggest an order. With two maps, the weekend works best as two outings: one walkable cluster of group sites and one spread-out loop of individual studios.
The 2026 venue list on the association's event page includes the Congregational Church, 3 Adams Street Studios, 43 Main Street Studios, Neighborhood Studios, Page Waterman Gallery, 8 Court Street and Eliot Church at 45 Eliot Street. Live demonstrations are planned at some sites, and most will have refreshments, according to Natick Town News.
Saturday Downtown, Ending at TCAN
The downtown group sites are The Studios at 3 Adams Street, 43 Main Street and the Congregational Church at 2 E. Central Street. Each holds several artists under one roof, so a Saturday afternoon covers a lot of work without much moving around.
Saturday evening is also a strong night downtown. TCAN's Josh Ritter benefit starts at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17, so the studios close at 5 and a dinner break fits before the show. The TCAN calendar lists the dates. The next week is busy there too, with Suzanne Vega on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. and the Blind Boys of Alabama on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.
A few announced businesses are close to the Open Studios route but have no confirmed opening yet:
- Pixlcat runs a pop-up inside Dah Mee at 25 Washington Street. Its own locations page lists the flagship café at 5 Washington Street as opening in "Fall 2026," with no specific day. Natick Report also described the Washington Street café as planned for fall in its Sept. 2 business column.
- Guild Hall Learning announced a location at 19 Willow Street and held a free family open house on Sept. 26.
Sunday in South Natick, Built Around Eliot Street
Most of the South Natick stops are individual artists' own spaces. Natick Town News lists four artists' studios and one gallery:
- Painter Ryan Black's studio, 203 Union Street
- Painter Julianne Strom Brill's studio, 199 Union Street
- Ceramic artist Suzanne Stumpf's Barn Showroom, 62 Farwell Street
- Painter Barbara Levine's show space, 30 South Street
- Page-Waterman Gallery, 57 Eliot Street
The Old Time Calendar competition at Eliot Church happens only on Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., so that's the day that fits the South Natick loop. Starting at Eliot Church in late morning leaves the afternoon for Union, Farwell and South Streets, and the studios stay open until 5.
Some of these artists have recent recognition outside Natick. Barbara Levine had a painting accepted into the American Impressionist Society's Annual Online Exhibition. Suzanne Stumpf's porcelain sculpture "Resting Place" took First Prize in Sculpture at the South Shore Art Center's annual arts festival in Cohasset. Downtown, Jason Cheeseman-Meyer recently had a painting in the Copley Society's Juried National Show.
Broadmoor at 280 Eliot Street adds a stop outside the Open Studios lineup. The Natasha Broude landscape exhibit there is listed through Oct. 31, so it's also open after the studios weekend for anyone who misses it on Sunday.
After the Studios Close, the Calendar Returns to the Center
Once Open Studios is over, the late-fall dates move back downtown, apart from the Broadmoor exhibit. Each event below is in Natick Center or on the Town Common:
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 21 | Suzanne Vega | TCAN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 22 | Blind Boys of Alabama | TCAN | 8:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 24 | Spooktacular | Town Common | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Oct. 29–31 | Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings | TCAN | See TCAN listing |
| Oct. 31 | Natick Center trick-or-treating | Natick Center businesses | 1–3 p.m. |
| Nov. 12 | Natick's Night Out | Natick Center | 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
The Spooktacular is on the town calendar for Saturday, Oct. 24. For Halloween afternoon trick-or-treating at Center businesses, the Natick Center Cultural District says a map and more details are still to come.
Natick's Night Out on Nov. 12 is free and billed as the start of the holiday season. The Passport Raffle is back, this year with two giveaways, including a Natick Center Shopping Spree. Town of Natick parking is free after 5 p.m., and the organizers suggest the Pond Street and South Avenue lots. No later holiday programs, such as a stroll or tree lighting, appear on the Natick Center calendar yet. They may be posted closer to the season.
The year-round farmers market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Natick Center calendar lists its fall and winter location as Common Street Spiritual Center, 13 Common Street. Check that listing before a Saturday visit to confirm which location is in use that week.
The Merchants Behind the Center's Calendar
Center businesses do much of the work behind this calendar. One example changed hands this month. Natick Report reported on Oct. 7 that Henry Kanner, who has led Natick Outdoor Store at 38 North Avenue for 40 years, is retiring. Greg Stabile, store manager since 2015, has bought the business. The store opened in 1947. Stabile has worked there since 2009 and, according to the same report, takes part in Natick Center Associates meetings and events such as Natick Days and Natick Nights.
"I am really excited to take over especially because I already know that the model works," Stabile told Natick Report.
Businesses like this one join the events that fill the Center's calendar, from Natick Days on the Town Common in September to the Night Out raffle in November. Open Studios runs through the same Cultural District, and its 2026 lineup includes studios on Union, Farwell and South Streets and a gallery on Eliot Street in South Natick.
At Michael Quinn, we find that a town's calendar of studio weekends and merchant nights is a fair guide to how its streets work day to day. If you'd like to talk about what that means for a home near Natick Center or in South Natick, schedule a private consultation.
