DESTINATION RHODE ISLAND
The four buildings of the Providence Art Club, (L to R): The Fleur de Lys Building (1885) and The Deacon Edward Taylor House (1784) house artist’s studios; The Seril Dodge House (1786–89) and The Club House (1790) contain the Club’s galleries, classrooms, dining rooms and offices. Photo: Warren Jagger.
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hode Island may be the smallest state in the country, coming in just under 48 miles from tip to tip, but boy, Rhode Islanders know how to make those miles count. Packed with galleries, museums, universities, and public art galore, the state exceeds all expectations; in fact, it’s home to one of the most celebrated art schools in the world, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). If you, too, hibernate in the winter and want to spark your wanderlust, a trip to RI for some gallery hopping and mural-spotting may be just what it takes to shake off and stretch your legs. Like a real-life choose-your-own-adventure game, there are plenty of routes to consider for a trip around Rhode Island: heading down to the southernmost coast, west towards the Connecticut border, or aiming for the quaint towns between. So where should you start? Perhaps the most scenic trip, especially if you’re driving south from Boston, New Hampshire, or Vermont: following the Blackstone River Valley, passing by lakes and ponds before landing amongst the Valley’s lush living landscape. The area is known for more than just its fresh air, woods, and waterfalls (as if that isn’t
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convincing enough); thanks to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Valley is dotted with dozens of art galleries, music and theater venues. “Blackstone Valley has a wonderfully diverse and vibrant arts community that has clustered together in our region’s post-industrial spaces,” says James Toomey, the Council’s director of marketing. If you’re unsure where to start, let the 45-mile river be your guide, making stops along the way in towns like Pawtucket, one of the state’s first established arts districts; Central Falls, home to countless charming galleries; or Woonsocket, where the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America is housed at St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center. From the Valley, head south to Providence, Rhode Island’s capital and largest city. Providence is a walkable hub where visitors can enjoy viewing architecture, murals painted on buildings, and stopping by the RISD Museum that houses more than 100,000 pieces of art. If you plan to shop on your trip you will be happy to learn that Rhode Island was the first state to declare no sales tax on fine art items. Our first stop is the Providence Art Club located on historic College Hill. “In 2020, the
Art Club is turning 140 years old, which to my knowledge makes us the second oldest continually operating arts organization in Rhode Island after the RISD Museum,” says gallery manager Michael Rose. Founded by men and women in 1880, the club counts African American artist Edward Mitchell Bannister among its first framers. “With three unique gallery spaces and new shows every three weeks we are one of the most active art spaces in the state and the largest commercial gallery space in Providence—possibly in Rhode Island. We are a unique mix of private club and public organization, with our galleries open to the public at no cost seven days a week for most of the year. We also offer free, public gallery talks with every exhibition,” says Rose. Running March 8 to 27 will be an exhibition with oil painters Joan McConaghy and Sandra DeSano Pezzullo and watercolorist and illustrator Anne P. Wert, and solo shows with representational painter Madolin Maxey and painter and potter Susan Shaw. Opening March 28 and running through April 17 will be a group show with abstract artists Jayne Guertin and Karole Nicholson and realist painter Sherie Harkins, and a solo exhibition
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RHODE ISLAND of painter Jana Matusz. Photographer and encaustic artist Nickerson Miles and oil painter Karen Murtha will also unite for an exhibition. The next stop on the stroll through Providence is the Bannister Gallery. Located within Rhode Island College, the contemporary art gallery showcases a variety of artwork including painting, sculpture, prints, photography, metals, and ceramics. Its rotating exhibition schedule includes eight to ten shows per year. Victoria Gao, director of the Bannister Gallery, is thrilled to be at the helm. “I’m proud to have served as the director the last year and a half. We are committed to bringing in talented contemporary artists from across the world for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Every show has been an exciting new learning experience, and I couldn’t do any of it without the help of our hard-working student staff!” says Gao, who invites readers to visit the gallery this spring for two special exhibitions. LIKE-NESS: Andy Warhol Prints and Photos From the Permanent Collection will be on display through March 20. The exhibition pays tribute to the myriad unique personalities found in Warhol’s Polaroids, photographs, and silkscreen prints. William Tucker and Kamini Avril runs from April 2 through April 24. The exhibition, facilitated by faculty emeritus Donald Smith, features work by draftsman and sculptor Tucker and painter Avril. Together, their works create a dialogue about form and abstraction. If your trip includes a stop in Providence on the third Thursday of the month, be sure to check out Gallery Night Providence. From March
