The Copley Society of Art

CoSo is a exhibits work of artists in all stages of their careers, from student to established. The work covers many different styles within the umbrella of contemporary art. Their membership extends to artists all over the USA.
For the artists out there, just one note is that the membership fee to this organization is pretty hefty. It’s worth getting in as a student so that you can exhibit there before you graduate (and thus avoid putting yourself in the poor house trying to pay your membership fee).
I’ve said this in other reviews, but I prefer going to galleries over museums when I want to see traditional artwork. The admission is free, and if you ask the staff politely you can probably learn about how the artist painted the work, etc. There are always free flyers you can bring home for your art notebook, too.

CoSo is a great Newbury St. destination. It’s a small space for work by local artists, and it’s less pretentious and more interesting than most galleries on Newbury. I’ve visited several times, and what I like best is that there always seem to be several artists hanging out and willing to talk about their work.