For about 15 years, anyone walking around Waltham could come across one of Shawn Laswell's vinyl LPs, splattered in bright colors and hung where people would pass it. Waltham Open Studios says there were more than 2,000 of them. Many people took the discs home to decorate with. This year the organizers are selling Shawn Laswell originals to fund a scholarship in his name. The scholarship will help qualifying Waltham graduates study visual art at an accredited school.
The records will be on Moody Street the weekend of November 7 and 8, when Waltham Open Studios holds its 50th annual event. The Waltham Farmers' Market finished its outdoor season on October 31 at 65 Lexington Street. For the rest of the fall, much of the city's calendar moves indoors to a short stretch of lower Moody Street. Open Studios fills two buildings there for a weekend, and the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation keeps hosting talks and concerts into December.
Two Addresses, 77 Artists, Noon to Five
Waltham Open Studios runs Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, from noon to 5 p.m. It's free and family-friendly. According to the 2026 brochure, 77 artists are taking part. They're split between two addresses on the same street, Waltham Mills at 144 Moody Street and Lincoln Studios at 289 Moody Street.
It helps to know which building you're walking into, because accessibility differs from one to the next:
- Waltham Mills Building 4, 144 Moody St. Ramp access, plus an elevator to every floor.
- Waltham Mills Building 18, 144 Moody St. No accessibility. Myk Ostrowski and Joshua Winer are among the artists listed here.
- Lincoln Studios, 289 Moody St. Street-level access and elevators to every floor through the Lincoln Studio Gallery entrance. Kelli Nyman is listed here, and so is Metalwerx.
Metalwerx is a useful example of how the weekend works. A 2025 Waltham Times story noted that its usual home is 50 Guinan Street, but it shows at 289 Moody Street during Open Studios. For one weekend, studios that are usually spread around the city gather on a single street.
The event goes back a long way. Patch reported in 2019 that the Waltham Artists Association had been running it since 1976. As of late October, the official plan-your-visit page still listed demos, workshops and activities as "coming soon," so check back before you go if you want a particular demonstration.
Parking and the train
Parking at 144 Moody Street is reserved for guests who need accessible spaces. Those spaces are free, first come, first served, and sit in front of Building 4. Everyone else is directed to four lots:
- Spruce Street Lot
- Crescent Street Lot
- Embassy Lot
- Carter Street Lot
If you have friends coming from the city, Waltham Station on the Fitchburg Commuter Rail line is a short walk from Moody Street and about 25 minutes from North Station.
Sunday Starts Earlier, at Gore Place
Saturday is all Moody Street. Sunday has more going on, because Gore Place holds its Handmade for the Holidays Craft Fair at 52 Gore Street on November 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, the fair runs rain or shine, and 60 handmade vendors are scheduled. The estate's grounds are open to walk, and its heritage breed sheep will be out.
The fair opens two hours before the studios do, so Sunday fits together in this order:
- 10 a.m. Gore Place opens its craft fair. Shopping for handmade gifts goes faster before the afternoon crowd shows up.
- Noon Waltham Mills and Lincoln Studios open their doors on Moody Street.
- 3 p.m. The Gore Place fair closes.
- 5 p.m. Open Studios closes for the year.
You can spend the morning on Gore Street and still have the whole afternoon for studios. If you can only fit in one of the two, Gore Place is the one that ends first.
Dinner at 482 Moody Street
The newest restaurant on the Open Studios route is Maple + High at 482 Moody Street. Boston Restaurant Talk reported on September 22, 2026, that it was open. It's in the former Da Vinci Ristorante space, which Charcoal Guido's occupied before that. The menu has barbecue influences, and the team behind it previously worked at Bison County and The Tack Room. The partners are Dan Lane, the executive chef, and Michael Culpo, who manages the restaurant, as the Waltham Times reported when the project was announced.
The wine list has already been reviewed. On October 15, 2026, the Waltham Times reviewed it in "High five to Maple + High's wine list." The review praised how broad the list is and its 14 wines by the glass, and it had a few notes on how the wines are described.
The restaurant's site lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to midnight. The kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m. That gives you about four hours after the studios close at 5 p.m. to sit down for a full dinner. New restaurants often change their hours in the first few months, so call ahead on a weekend.
The Mill Calendar Through Early December
Open Studios takes over 144 Moody Street for two days. The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is at 154 Moody Street, and its programs run on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from now into December. The Mill Talks are free and open to the public with registration, made possible by support from the Lowell Institute. The 2nd SHIFT concerts are ticketed at $25.
The next few weeks of the museum's calendar line up with other indoor events across the city:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m. | Lucas Kamon, classical piano | Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St. | Library program |
| Wed., Nov. 11, 7 p.m. | Mill Talk: A Paper Nation, America's First Information Revolution | Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. | Free, registration required |
| Thu., Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. | Wildlife Out Your Window with Brad Timm | Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St. | Library program |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m. | Open Mahjong, free play | Waltham Public Library, 735 Main St. | Library program |
| Wed., Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | Mill Talk: 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in Historic 3D Stereophotographs | Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. | Free, registration required |
| Wed., Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | Isabel Oliart and Friends Carriage House Concert | Gore Place, 52 Gore St. | See venue |
| Thu., Nov. 19, 8 p.m. | 2nd SHIFT: Peter Mulvey & Jenna Nicholls Present Floyd Mercantile | Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. | $25 |
| Wed., Dec. 2, 7 p.m. | Mill Talk: The Disposable Workforce | Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. | Free, registration required |
| Thu., Dec. 3, 8 p.m. | 2nd SHIFT: Holiday Duets with Sam Robbins & Halley Neal | Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St. | $25 |
The library's November calendar has the details for its events. Gore Place lists its concert on its music page. Registration links for the Mill Talks are on each event's page on the museum calendar.
The museum's last listed Mill Talk of the season is on the afternoon of Saturday, December 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. It asks why there were no Black machine operatives in 19th-century New England textile mills. Gore Place also has two December events. "L'Armonia Boston My First Cassette Tape" is on December 5, with shows from 2 to 4 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. "Dickens' A Christmas Carol" is on December 10. The start time for the Dickens evening appears two different ways on the Gore Place event page, so confirm it with the venue before you head over.
The City of Waltham hasn't yet posted a 2026 date for the Santa Parade and holiday lighting on Waltham Common. Last year's parade was on Saturday, November 29, according to the Waltham Times event listing.
Carol and Owen Toland at The Toland Team are glad to see Waltham Open Studios reach its 50th year on Moody Street. If buying a piece by a Waltham artist on November 7 or 8 has you thinking about where it would hang in your next home, we'd be happy to talk. If you're curious what your current home would sell for this season, ask us for a free home valuation.
