December 20, 2023 By Marisa Olsen
The brand new Boston Artistry Sneaker Bar at 69 Water Street in downtown Hingham is an arts space for the entire family. Designer Nandita S. Maan has turned her vision for art, design, and creativity into a hub for artists, creators, and family fun. The Boston Artistry Sneaker Bar is a space for creating art in a supportive and encouraging environment. From creative workshops to birthday parties to special events, the space welcomes all–babies to adults–to explore various modes and mediums of art. Think: sneaker design; tote bag decoration; coloring; painting stenciling, t-shirt, vinyl, and textile printing; printmaking; poster making; and more.
Maan shares, “We are connecting families through process art. And we celebrate art. Our focus is on imagining, creating, and playing. We facilitate full family workshops from newborns to grandparents and love being part of creating lasting memories.”
Walking into the space is a real treat; the walls are painted white with a contrasting black ceiling, and catenary lighting. Maan likes to think of the space as a blank canvas that adapts to the personality of participants. Each wall and area thoughtfully displays various artistic mediums in an approachable way, and that’s what Maan wants: for people to explore, try something new, and have fun. She’s decorated the space with retro lighting design installations with nods to Keith Haring, pop-flowers, and colorful posters.
Nandita, who is a mom of two-year-old Yuvraj was born in India, and spent most of her adulthood studying design and working in Europe. As a child, she identified as an artist and loved making dresses for her dolls and decorating shoes to express herself. Her fascination with design continued. Her first job was at Reebok at 19, and at 20, her progressive and supportive father suggested she study to master her craft, so she flew to Milan for the first time and has been flying the globe ever since.
After Milan, Nandita received her Master’s in design at the University of Northampton, AKA the “shoe town of England.” Since then, she’s worked at Prada, Zara, and TopShop in Europe. She went on to work at the shoe manufacturing empire Wolverine World Wide, where she worked with brands like Hush Puppies and Keds, and particularly loved the engaging and fun women’s and children’s shoe design. As her career took off, Nandita’s work focused more on business and strategy. At Wolverine, she managed a team of six designers, but she began missing the design work. Once Covid hit, she decided to rebound and create her dream job, which led her and her husband Sumit, to Hingham to jumpstart her latest project, Boston Artistry Sneaker Bar.
This art space welcomes everyone, embracing diverse art forms and self-expression regardless of age or skill level. These workshops are self-paced, focusing on cherishing the creative journey. Nandita envisions an open-door policy, inviting people to engage, inquire, and delve into artistic exploration comfortably. The aim is to encourage guests to experiment with their unique techniques in a process designed to be open-ended, nurturing exploration, creativity, and curiosity. Nandita and her team are there to assist and provide all necessary tools. Refreshments such as fresh cookies, water, and “creative” organic juice are offered alongside music to enhance the experience.
Nandita loves when guests come in with a specific goal or project, like one child who wanted to give her sneakers a redo or another woman who brought in a vintage rug that she wanted to repurpose to hold onto that special family heirloom.
She loves the challenge of problem-solving, and is open to all sorts of mediums and solutions together, whether it’s 3D rendering or a graphic design project. If she doesn’t have the skills, she’s happy to look to the community for an expert to bridge the gap.
Weekends focus heavily on family workshops that run for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Families may sign up online with a max of 10-12 guests and the cost is $29.99 per guest. When guests arrive, they can select an item to create/decorate, such as a tote bag, flower pot, or t-shirt. The options and various mediums–paints, stencils, and more– are displayed so families may peruse and select what calls to them. You may also request a certain medium ahead of time. Sneaker workshops or parties are about three hours and cost $99.99 per participant, who must bring their own sneakers. If you’d rather have Nandita do the prep work on the shoe, she offers that for $139.99 per person.
The space will host after-school programs, workshops, sneaker parties, holiday and private events, and birthday parties for up to 12 children, which are popular. Birthday parties are currently booked until the end of February. For families interested in hosting birthday parties, email Nandita directly. Gift cards are also available and make an excellent gift for families, children, and grandparents.
Nandita is thrilled about teaming up with several South Shore organizations. She’s engaged in an eight-week program with the Boys and Girls Scouts of the South Shore, culminating in an exciting fashion show. Moreover, she’s partnering to introduce a day program with the Girl Scouts of Hingham starting next year.
In the meantime, Nandita hopes curious residents will pop in, explore, and be open-minded for creative fun.
The Boston Artistry Sneaker Bar
69 Water Street, Hingham, MA
(617) 360-7718
nandita@thebostonartistry.com