🎪 Show & Sell — Where to Display & Sell Your Art Around Boston (June)

Hey Boston makers! June is still very much alive and so are your chances to get your work in front of real buyers this month. Whether you have a tent and a card reader or just a portfolio of JPEGs, there is something on this list for you. Here is your practical rundown, sorted from the easiest local entry points to the more established opportunities worth planning ahead for.

🟢 Easiest to Start (beginner-friendly, low barrier)

• SoWa Open Market (beginner to mid-level, booth fee varies; apply at sowaboston.com). Every Sunday through November on Harrison Avenue in the South End, this is Boston's flagship outdoor artist and maker market. Applications are reviewed throughout the season based on availability, so if you missed the spring rush there may still be a spot. It draws thousands of visitors weekly and sits right among galleries and studios, so the crowd already has art on the brain. June 21 and June 28 are your remaining dates this month.

• Boston Open Market at the Public Garden (beginner-friendly, $150 per 10x10 date). Run by New England Open Markets, this Saturday market on Boylston Street puts your booth at the entrance to the Boston Public Garden with foot traffic that is hard to beat anywhere in the city. June 20 is the last active Saturday in June (June 27 is an off date this season). The vendor application is open and rolling, so get in now to lock up July and August Saturdays before spots fill.

• Somerville Art Fair June Showcase at Bow Market (emerging artists, low or no booth fee for showcases). This is a newer artist-run series happening at Upstairs at Bow Market in Somerville. One-night studio showcases are running through the summer, each featuring a curated pair of local artists, building toward a larger December fair. It is created by artists for community, which means the vibe is warm and the barrier to participate is intentionally low. Check the Bow Market site and reach out directly to get on the radar for remaining June or July nights.

🟡 Step Up Markets (curated, bigger crowds)

• SoWa Open Market Vendor Application (direct link) (juried, mid-level, fee on acceptance). If you want to go deeper than a one-off date at SoWa, the official vendor application portal is where you lock in recurring Sundays. With over 100 local vendors, food trucks, and a beer garden all on one pedestrian street, this is one of the largest open-air artist markets in the city. The market is juried, so bring your strongest product photos.

• Markets for Makers Boston (curated, mid-level, fee on acceptance). Markets for Makers brings together independent artists and makers in home decor, fashion, original art, and design in a community-forward environment. Their Boston editions attract a shopper who is specifically looking to buy from real people, not big retailers. Check their site for any remaining 2026 Boston dates and get your application in early since they fill fast.

📢 Open Calls and Databases (wall space, not booth space)

• Mosesian Center for the Arts Open Call for Exhibition Proposals (all levels, $40 submission fee). The Mosesian Center in Watertown is accepting proposals for their 2026 exhibition cycle right now. It is a beautiful 30,000 square foot former U.S. Army arsenal with real gallery spaces, and they genuinely want to hear from individual artists, curators, and collectives across all media: painting, printmaking, photography, 3D, video, sound, and more. Six miles from downtown Boston and easy to reach, this is a serious opportunity with a reasonable entry cost. Submit through ArtCall.

• EntryThingy (Massachusetts calls) (all levels, fees vary by call). This free database aggregates open calls from galleries and juried shows across the state. Filter by Massachusetts and sort by deadline to find what is still open right now in June. New listings go up constantly, so check it more than once this week.

• Massachusetts Cultural Council ArtSake Blog (Call to Artists) (all levels, free to check). The Mass Cultural Council posts open calls, residencies, and exhibition opportunities for Massachusetts artists on a rolling basis. It is one of the most reliable local sources for legitimate, well-vetted opportunities and it costs nothing to browse.

• Photographic Resource Center: EXPOSURE 2026 (photographers, $35 entry fee, PRC membership required). This is the PRC's 30th annual members' juried photography exhibition, juried by a Harvard Art Museums curator. Twelve photographers will be selected to show three works each, with a Juror's Choice Award of $200 and two $100 PRC Choice Awards up for grabs. The call closed June 15, but if you are a PRC member, check whether late entries are still considered, and mark your calendar for 2027. Either way, joining PRC now gets you into future calls and the Boston photography community.

💡 Beyond the Booth: Real Ways Boston Artists Sell

• Café and boutique consignment walls. Davis Square, Inman Square, and the South End are full of independent coffee shops and boutiques that hang local art on consignment, typically at a 30 to 40 percent commission split with no upfront cost to you. Walk in with a small portfolio and a one-page artist sheet. Jamaica Plain's Centre Street corridor and Cambridge's Harvard Square side streets are especially receptive right now for summer wall rotations. Ask for the owner or manager, not a barista, and follow up in writing within 24 hours.

• List-building at every booth. Every person who stops at your table and does not buy is still a future buyer. A simple paper sign-up sheet or a QR code linking to a free Mailchimp form turns foot traffic into a list you own forever. Boston market crowds skew curious and loyal. A follow-up email after the event with one new piece and a direct payment link regularly converts browsers into buyers. Start this at your very next market date.

• The under $100 intro tier. Prints, cards, small originals, or zines priced under $100 remove the hesitation that stops people from buying at outdoor markets. Keep a clear rack or bin of these at the front of your booth. It also gives buyers a way to start a relationship with your work before committing to a larger piece. Boston market shoppers who buy a $30 print often come back online for the $400 painting.

🚗 Worth the Drive (these skew more established)

• Guild of Boston Artists Juried Exhibition (open call) (established artists, fee listed in prospectus, exhibition August 29 to September 26). The Guild of Boston Artists has announced a juried call for their late summer 2026 exhibition in Boston. This is a prestige opportunity with a long institutional history, and it skews toward painters and traditional media with polished, exhibition-ready work. Worth pulling together your best images and a strong statement if that describes you. Check the artshow.com Northeast listing for the current prospectus link and deadline.

• CaFÉ (callforentry.org) National Database (all levels, fees vary). CaFÉ is the broadest national open-call database and many of the strongest regional New England opportunities land here first, including public art commissions and museum-affiliated shows. Filter by New England or Massachusetts and sort by deadline. Some of the most competitive Boston-area opportunities post exclusively here, so it is worth a weekly check even if you are just getting started with juried submissions.

If you want help figuring out which of these fits where you are right now, or you need a hand writing a booth application or artist statement, just say the word. Happy to dig in with you.

***Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.***