Melrose Open Studio Tour
November 15 - 16, 2025
11 - 4 pm
The arts have the potential to transform society. Art allows people free expression. Artistic enjoyment gives us shared experiences that connect us all to our community. MOST aims to improve the quality of life in Melrose by supporting and celebrating its art scene and the artists who live here.
2025 Artists
(Click on images for more information)
Karim Badwan
The path to my current style and medium of art was and is not linear. It was bred out of my professional work in opera, theatre, dance, film, tv and public art. I learned from so many wonderful artists and designers in a myriad of disciplines that shaped me into the artist I am today. My primary focus is light, furniture and sculpture. At the heart of my work is dedication to creating sustainable art using as many reclaimed materials as possible. My creations are mostly modern and contemporary, but by using pieces and parts of the past to make something new I pay homage to what was. In a world of planned obsolescence with fast, cheap, and homogenized goods, I want to create unique one-of-a-kind art made to last
Catherine Bertulli
Since 2012 I have been using industrial grade aluminum foil to build sculptural forms. For the past three years, in particular, I have been working on a piece titled “Aprons”. What I have found interesting is the interaction of visitors to my studio during MOST has had an influence in the direction of this piece. Many visitors said that the piece reminded them of laundry hanging on a clothes line and wished that they could walk among the hanging aprons. I have incorporated this audience participation into the plans for completing this piece.
I also paint and work on paper. These are colorful figurative based watercolor paintings. Images are usually based on my life experiences. I recently had a watercolor included in the Harvard Art Museum’s "Watercolor,Into The Light:1880-1990" exhibition.
I have participated in many group shows; the last of these was “Dressed” at the Danforth Art Museum at Framingham. The aluminum works have also been shown in a two person exhibition in Fall River and a one person exhibition in Verona, Italy.
Jen Blesso
Jennifer Blesso is a mixed media artist based in Melrose. She has been an artist since her first group show at the age of 4. She began making art in earnest in 2020 during the lockdown with whatever materials she had in the house. Her work has been described by others as joyful and vibrant. She paints with acrylics, layering and working up colors with a variety of mark making tools and collage material. Using symbols such as ladders and wings or decaying buildings, Jennifer explores personal themes such as escape and female empowerment. Her influences are kitsch, early abstract expressionism, street art, and the alphabet. She gathers materials and inspiration on her wanderings. Every scrap of paper, rusty washer or empty shell has potential. She is currently experimenting with bookmaking and mixed media weaving.
Sally Bowman Gordon
Sally has been living in Melrose for over 25 years and has enjoyed the increased Arts support in the community. Sally’s works are collage and mixed media. She creates her own paper which she sculpts into an image or two or three for the piece she is working on. Her inspirations come from Nature, Old Testament stories, and Children’s Tall Tales. Sally is currently working on a series she hopes will continue for a while, “Mitzvah Mice”. These “Mitzvah Mice” are seen doing good deeds for the community. Sally is a teacher at FYACS and Temple Tiferet Shalom, Peabody.
Erin Browning
Erin Browning is a visual artist and poet whose creativity comes from themes of unbecoming, unraveling and remembering what lies deep within. Erin uses images, objects, nature, paint, and words to highlight the common human experience of an ever shifting reality. Erin's most recent series revolves around the structure of a crumbling patriarchal society, paths and patterns of healing, and through this work she hopes to spark self reflection and hope in a rapidly changing world and culture.
Deb Corbett
I am an abstract painter who maintains an active home studio in Melrose. My experience includes jewelry design, custom decorative painting and years of art instruction to children and adults.
When I begin a painting I try not to have a preconceived idea but instead trust the process and allow my intuition and sense of color guide me.I use many materials including plaster, acrylic paint, metallic paint, mark making, graphite and hand painted papers for collage. The result allows the viewer to linger and create their own narrative. Having the final surface be interesting and multi-layered becomes a key goal. Representation is in the Southwest and the North shore of Boston.
