What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm Thursday 12pm - 5pm Friday 12pm - 5pm Saturday 12pm - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

ArtsWorcester

When exhibitions are on view, our galleries are open 12-5 pm. Free and open to all.
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At ArtsWorcester, we believe that contemporary art—the art made here and now, of all kinds and traditions– is fundamental to a vibrant, educated, and diverse city. Art shapes and enriches individual lives, while contributing substantively to social, economic, and civic development. With the arts now a key part of our city’s vision of its future, ArtsWorcester’s mission—engaging artists and the public to advance and celebrate contemporary art–becomes more crucial.

08/27/2026

Pride Worcester Festival is this September, and ArtsWorcester will once again be selling the artwork of our LGBTQIA+ artist members. 🏳️‍🌈

There's still time to participate! Artists register their work online by September 1, and drop off their work ahead of time in the galleries by September 4. ArtsWorcester will handle the rest! Pricing is up to the artist, and artists will receive 80% of sales of their work. Due to the nature of these festivals, we highly recommend artwork that is not priced over $50, as festival-goers are often looking for small, affordable works on paper like prints, photographs, collages, photographs, and drawings.

We are also seeking volunteers the day of the event, Saturday, September 12, to complete 1.5 hour shifts. An ArtsWorcester staff member will be present alongside you for your entire shift to help process payments. ArtsWorcester will waive its commission for any artist who volunteers with us the day of the event. If you're interested in volunteering, please indicate such when you register your work for the event.

Interested? Learn more and register here: https://loom.ly/zrjDQgQ

08/26/2026

The Fourteenth Annual 'One' officially wrapped over the weekend, and the votes are in. From 259 artworks on view (our largest show to date!), here are the top voted fan-favorites from gallery-goers, casted over the course of the exhibition run.

Congrats to these artists (works pictured counter-clockwise):
Amanda Baldi, 'Circus of Emotions'
Nathan Fiske, 'Clementine Recital 2025'
Sam Fuentes, 'Una Oración ‘Pa Mi México'
Ariandra Lemus, 'Jec'ali'
Diana Willand, 'Leda & The Swan'

08/25/2026

Celebrate Material Needs 2026 with us! These artists received grants in 2025 to support the expenses of supplies and materials. The grants are made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor to make new work come to fruition in Worcester County.

A year of creating later, Material Needs 2026 showcases the work of the seven artists in a group exhibition. Expect stained glass, wearable art, and much more.

Material Needs 2026 features the following artists:

Ben Cline
Jennifer Davis Carey
Kristi DiSalle
Claudio Eshun
Kate Egnaczak
Anne Harris
Sheila Papetti

Public reception: Wednesday, September 9, 6 - 8 PM
ArtsWorcester // 44 Portland Street, Worcester MA
Free and open to all // Cash bar
Parking information in the comments

Following the public reception, Material Needs 2026 will be on view at ArtsWorcester through October 25 during gallery hours: WED - SUN, each day from 12 PM - 5 PM. Always free, and open to all.

// Ben Cline, "Green," (left) and "Black" (right), wooden boxes with stained glass lids

08/21/2026

ArtsWorcester is proud to announce that Marlene Persky will be the recipient of the 44th ArtsWorcester Award, given to recognize extraordinary contributions to arts and culture in the City of Worcester! Since 1982, the award has honored impactful arts and culture leadership in Worcester. We are thrilled to present it to Marlene for her fifty years of transformative community volunteer service, and unwavering commitment to art lovers, artists, students, families, and youth in the City.

Join us Tuesday, September 8, 5-7 PM
ArtsWorcester // 44 Portland Street, Worcester MA // RSVP required
Award presentation in the 7th floor Davisonian // Reception in the first floor ArtsWorcester galleries to follow

For more information about the event, and to RSVP, click here: https://loom.ly/ZXLkBDs

08/20/2026

There’s still plenty of time to submit your work for Small Works 2026 – what small-scale piece will you register? For this open members’ show, all wall-hanging works must not exceed 10" in any direction (including frame), and works on a pedestal may be no larger than 10" in height and 10" at the widest point. Other than that, all mediums and themes are welcome!

Our annual Small Works show draws many holiday shoppers (small artworks make wonderful and unique gifts!). We ask that any artwork listed for sale has a minimum price of at least $100. There is no requirement that you list your piece for sale.

Registration Deadline: October 21, 11:59 PM
Exhibition run: November 12 - December 13

Learn more here: https://loom.ly/7MD1LIo

// Jonathan Chidekel, 'Lumiere,' black walnut, copper, and LEDs, 10" x 8 3/4" x 2 1/4", 2025

08/19/2026

Today we welcome our newest team member, Obiamaka Igwenagu! She will act as Program Assistant to our Education and Outreach Manager Julia, supporting the Future Arts Workers program, exhibition production tasks, and gallery reception.

A Worcester native and visual artist, Obiamaka graduated from College of the Holy Cross, double-majoring in Studio Art and Health Studies. She later earned her master’s degree in Public Health from Temple University.

