Saturday, July 19, 2025, 12-3pm

We invite the community to join us for a FREE event in celebration of art! Participate in awesome make-and-take art activities, watch masterful artist demonstrations, enjoy a museum scavenger hunt, and help create a collaborative work of art. Meet and hear from artists who are represented in the 2025 Danforth Annual Juried Exhibition. Food trucks, storytelling, poetry, dance, DJ entertainment, and more.

All are welcome and admission is free!

Danforth Members have early access to Hype the Arts. Click here to become a member today!

Make-and-Takes

Photograph of a room filled with people gathered around a table. In the foreground is a boy facing away in an orange shirt holding up a bracelet.

We’ll have a variety of fun make-and-take activities. We’ll also have an open studio for you to try drawing at an easel!

Stamping a Postcard Design

Bead Bracelet

Pom-Pom Bag Charm

Multi-Media Houses

And so much more…

Community Art Project

Photograph of a group of people seated at tables outside, drawing on plexiglass.

Join us all day at our Community Art Project! Happening at our back lawn, paint designs on chairs to create a unique, functional artwork. The final piece will be displayed at the Danforth!

Artist Talks

Photograph of a gallery room, with three people gathered around a pedestal with art making supplies.

Hype the Arts will feature artist mini talks. You will get to meet and hear artists represented in the 2025 Danforth Annual Juried Exhibition. They will speak on what inspired their work, their process, and their practice. We hope you’ll stop by to listen, learn, and interact with some amazing local artists!

12:30 pm – Robert Grady, Andrae Green, Maia Hay, Martha Heller, Lisa Tang Liu, Nina Medard, Joan Ryan, Susan Ryder

1:30 pm – Aaron Ellison, Suzanne Gainer, Stephen Golding, Sasha Knittel, Steve Novick, Anastasia Sierra, Leslie Zelamsky

Artist Demonstrations

Anna Ryan

Join talented artists as they create beautiful works of art in their chosen medium. Drop in, observe, and ask artists questions on their methods, materials, or inspiration.

Ongoing – En Plein Air Painting with Paul Hackett

12:30 pm – Ink Drawing and Paper Arts with Victoria Elbroch

1:00 pm – Multi-Media Houses with Anna Ryan

2:00 pm – Portrait Painting with jason cheeseman-meyer

jason cheeseman-meyer

Victoria Elbroch

Paul Hackett

Performances

Photograph of a gallery room, with a woman standing at a mic in the back corner reading from a paper. There are people seated around listening to her read.

Cole Rodriguez

NATYA Dance Collective

Hype the Arts is not only about celebrating the visual arts at the Danforth, but also about bringing other art forms in to animate our space and engage with the community. Watch a dance performance. Listen to a spoken word poet in the galleries. Hear a bilingual storyteller read children’s books in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Sway to upbeat music played by a DJ out on the back lawn.

Ongoing – DJ Mike with Framingham State Ram Radio – WDJM

12:30 pm – Bilingual Storytelling with Rejane De Musis

1:30 pm – Poetry Performance with Cole Rodriguez

2:00 pm – NATYA Dance Collective

Rejane De Musis

Other Activities

Photograph of a woman and a young boy who is getting an airbrush tattoo.

Several other activities are sprinkled into the day’s schedule, including an airbrush tattoo artist, a caricaturist, a scavenger hunt, and a Hype t-shirt giveaway!

Food Trucks

Photograph of a line of food trucks in a parking lot, with people standing in line for food.

Be sure to get a bite to eat or enjoy a refreshing cold dessert!

This year’s Hype the Arts Event Features two trucks: Thee Taco Dude and Refreshin’ Concessions.

Parking & Bus Routes

Hype the Arts will take place at the Danforth Art Museum & School, which is located at 14 Vernon Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

Our parking lot is located behind the building, and is accessible via Grove Street. If our lot becomes full, additional parking is available in neighboring lots: Framingham Centre Nursery School, First Parish in Framingham Unitarian Universalists, and the Village Hall on the Common. These lots are located off of the Framingham Centre Common and will be marked with Danforth “Event Parking” lawn signs at their entrances (see map for locations of lots).

If you are arriving by bus, there are two MWRTA fixed routes that will take you to the Framingham Centre Common. Route 2 and Route 3 stops at Edgell Rd on the weekends. Please click on each route to see details about their schedule and route.

All MWRTA services are currently Fare Free! For any fixed route, no card is required! Simply board the bus and receive free fare! Visit MWRTA’s website for more information about fares and transport options here.