LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Art Guild (LAG) is kicking off the holiday season with a robust program of events.
The annual Holiday Fine Arts Show and Sale begins Nov. 14 and runs through the end of December. Due to the pandemic, this year’s show will be virtual and accessible in an online gallery, showcasing original works of art submitted by the talented members of the guild on the guild’s website, www.lynnfieldarts.org.
“This virtual show reflects the talent and breadth and creativity of our local artists in acrylics, oils, watercolor, pastels and photography,” said Beth Aaronson, LAG immediate past president.
On Nov. 19, Jill Pottle will present an acrylic portrait demonstration from 7-8:30 via Zoom. The event is limited to LAG members only.
According to Aaronson, there will be six cash awards, selected by the Wakefield Co-Operative Bank and the Savings Bank. The winners will be announced on Dec. 14. New to the show this year are three Popular Choice Awards, an online feature allowing viewers to vote for their favorite works, with the top three choices receiving gift certificates from MarketStreet Lynnfield.
Aaronson said so, far 80 pieces of art from approximately 50 artists have been submitted. She anticipates that, by the end of the day Saturday, 100 total pieces will be included in the show.
The Holiday Show and Sale is the second virtual art show the guild has staged this year since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March. The Virtual Spring Art Show, which ran from May 16 through July 31, was well received by LAG membership.
“We got a lot of views and it was very professionally done, so we were able to share it with a much wider audience than ever before,” Aaronson said. “We had to tackle some technical issues, but the most challenging part was that buyers naturally want to see the art before they buy it, so the sales between buyers and sellers posed some issues in that respect. But overall, it was great to see that we had a much greater participation from our members than we normally do based on past shows.”
The LAG spring and holiday shows have traditionally been held at the Lynnfield Meeting House, but, sadly, the Meeting House is closed through the end of this year.
Aaronson said the guild learned much from the virtual spring show. She is confident that the fall show will benefit from that experience.
“We’d love to figure out a way to have (our shows) live and in person, but feel that we will still find that we will reach more of our members, like we did with the spring show, so that is a positive for us,” Aaronson said.
The deadline to submit art is Saturday, Nov. 7. Artists may submit up to two pieces at a cost of $5 per piece. Digital images may be emailed to [email protected].
If artwork is offered for sale, interested buyers should contact the artist directly to arrange the details of a purchase. Membership dues for the 2020-2021 season must be paid prior to submission of art pieces. For information regarding membership levels and required dues, go to, https://lynnfieldarts.org/membership/. Annual dues and payment of show entry fees, along with donations to the guild should be mailed to: Lynnfield Art Guild, P.O. Box 12, Lynnfield, MA 01940. For questions or further information about the holiday show or art submission, contact Aaronson, (781) 334-4333.
Membership in the Guild is open to artists, artisans and photographers from Lynnfield and neighboring communities The Guild offers artist demonstrations, painting events, networking opportunities, art shows and the opportunity to display galleries at several local venues, including the Lynnfield Library, The Savings Bank, Wakefield Co-operative Bank and North Shore Bank, among others.