through November, approximately 25 galleries in Providence open their doors for visitors in what can only be called “a visual arts party,” according to its website. Gallery Night Providence provides free guided art trolley and walking tours, as well as self-guided itineraries and gallery maps. Entering its 24th season, Gallery Night Providence “now attracts more than 10,000 visitors annually and showcases the work of more than 500 artists every season.” The organization and evening not only raise awareness of the visual arts, they galvanize the community, help boost the creative economy in Providence, and create opportunities for multi-generational learning and enrichment. “After 24 years, Gallery Night Providence is still growing and evolving. It’s a great free event once a month and it engages local people from
all neighborhoods of Providence, from greater Rhode Island, from New England, and national and international tourists. We are very proud of our excellent guided art trolley tours, and we look forward to increasing our walking and bike tours this season,” says Shari Weinberger, president of Gallery Night Providence. Looking to see a show while visiting the diverse and vibrant neighborhoods of Providence? Rhode Island’s Tony Awardwinning theater Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Located downtown, Trinity Rep has been a longtime driving force in Rhode Island’s creative economy. It employs “over 100 artististic and administrative staff and generates
Sophie Kahn, Machines for Suffering, Bannister Gallery. Image courtesy of Bannister Gallery.
The Fine Art of Hospitality Rhode Island’s Only Five-Star, Five-Diamond Hotel • 250 Pieces of Original Art • The Largest Private Bemelmans Collection in the U.S.
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nearly $13 million in economic activity each year,” according to its website. It is one of 76 theaters nationwide with membership in LORT (the League of Resident Theatres), the organization representing America’s leading professional theater companies. “It has been very exciting to watch Trinity Rep audiences grow over the past few years as more and more people discover the stunning quality, intimate experience, and outstanding customer service that we offer. The constant creativity of our artists and staff leads to work that is celebrated both locally and nationally—all handmade for our New England audiences,” says Kate Brandt, director of marketing and communication. Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square
Since 1880, artists and art lovers
and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally stimulating live productions and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. The production of A Tale of Two Cities runs through March 22. The final two plays of the 2019–20 season will be running April through May: The Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat by Lynn Nottage will be showing April 2 to May 3; Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd runs April 23 through May 24. Be sure to pop by Providence Picture Frame and Dryden Gallery in their new location in North Providence. Their story began in 1879 on the third floor of The Arcade, Providence’s oldest indoor mall. The growth sent them to the old mill building at 27 Dryden Lane in the
mid-1970s. At the end of January, they moved to their own building at 1350 Mineral Spring Avenue. Geoff Gaunt (the fourth owner of the 141-year-old business) created a beautiful space and is excited to welcome visitors. Providence Picture Frame boasts a dedicated staff (who typically stay for 20 years) and peerless expertise, as well as a zest for enhancing each client’s residential or commercial space. Along with custom framing, art installation, and photo restoration, Providence Picture Frame can help with printing, antique maps, mirrors, and readymade frames. Dryden Gallery represents about 25 artists and was created to establish a viable venue for regional, national, and international artists. It helps deserving artists step into the public spotlight and demonstrates the importance, and necessity, of the artistic imagination to the human condition. Its first show at the new location will offer paintings by Judy Vilmain. Exhibitions are free, open to the public, and change every six weeks. Another option for seeing Rhode Island is to travel south to visit the Classic Coast, nine historic towns boasting culture and natural beauty. Newport, New England’s crown jewel, is a must-see for its mansions, art, and landscape. Stroll down Bellevue Avenue and visit the Newport Art Museum. “When you visit the Newport Art Museum, you can expect to encounter new ideas and ways of seeing the world, compliments of the art and artists we exhibit, the individuals presenting at our
have met at the Providence Art Club to share warmth and camaraderie.
Howard Ben Tre, Section 8, 1949, Cast glass, gold leaf, waves, 2001.001.001, Gift of the Dr. Joseph A. and Mrs. Helene Chazan Collection
We welcome you to visit our members exhibitions in our historic galleries, Monday - Friday 12 to 4, Weekends 2 to 4.
