Fun in the Sun at Harvard Square

My time at the Harvard Square Open Market.

By Caroline Kawabe

The sun was shining in Harvard Square on a Sunday afternoon. The weekly Open Market filled the street, with local vendors and artists showcasing their work. Cambridge residents and visitors alike roamed the street observing the artwork, taking in the live music playing, and grabbing a bite to eat.

The Harvard Square Open Market occurs every Sunday on Church Street from June to October and showcases the work of over 45 local artisans.

Dominique Dixon, founder of Mahogani, set up her booth close to the entrance of the market. The variety of brightly-colored jewelry, and unique designs would immediately catch your eye. Dixon started designing jewelry herself at six years old.

The Boston-based designer started her line to empower women with her stately designs, as her business is female-run and female-owned. Dixon appears at the markets every Sunday. She enjoys the culture of the markets; interacting with other vendors, making connections, and meeting new people brings Dixon joy.

“You meet people from all over the world,” said Dixon.

Located on the other side of the market, Kam Boustani’s booth attracted customers and admirers with his beautiful city and nature landscape photos. He creates everything from traditional print photographs to coasters and cutting boards with his prints on them. He said that a lot of his inspiration for new ideas came from people at these markets making requests or asking about a certain place or product. Boustani said attending these markets helps him to grow as an artist.

Teresa Hammer, a Long Island native, explored the market for the first time last Sunday. She enjoyed the live music playing and had a particular interest in jewelry and watercolor paintings.

“I had never seen anything like that before,” said Hammer.

Be sure to keep an eye out for next year’s Open Market to check out the local art the Boston area has to offer!