Businesses: Join Us for Art in August 2024

To register, just submit the business registration form.

For over 20 years, Winchester has celebrated a unique summer festival that transformed our beautiful, uniquely walkable downtown into a vibrant artist colony. In 2024 we will once again celebrate the arts and showcase our local artists and businesses. We invite you to join the celebration!

During the entire month of August, artwork is displayed in many shop windows and inside shops, where fluttering colorful streamers announce, “Art Here; come in, there’s more to see.” Thursday evenings are enlivened by “meet the artists” receptions and other events. It’s a great way to encourage foot traffic during a quiet summer month.

How Does It Work?

Participating businesses agree to display work from one or more artists (preferably some of which will be visible in window displays). Participating artists provide art for display and coordinate with the businesses to display it (the Art in August committee will assist). The committee will provide posters, map guides to where art is displayed, and other promotional materials, including press releases and advertising.

The Art in August committee handles the matching of businesses and artists, making sure that the art is suitable for the space and display conditions. How much artwork, where placed, and how they
are displayed is agreed upon between the artist and the host business.

Artworks on display in Art in August are for display only; host businesses are not expected to facilitate any sales (though interested buyers may contact the artist directly).

Interested businesses may choose to host an artists’ reception on a Thursday evening. The nature of the receptions, the staging, and the refreshments are negotiated among the artists and the business host, who has the last word on all arrangements. Artists generally pay the expenses and promote the event.

To Register

Just submit the business commitment form.

The Organizers

Art in August is organized and funded by the Winchester Cultural Council (WCC), a town agency, with the help of volunteers and in cooperation with the Winchester Artists Network (WAN). It is one of many activities in the Winchester Cultural District, designated by the state in 2018 to enrich local character and recognize the economic potential of the arts.

Thanks to support from the Town of Winchester, there is no fee for participation in Art in August. Costs of the event are covered by the Winchester Cultural Council.