Providence Art club
11 Thomas Street Providence RI 401.331.1114
www.providenceartclub.org
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www.newportartmuseum.org
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programs, the educators teaching in our studios and the interactive activities taking place on our campus. Art connects us. And connection builds community. My hope is that the diversity of artistic voices and experiences presented at our art museum will provoke the kinds of conversations that open our minds and bring us closer together,” says executive director Norah Diedrich. The Newport Annual is on view through April 26. This exhibition has been a highly anticipated event by artists, curators, and collectors for over three decades. Judy Haberl, Jenny Walker, Nancy Sepe, and other area artists will be at the museum on Thursday, April 2, for an annual show artists’ talk. Paperwork: Works on Paper From the Permanent Collection will be on view through June 14. Enjoy an array of prints and drawings from the museum’s cherished collection of works on paper. Somaflora: Recent work by Maggie Nowinski, curated by Alicia Renadette, will be on view through April 19. Just off Bellevue Avenue is the Redwood Library & Athenaeum. “The Company of the Redwood Library was established in 1747 by Abraham Redwood and 45 other Newport residents,” according to its website. It is a hybrid museum, rare book repository, and America’s oldest continuously operating lending library still in its original structure. Designed by Peter Harrison, the Redwood Library & Athenaeum is the nation’s oldest Neoclassical public building and is a registered
National Historic Landmark. “Newport’s historic intellectual center, the Redwood provides a unique cultural experience, deeply historical in one sense, but also consciously engaged with today through a full range of presentations and exhibitions that bring the past in dialogue with the present,” says Benedict Leca, the executive director of the Redwood Library & Athenaeum. Russell Lee: A Documentarian’s Personal Kodachromes is running through April 5. “Remembered as one of the New Deal’s Farm Security Administration’s trio of great photographers alongside Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, Lee’s legacy has up to now rested largely on his iconic black-and-white photographs of rural
America.” The exhibition includes 67 of his color prints that he took during trips in the U.S., Canada, Norway, and Mexico in the 1950s and ‘60s and “offers an alternative body of work that nonetheless reveals his enduring eye for the ‘candid,’ and his mastery of detail, framing, and moment,” according to the website. Back in 1990, six men and women opened a cooperative art gallery at the corner of Spring and Bull Street in Newport, naming the gallery/ studio “Spring Bull.” Spring is the perfect season to plan a visit to the Spring Bull Gallery as it celebrates its 30th year offering original fine art, which reflects the diverse visions of its award-winning artist members in a variety of styles and media including
Molly Kaderka + Kit Howland A Mythic Pause March 5 - April 11
Gallery Hours: Wed. - Sat. 10am - 2pm, or by appt. Opening Reception: Thurs. March 5th 6 - 8pm Jamestown Arts Center jamestownartcenter.org 18 Valley St., Jamestown, RI | 401.560.0979
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A bloody brilliant musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Rhode Island’s Tony Awardwinning theater
watercolor, oil, pen and ink, acrylic, sculpture, carved wood, pastel, monotype, colored pencil, etching, Chinese brush painting, and porcelain. Spring Bull Gallery sponsors both invitational and juried-for-entry shows throughout the year. Favorite Places is the title of the March show; an opening reception will be held Saturday, March 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will run through March 29th. The gallery will participate in the monthly Newport Gallery Night Tour on Thursday, March 12. The evening’s Meet the Artist event will feature visiting artist Galen Snow, who will demonstrate her Paper Montage: Painting with Paper technique. “The philosophy of the gallery has been not only to provide fine art for the serious collector but also to encourage a ‘user-friendly’ approach for those individuals new to art collecting who may otherwise be intimidated by making art selections. Visitors are encouraged to visit as often as they wish, browse for as long as they like, and ask questions concerning an artist or any artwork,” according to the website. While on the Classic Coast, be sure to stop by Jamestown Arts Center (JAC). “This is an especially exciting time to join the Jamestown Arts Center,” says new executive director Maureen Coleman. “We celebrate our tenth anniversary with the launch of the entirely new Outdoor Arts Experience exhibit this summer, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with an incredibly talented board and staff to deliver truly extraordinary arts programming.
