Destination: Rhode Island

RHODE ISLAND

DESTINATION RHODE ISLAND

Providence Picture Frame & Dryden Gallery, Providence, RI.

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es, it is a cliché that good things come in small packages. In the case of Art New England’s September/October Destination, this “small package” is a little sliver of a state that lies tucked in the crook of Massachusetts’s chin. Yet don’t let its size fool you—Rhode Island packs a powerful punch.

If you plan to explore New England this fall, add Rhode Island to your “must visit” list. Its seemingly unlimited array of arts and cultural activities; museums; renowned restaurants; gorgeous sandy beaches; and hiking, biking

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and walking trails will impress and, ultimately, remind you why New England is such a unique destination.

Art New England also encourages you to consider beginning or expanding your art collection this season. All throughout the Ocean State, travelers will discover a strong and vibrant array of artists and galleries, several of which are highlighted in the following pages.

From Providence to Wickford to Charlestown to Newport, you’ll find great inspiration: maritime art, new talent and old masters await. And

remember, there is no sales tax on art in Rhode Island, thanks in part to the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA). Since its establishment in 1967 as a liaison for the state arts community, RISCA has helped develop the state as an artistic hub. The Council administers competitive grants to Rhode Island artists, non-profit organizations and schools to help them produce their work and educate the public. They also oversee the state’s public art collection, including the iconic Intermodal Station in Warwick that transformed a parking garage

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RHODE ISLAND into a multicolored art piece.

Now, where to begin? If you’re driving south from the Boston area (or points above) or east from Connecticut, and your travel dates happen to be September 26 and 27, catch the fun and festivities during the annual XOS Exchange Street Open Studios where more than 40 artists in three historic Pawtucket mills will open their workspaces to the public.

There’s plenty of parking, so you can leisurely stroll from studio to studio, experiencing an incredible variety of artworks just steps from each other. These mill buildings are beautifully renovated and worth exploring in and of themselves. Enjoy a lunch break at the nearby food trucks, serving up crepes, ice cream and authentic Vietnamese, before heading back to the studios or venturing 20 minutes further

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south on I-95 into Rhode Island’s capital city of Providence. Here, it’s best to craft a plan. As walkable as the city is, gallery-hopping through a few of its charming neighborhoods requires a car/taxi ride or two.

Located on North Main Street, Peter Miller Gallery is the only venue in Providence and Southern New England that is dedicated exclusively to fine art photography. Recently opened in March of this year, the gallery hosts exhibits and workshops for local photographers. The contemporary images inside create an interesting juxtaposition with the historic buildings of downtown Providence. Opening October 15, the gallery will show an exhibition of emerging and established photographers juried by Paula Tognarelli, executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography in

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Winchester, MA. Just down the road, behind a warm yellow storefront on South Main Street, is the spacious and well-lit Cate Charles Gallery. Run by lifelong art enthusiast Kimberly Charles, the gallery focuses on emerging and mid-career artists in contemporary American Realism and Abstraction. The white-walled, wood floor space offers paintings, sculpture and photography to both private and corporate collectors.

For Charles, the top priority is helping her customers develop a unique collection of art that speaks directly to them. On view through September 12 are Harriet Moore Ballard’s abstract representations of domestic space.

Providence College and its two art galleries are just a ten-minute drive from Cate Charles Gallery. Soak up the collegiate ambience of the

5:27 PM

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RHODE ISLAND sprawling red brick campus and catch a lecture by a professor or visiting artist. Free and open to the public, the galleries offer exhibits and programming with an emphasis on contemporary art and interdisciplinary cultural activity. From September 3–October 10 the HuntCavanagh Gallery is showing Many Cities, One Providence: Mexico City—Spectacular Vernacular, a group exhibition including José Arnaud-Bello, Pia Camil and Ramiro Chaves Three Wheel Studio on Wickenden Street is a necessary stop for ceramics lovers and collectors. Owner and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) grad Dwo Wen Chen was born in a little farming village in the southern part of Taiwan.

He says that his greatest childhood dream was to become a bohemian painter working on the streets of Paris. “It is to my greatest surprise

that I now find myself to be a studio potter living in New England. To this I owe a great deal to my RISD education,” he said. Now he sells his own colorful, one-of-a-kind pottery, made on-site, as well as work by other ceramicists, in his cheerful gallery.

Speaking of RISD, Providence is also home to world renowned art school Rhode Island School of Design, and its affiliated RISD Museum of Art. The museum’s collection is extraordinary, displaying an eclectic range from ancient Greek art to Warhol and Lichtenstein. This fall, the RISD Museum will become the first American museum to present a solo exhibition of the work of Scottish artist Martin Boyce. Martin Boyce: When Now is Night opens October 2 and showcases work drawn from throughout Boyce’s career, accompanied

by an illustrated book of scholarly essays and previously unpublished plans, drawings, sketches, and source materials. The museum’s location on the east side of Providence, near the Brown University and RISD campuses, allows you easy access to nearby Benefit Street, boasting meticulously preserved historic homes. While you’re there, pop into the Providence Athenaeum library at 251 Benefit, built in the 1830s.