I am actively involved with the local non profit Melrose Arts and sit on the Board of the Community Coalition of Melrose.
Paul Cornacchini
Riverwood Furniture Design crafts one-of-a-kind furniture. Each piece is designed to be unlike any furniture available in a store or online, painstakingly shaped by hand from stunning hardwoods to elevate any room. We specialize in coffee tables, martini tables, sofa consoles and accent pieces to delight the most discerning customers. Each piece is distinctly different, they could be inspired by a modern aesthetic, organic vibes, industrial chic, or more traditional beauty to suit any client or designer.
Annie Damphousse
I’ve been making art my whole life and I love the creative process in whatever form it takes. My artwork is strongly influenced by my experience as a graphic designer—a mixture of creativity, analysis, problem solving, and decision making guide my process. However, a dash of spontaneity, a healthy dose of optimistic energy, and a fearless use of color shape my work. My love of color is evident in my work as well as in my home. Housse Studio is the culmination of everything I am passionate about—creating art, and using my color and design sensibilities to bring joy and beauty to your living space.
Majoring in Business with a minor in Fine Art, Annie received a BS from the University of New Hampshire, and then followed that with a BFA in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Boston. She now lives with her husband Rich just north of Boston where she enjoys working in her home studio painting and designing for Housse Studio, while also maintaining her job as Principal & Creative Director at Stormship—her graphic design firm of 34 years. When she’s not painting, she enjoys time outdoors, running or biking with friends. As an aunt to 13 nieces and nephews, she loves her time with her large extended family whom all live within an hour of Boston. And whenever possible she visits her snowbird parents in Florida.
Lorrie DiCesare
Lorrie DiCesare, Encaustic/mixed media Painter and Enamel mixed metals Jeweler, has been pushing the boundaries of her artwork with experimentation, technique, color and texture since 1990. Lorrie's work is described as playful and artistically organic, with a touch of whimsy with no set agenda. Lorrie’s education is in business, retail management (owning Hourglass Gift Gallery in Melrose for 22 years), Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Essence of Mulranny (Painting with Fire) on-line course, Christina Lovisa and Jane Monteith Mixed Media (online course) and continued Art educational courses.
Sara Gravante
Through art, I celebrate my passion for depicting reality to the abstract in response to the landscape. The landscape of the image - forms, marks and colors - all become doors to open with visual explanation. While inspiration for my work is at its core from the natural world, I am also fascinated and influenced by how maps, graphs and other information systems show other perspectives. Each of my works are just a small part of endless ways of seeing the world and reveal to me many more layers to explore. Art making is my chosen personal narrative to share and for all to choose the next moment in the story.
Gail Hamm
Gail Hamm works mainly with Sterling silver to create jewelry combining texture, stones & sea glass. Gail's work is a wearable expression of craftsmanship, a lasting piece in your collection.
Deb Haney
A familiar face in the Melrose artist community, Deb has taken part in home and trunk shows, Artisan Alley tent at the Victorian Fair, Beebe Estate events, MOST studio tours and Summer Art Markets, FYA Holiday Market, Malden and Winthrop Art in the Park events and many holiday shows. Her jewelry and folk art were sold locally at Hourglass Gifts, FACETSetc, Noa, Blue Cloud Gallery and at shows and artisan shops in Southern California.
Deb is a part of West Foster Artisan Collaborative, six friends who show their work in December at 114 W. Foster St. Her work has been shown by Malden Cultural Council, Coffee Shop Artist Group, Revere Beach Arts Festival and Winthrop Art Festival. Collage has become a passion in recent years.
Kelly Bossert Hourigan
Tamara Kenney
A seamstress in residence at Follow Your Art Community Studios, I have a passion for bridal alterations and redesign, as well as making custom christening gowns made from a once worn wedding gown. The creative process of designing something so special from something once cherished is what I really enjoy, and take pride in the finished product - incorporating as many elements from the old gown into the new one: fabrics, buttons, loops, lace, trims. Whether allowed artistic freedom or given specific design requests - I work closely with all my customers to make sure the desired outcome is exactly what they want.