Art is for everyone and I am thrilled to be a part of a team that has such a powerful impact on our community’s quality of life.” A Mythic Pause: Molly Kaderka + Kit Howland will be on exhibit March 5 through April 11. Visitors can enjoy a screening of the film Tyrus on March 19. The JAC hosts art exhibits, theater, and dance performances, film nights, OutLoud events and concerts, and provides art and design educational programs for people of all ages. The Jamestown Arts Center has quickly become a leading arts and cultural hub for Rhode Island. If you are visiting during the summer make sure to check out JAC’s Outdoor Arts Experience, an island-wide temporary outdoor exhibition featuring ten art installations plus an artist residency program. The exhibition is on view June 27 through October 31. Travelers looking for five-star service and luxurious accommodations will discover exceptional personal experiences and worldclass amenities at the beachfront Ocean House in Westerly’s Watch Hill. Art is sprinkled throughout the resort. Its walls are adorned with a permanent collection of almost 250 works from the 19th century through the 1990s. Originals include the French artist Sem, also known as Georges Goursat, and pieces by iconic artist Ludwig Bemelmans, including his series Goodbye to the Ritz, murals from his La Colombe restaurant in Paris, and original illustrations from his famous Madeline children’s book series. The resort also hosts
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler Directed by Curt Columbus
APRIL 23–MAY 24 Tickets start at $27 (401) 351-4242 • TrinityRep.com 201 Washington St. • Providence MEDIA SPONSOR
GALLERY
CREATING SINCE 1974
Oldest Library in America Chartered 1747 National Historic Site | Exhibitions & Portrait Gallery Welcome to the Historic Redwood Celebrating 272 Years | A True Colonial Experience Oldest Library in America Chartered 1747 National Historic Site || Exhibitions & Portrait Gallery Tours Open Daily Celebrating 273 Years | A True Colonial Experience Tours | Open Daily
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50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport | redwoodlibrary.org
2020
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exhibitions by prominent artists from major regional galleries and offers a museum-quality audio tour that is complimentary for any overnight or day guest. “Art at Ocean House includes an impressive array of work and experiences inspired by the creativity and generosity of Ocean House owners Charles and Deborah Royce,” says Daniel Hostettler, president and group managing director of Ocean House Management Collection. “Our compelling art events, private collections, and programs provide education, inspiration, and cultural enrichment for guests of all ages.” Its artists-in-residence program runs from September through April. This spring guests can learn how to build their own harp and hear from Dr. Dennis Waring, founder and owner of Waring Music, and create a wood sculpture with sculptor Mark A. Perry. A short trip north from Watch Hill to Hera Gallery in Wakefield is a lovely way to end a visit to Rhode Island. “Hera is a gallery for the community, the space gives many artists a transformative place to be with one another,” says gallery director Tzu-Ju Chen. Hera Gallery was originally created as a place for underrepresented women artists. Hera Gallery gave women artists free space to show work and served as a pioneer in the development of alternative exhibition spaces. Since its founding in 1974, Hera has widened its mission to include the work of regionally and nationally recognized visual artists of both genders who are at varying stages of their
careers. This spring will feature exhibitions by two artists: John Kotula and Chad Amos Self. Kotula, whose third-grade classmates lit the spark of creativity by asking for his drawings, has been creating art for over five decades. The artist, writer, and art educator is also an active curator. Self focuses on papermaking and pulp sculpture. His work incorporates the colorful and playful nature of pulps and fibers and the tactile appearance of paper. At one time, the popular narrative was that if you ache to explore a vibrant city, you go to Boston. If you want to visit a coastal state and kick it on the beach, you trek up to Maine. The beauty of Rhode Island is that it has it all—and the state’s scalable size makes it easy to take in
on a short trip. There’s nowhere in the region that compares to Newport when it comes to mansion-gawking; no place to see groundbreaking, up-and-coming student work like the undergrad haven that is Providence, home to the Brown and RISD campuses (six RISD alumni and staff appeared on this year’s Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list alone!); seldom a sanctuary like Blackstone Valley so effortlessly welcoming nature-lovers and contemporary art aficionados alike. It would be a mistake to equate the state’s size with its potential: What seems like a small grab-bag is actually Mary Poppins’ purse. —Stacey Marcus
Spring Bull Studio and Gallery 55 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840 401.849.9166 • springbullgallery.com studio@springbullgallery.com
Celebrating our 30th year offering original fine art that reflects the diverse visions of our artist members and showcases award-winning regional artists in our juried and invitational exhibits.
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