On the day after Patriots Day, 14 months after my last visit to Newbury Street, there’s a small sign of pre-Covid life as outside restaurants are busy and visitors are entering galleries, albeit in ones and twos. But the street feels alive.

“We’ve had a nice April,” said Guild of Boston Artists gallery director Alex Ciesielski. ”We’re seeing a nice turnaround. It’s tentative, but you can feel it.”

Visitors to the gallery have been appreciative. “People felt we were producing substance here and thanked us for being open,” Ciesielski said. “One woman told us she saw us as essential because we were providing a spiritual essence. She hadn’t seen any fine art in a year because of Covid.”

May will see the Guild holding its Annual Members Exhibition. “I asked my artists
for as much new work as possible for our spring show as it felt like a renewal,” Ciesielski said. “Right now, I think we’re back on track.”

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