John Maciejowski
Hanna Niswonger
Hannah holds an MFA in ceramic sculpture from Alfred University and a BA from Wesleyan University. Her recent work builds on a lifelong love of pattern and image, incorporating painting and printmaking into functional ceramics. She exhibits nationally in galleries and juried craft shows, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art Show, Smithsonian Craft Show and CraftBoston, where she received the Award of Distinction. She is a co-founder of Pots On Wheels, POW! a collaborative, mobile education project. She lives in Melrose, MA.
In both my sculptural and functional work, animals serve as metaphors: as characters in tiny dramas; as reminders of our impact on a fragile planet. Through years of observational drawing of plants and animals, my work is a celebration of the richness of the environment around us, and a call for protection of that diversity.
Greg O'Brien
Greg’s main focus is photographic abstractions. He captures an intimate and in-depth look at the elements of nature. His work includes closeups of birds in their natural habitat and manifestations of nature: ice formations and peeling oxidized rusty objects. He invites the viewer to a visual experience of unseen nuances of familiar and everyday occurrences. Greg studied painting and photography at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Kerry Pegoraro
I like to think of my artwork as being quirky, fun, and usually experimental. Bright colors, texture, and movement are key elements in anything I create. I’m especially interested in exploring the juxtaposition of the organic and geometric. Primarily I create paintings and white line prints but sometimes my work strays into the realm of mixed media, as I may include cut paper or even venture into realms bordering on sculpture. You never know where my artistic journey will take me next. However, hopefully you will appreciate the thoughtfulness and the process behind everything I create.
Molly Phillips
In her studio just north of Boston, jewelry artist Molly Phillips creates handcrafted artisan jewelry with an incredible attention to detail. With an extensive background in Graphic Design and Art direction her pieces are infused with bold design choices and a clean modern sensibility. Every piece has been meticulously crafted by hand from beginning to end, using time honored metalsmithing techniques and only the highest quality materials. Each piece is intended to be loved for many years and cherished in the way that only a handmade object can.
Jenne Rayburn
Jenne Rayburn is a goldsmith, enamelist, and seasoned designer who studied interior design and architecture. Natural materials, vernacular design and indigenous peoples inspire her enamel jewelry, vessels and wall decor. Ideas about identity, lineage and community influence her work and she is fascinated with myths that recount heroic adventures. These stories strive to express the mystery and complexity of the human experience and the relationships that influence and inspire us.
Ellen Rolli
Ellen was born and raised in the city of Revere, Ma. Her interest in art started at a very young age. Her artistic ability was encouraged and nurtured early on by family, friends and teachers. A graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art she majored in Art Education with a minor in Painting. Ellen has had several group and solo exhibitions through the years, including two solo exhibitions in Boston.
In 2009, as a Copley Society of Art of Boston artist member, she was awarded a month long artist residency at the historic Fine Arts Work Center of Provincetown. Ellen has been the recipient of many awards and her paintings are held in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad. Ellen is currently represented by Huff Harrington Fine Art of Atlanta, Outermost Home of Provincetown, Ma. and The Willard Gallery of South Portland, Maine. She maintains a full time working Studio outside of her home, in the Cedar Park neighborhood of Melrose. Ellen was also an active commitee member for the annual Melrose Open Studios Tour. Ellen lives with her husband Frank who claims to be her biggest fan.
"For me, the unknowns of the process make for a journey of self-discovery and a more meaningful painting experience." - Edward Corbett. As a contemporary painter, I am interested in interpreting subject and emotion in an abstract, intuitive way. The process, daring paint application, color, texture, and the element of discovery inspire me. In my process, I use materials instinctively. This allows more freedom, more risk-taking. As a painting evolves, I react to the dialogue between us. I do not search for the literal truth of subject; I seek an expressive, personal interpretation.