Continuing the gallery hop, 150 Chestnut Street houses ArtProv Gallery on its third floor. Representing local, national and international artists, the gallery shows 25 innovative, contemporary artists. The exposed brick, olive green walls and careful lighting give the gallery a sophisticated air. Owners Michele Aucoin and Nick Paciorek welcome

IMAGO Foundation for the Arts

The Glass Station Hand-blown glass by Jennifer Nauck and Eben Horton

Serving artists and those interested in the arts for more than 12 years.

36 Market Street | Warren | RI imagofoundation4ar t.org

401 245 3348 |

www.theglassstationstudio.com 318 Main St Wakefield, RI 02879

youtube.com/imagofoundationforthearts

facebook.com/imagogallery

Receive 10% off of any purchase with this code ARTS71513

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RHODE ISLAND everyone to draw inspiration from their collection. Clothing Optional: A Figurative Show runs through September 25, offering a vast sample of depictions of the human figure from abstract and cubist paintings to detailed sculpture and pop art.

A short ten-minute drive from ArtProv brings you to Just Art Gallery, which sets itself apart by predominantly focusing on work by Italian artists. Their large and beautiful gallery at 60 Valley Street, just minutes from downtown Providence, provides the ideal environment for showcasing well-established artists and grand masters from Italy as well as emerging artists in contemporary art including painting, sculpture and photography. In their own words: “Our goal is to promote international talent and American contemporary artists.”

And what’s a beautiful work of art without a great frame? You’ll find a perfect one at Providence Picture Frame, which describes itself as “the biggest art and frame company in New England.” They also offer multiple galleries exhibiting art reproductions made with the highest standards of quality in print, archival inks and fine art materials. Providence Picture Frame employs a virtual art platform dedicated to the distribution of fine art in both original and printed medium. Their mission, since the 1800s, is to help others “create a beautiful environment through wall-art, based on an uncompromised service, product quality and art collections.“ From Providence, the Ocean State is your proverbial oyster. You can venture out to the islands or remain inland. An easy and lovely

150 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor Providence, RI | 401 641 5182

“AUTUMN EQUINOX”

See website for current shows

ArtProvidence.com

OPEN RECEPTION: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 5-8PM

WED-FRI 11am-2pm & by appointment

with light refreshments & live music

Member Gallery Night Providence

Featuring, in Main Gallery 437:

coastal option is to follow the West Bay Open Studios route during the weekend of October 24 and 25, which stretches from East Greenwich to Warwick, Exeter, North Kingstown and Saunderstown. Take a drive through some of the foliage-covered back roads to visit artists in their workspaces and learn about their individual processes. This self-guided tour, celebrating its seventh year, represents a wide range of media, from Mark Knapp’s beautifully crafted wood vases to Ken MacDonald’s agile metal sculptures to Nancy Nielsen’s fascinating photography.

While stopping in East Greenwich, don’t miss Heritage Art Gallery & Glass Studio on Post Road. The family-owned gallery and studio has been operated by the Benvies since 2011 and walking in feels like entering their home.

Providence College —Galleries —Hunt-Cavanagh Gallery at Hunt-Cavanagh Hall, —Reilly Gallery at the Smith Center for the Arts Providence, RI 02918 pcgalleries.providence.edu

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Ann Rozhon (oil & sculpture) and Jessica Wheeler (watercolor) Along with Sixteen Member Artists in Gallery 435 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10-FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 Gallery Hours: Thur & Sun 12:30-5pm; Fri & Sat 12:30-6pm Image credits: (above) Evening Walk, Ann Rozhon; (below) Autumn Collection, Jessica Wheeler

HOPE GALLERY

435/437 Hope St ∙ Bristol, RI www.hopegallerybristol.com 401-396-9117 ∙ trez88@aol.com

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RHODE ISLAND

Fall in Rhode Island. Photo: Nicholas Millard.

VISIT THE MUSEUM Devoted to the Art and Artists of Rhode Island

The gallery is organized like a living room, with grouped chairs to relax in, bookshelves full of art tomes and walls lined with paintings.

Freestanding glass plates, sculptures and jewelry bring rich color and light into the intimate

• Housed in the National Historic Landmark John N.A. Griswold House • Historic and Contemporary Exhibitions • Art Classes for Adults and Children

Dean Richardson, Joe DiMaggio at Bat, 1992, Oil on canvas

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space. Take a glass-fusing class, shop for original artwork or just chat with owner and artist Alice Benvie Gebhart. Please be sure to say hi to the shop dog Zuzu on your way out.

If you’re planning to hug the coastline this

YOUR ARTS DESTINATION Extraordinary Art Exhibits | Inspiring Concerts Award Winning Films | Dynamic Dance Unique Theatre | Engaging Camps & Classes

Winner of “Best Works

by Local Artists” 2015 above artwork by: Molly Hatch (left), Rebecca Siemering (right)

76 Bellevue Ave. newportartmuseum.org

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visit, head south from Providence on the East Bay, and you’ll find the nonprofit IMAGO Gallery in bustling Warren. Its founding members were eight artists from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, dedicated to showcasing

401.560.0979 | 18 Valley St. Jamestown, RI JAMESTOWNARTCENTER.ORG

three wheel studio 436 Wickenden Street Providence, RI

SHOP ONLINE www.threewheelstudio.com

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RHODE ISLAND the finest in painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, ceramics and sculpture. This fall’s Angles and Curves exhibition, opening Thursday, October 1, will showcase the work of featured members and visiting artists.