During her graduate studies, she brought together her interests in art and community engagement through collaborative mural work, developing a passion for creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to explore their creativity and build meaningful connections. In her own practice, she utilizes realistic oil painting to explore themes of identity and storytelling.

Welcome to ArtsWorcester, Obiamaka!

08/18/2026

Longtime ArtsWorcester artist member and friend Kat O'Connor was the recipient of a prize at this year's Fourteenth Annual One exhibition, selected by Nikki Silva, Gallery and Exhibitions Coordinator at . Silva described the piece as "beautiful and serene," and applauded O'Connor's "masterful" technique.

"Swimming in the waters off the New England Coast always fascinates me," wrote O'Connor in her statement, "From below the water has a magical greenish light. From above it is dark and often moody. I hope this painting conveys the beauty of experiencing both."

You can see this work in the Fourteenth Annual One, our annual summer showcase with no theme or medium requirement, on view at ArtsWorcester (44 Portland Street, Worcester MA) through August 23. Gallery hours run Wednesday through Sunday, each day from 12 PM - 5 PM. Always free, and open to all.

// Kat O'Connor, 'Into That Space,' acrylic on PVC panel, 21" x 11.5", 2024

08/14/2026

College students: The call for the Twenty-Third Annual College Show is now officially open! 🥳

Undergraduate students studying at any Massachusetts college or university, in any major, are invited to submit. Whether it's your latest experiment, your favorite piece from your art class, or the latest creation in an on-going series, we want to see it! You do NOT need to be an art student or in an art class to submit.

This is a juried exhibition, meaning that the juror will consider all eligible submissions and select certain artworks to be shown at ArtsWorcester. All media are welcome, including but not limited to fine craft, painting, photography, sculpture, digital, and video.

Submission is free to students of our institutional partners! 👀 Students enrolled full-time at the following colleges submit for free: Assumption University, College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, Quinsigamond Community College, and Worcester State University. There is a nonrefundable $5 submission fee per submission for students of any other college or university in Massachusetts.

Deadline to submit online is December 16, 2026, at 11:59 PM
Notifications will be made by January 14, 2027
Cash prizes awarded at the reception in February 2027
// No theme

See additional guidelines and submit here: https://loom.ly/ntb9Sps

// From last year's College Show: Kaylie A. Allen (Clark University, '27), "Aunty Kaylie's Makeup," archival pigment print

08/13/2026

Artists who received Material Needs Grants in 2025 have been hard at work creating new bodies work over the last year, or expanding an existing collection. These grants specifically supported their expenses of supplies and materials, and were made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor.

Now, a year later, it's time to celebrate these new bodies of work! Prints of litter collected from Worcester’s Elm Park, photographs exploring Western, African, and Afro-Descendant portraiture, and visual and performance art in collaboration with vultures are just some of what to expect.

Join us for the public reception of Material Needs 2026, featuring the work of the following artists:

Ben Cline
Jennifer Davis Carey
Kristi DiSalle
Claudio Eshun
Kate Egnaczak
Anne Harris
Sheila Papetti

Public reception: Wednesday, September 9, 6 - 8 PM
ArtsWorcester // 44 Portland Street, Worcester MA
Free and open to all // Cash bar
Parking information in the comments

Following the public reception, Material Needs 2026 will be on view at ArtsWorcester through October 25 during gallery hours: WED - SUN, each day from 12 PM - 5 PM. Always free, and open to all.

// Anne Harris, "Uncle Fester's Gestures" (right) and "I Heart Vultures"(left), colored pencil on paper

08/11/2026

Prize juror Nikki Silva selected ArtsWorcester's own Julia Terra-Salomão to receive a prize for her work 'Nobody leaves the light on for me anymore Já ninguém deixa a luz acesa para mim' for the Fourteenth Annual One. Silva loved the artist's choice of fabric for this piece, and the inclusion of the LED bulb as a link to the title.

"Last summer, I lived in my Avó’s (grandmother’s) home, a classic two-family house in Somerville," wrote the artist in her statement. "It was a strange experience, as she passed away that previous March and it was my first time living alone. I came home late one sticky summer night, and as I took note of the dark porch, I realized that there was no one to leave the light on for me."

Silva noted that the work resonated for her on a personal level, admiring the transparency of the work.

See Julia's work alongside 258 additional pieces in the Fourteenth Annual One, on view at ArtsWorcester (44 Portland Street, Worcester) through August 23 during gallery hours: WED - SUN, 12 PM - 5 PM, always free, and open to all.

// Julia Terra-Salomão, 'Nobody leaves the light on for me anymore Já ninguém deixa a luz acesa para mim,' felt, thread, ribbon, LED light, cardboard, 10.25" x 7.5", 2026

Address

44 Portland Street
Worcester, MA
01608

Opening Hours

Wednesday	12pm - 5pm
Thursday	12pm - 5pm
Friday	12pm - 5pm
Saturday	12pm - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15087555142

Website

http://artsworcester.org/

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