Jon Rosenfeld
I would call myself a tinkerer of many trades and skip the second part of the quip! My non-academic background includes photography, woodworking, machining, and copper sweating. For some time, I have been creating kinetic sculptures. These are mostly small pieces which have some motion, typically powered by small motors. There are also some non-kinetic pieces, but all share a common denominator of being somewhat whimsical.
My shop (studio) is in the basement of my house and contains tools for woodworking and metal machining. Some pieces requite some electronics and/or embedded computer control, so the shop includes some development tools for that purpose.
A significant portion of the shop contains junk. Most of what I create contains pieces of found material or parts from some defunct object.
Jacqueline Sokol
I am an artist, wife, and mother of three kids. I find inspiration in the beauty and wonder of the natural world. I create art that celebrates the magic in everyday moments. My paintings are a reflection of my love for the wild and the joy I find in the simple things. I hope that my creations bring a sense of calmness, wonder, and delight to those who experience them.
Jennifer Strasburger
Margaret Swan
Awarded a New England Foundation for the Arts Regional Fellowship in Sculpture, a Massachusetts Artist Fellowship in Sculpture, and other grants throughout her career, Margaret Swan is a graduate of Bennington College and Syracuse University. Her sculpture has been featured in museum exhibitions throughout New England, including the Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, CT; the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA; and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, MA.
“Over many years as an artist, I have been inspired by the relationship of nature to architecture and the built world around us. I have been particularly excited by the varied ways these structures shape and contain amorphous elements, such as air and water. The rigging of a sail as it captures the wind and the flow of water as it passes through a net or is contained in a vessel are examples of the duality between movement and containment celebrated in my work.”
Roberta Tobey Gertz
I've been making mosaics for over 30 years, but the covid lockdown inspired me to dive deep. My work is mostly informed by the colors and textures that I see in animals and landscapes. Finding that right piece of china or tile is so gratifying!
Alex Van Meter
Alex is a mixed media artist. Working on canvas and paper, combining photography, printmaking and painting. Her work focuses on natural and organic images as well as textures and patterns. Current work is on display at the Annex in Melrose, 486 Main Street.
Jack Welch
As a photographer and as an artist, I try to see the beauty in the everyday day world we live in. It matters not, if that beauty was created by God or by man, If I can capture that, and I can share it. I feel that I have made a contribution that matters. In fulfilling that ambition, I Have attended Classes offered by Maine Media Center, attended workshops, in the US, Canada and Europe.
I have also received numerous awards from the Reading Arts Club. My greatest knowledge in the world of Fine Art Photography, has been achieved by collaborating with my fellow Photographers.
Penny Young
I am a creative soul who loves to explore a multitude of artistic mediums. From paint to clay, photography and fiber, I am constantly learning and trying new things. But my true passion lies in the world of fiber! Sewing is my spark and my path to self-expression. I use various techniques to create my unique fabrics and create depth and texture.
Sheryl Zelten
I live with my husband in Melrose and we have 2 college age daughters. I enjoy being outdoors and love to cross country ski, kayak, hike, run and make pottery outside in my back yard! Growing up in Vermont gave me a special appreciation for nature and all it's beauty! On the weekends I love to explore all of New England; it's mountains, beaches, lakes, and trails.
I have worked as an occupational therapist with special needs students for almost 40 years. I love to help special needs kids develop new skills and achieve their potential!
I work in ceramics and sitting on the porch of my studio throwing pots is one of my favorite things to do! I began working in stoneware 35 years ago, and as of late I have enjoyed working in porcelain. I am partial to high fire glazes and I love blue, green, purple, and red glazes. Most of my pieces are functional such as plates, bowls, mugs, chips and dip plates, and pie plates.