One town south is lovely, leafy Bristol, a beautiful seaside town, and home to Hope Gallery, voted best art gallery in the East Bay by readers of Rhode Island Monthly. Anita Trezvant’s, gallery owner/director, stewards Hope Gallery’s mission “to promote diversity, individuality and a distinctive scope of fine art and fine craft” via a range of changing exhibitions. This fall, look for the oil painting and watercolor show Autumn Equinox, opening Saturday, September 19.

On Route 77 in Tiverton, East truly inspires West at Silk Road Traders at Gallery 4 where you’ll wander amidst an extensive assortment of rugs and artifacts from the Near East.

Owner’s Elaine Hill and Alix Campbell are known for their vast collection of new and antique rugs, including tribal, traditional, and contemporary rugs of all different materials, designs and colors. Hill and Campbell travel to Istanbul each year collecting rugs and artifacts that comprise the merchandise of the gallery, which also includes hand-woven purses, Chinese antiques and unique handmade jewelry—all beautifully showcased.

And, of course, you’ve heard of Newport, home to the famous mansions of Bellevue Avenue where Vanderbilts dined with Astors who cocktailed over croquet with Morgans.

Newport is also a thriving artistic hub. A “must visit” is the Newport Art Museum, housed in the beautifully renovated, historic Griswold house, a significant architectural landmark itself, and one of the premier American Stick Style buildings. House tours are offered detailing the history behind the museum’s architecture and ownership. The collections display an extensive offering of 19th and 20th century American artists, as well as many native Newport impressionists. Through September 13, The Eternal Feminine features icons, sculptures and images exploring female symbolism in art history. After your tour, enjoy the crisp, fall air on the manicured lawns and admire the museum’s collection of outdoor sculptures.

In a state boasting such a large and extraordinary population of artists, Newport’s own Jemison Faust is a standout. Faust is an award-winning visual artist who often draws inspiration for her paintings and mixed media sculptures from her experiences as a personal organizer. In her own words, “During this journey through someone’s home, there is always a part of me making connections to my life as an artist and looking for ways to express visually what I see and feel in this rich and complicated world.” Visit with Jemison online at jemisonfaust.com.

Just across the bridge from Newport is the Jamestown Arts Center, the focal point of artistic life on the island of Jamestown. The Center offers exhibitions, workshops, rehearsal and performance space and interdisciplin-

Jemison Faust Newport, RI

ary art camps for all ages. During the month of September the Center will be exhibiting The Climate of North America, Work by Flying Shuttles Studio, featuring work by artists and weavers with developmental disabilities from the program at The Arc of Blackstone Valley.

Jamestown is as much a night-out destination as it is an educational center. Residents and visitors flock to the Center for concerts, dance performances and great theater. Enjoy the Heifetz on Tour classical concert on Saturday, October 24.

Forty minutes north of Jamestown on 1-95 is the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation where you can view the latest exhibit of 19 on Paper artists. Founded in 1986, 19 on Paper is a member-based group of artists whose primary medium is paper. Its artists cover a range of styles from Mary Dondero’s abstract ink landscapes and Paul Murray’s portrait photographs to Grace Bentley-Scheck’s architectural collagraphs. The organization also hosts regular workshops and group critiques. All from Rhode Island, the 19 on Paper artists are inspired by the world around them; their vivid artworks acting as a window into the heart and soul of this seaside state.

Alternatively, you can head south to Wakefield. While driving down Main Street you might notice a mint-green, art deco style, renovated station with the witty sign Glass Station. This is the workshop of master glass artisans Eben Horton and Jennifer Nauck. The Glass Studio is where the glass collector will

Building leadership, participation, and education in the arts for all Rhode Islanders.

www.jemisonfaust.com

Harry Nadler UNTITLED oil on canvas 1959 (detail)

fine art • oriental rugs • home decor from the near and far east at

Jemison Faust, The Before Part of What I Do #17, mixed media, 30 x 40"

3848 Main Road, Tiverton Four Corners, RI 401-816-0999 • silkroadgallery4.com

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Visit www.arts.ri.gov to learn about opportunities for Rhode Island artists and arts events statewide.

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RHODE ISLAND discover hand-blown glass and sculpture or can commission a one of a kind glass creation.

In addition to The Glass Station, Horton and Nauck’s work can be found all over the U.S. in galleries and shops. While visiting the Rhode Island location, you can shop their array of cups, vases and decorations, or take a class with the masters in glass blowing or glass fusing. Register in advance; Horton and Nauck’s workshops fill up quickly.

The arts community can certainly be found in every nook of Rhode Island, including the quiet southern part of the state. Here, in the West Bay area’s South Kingstown, you’ll find Hera Gallery located in yet another former mill building. Their own words tell their story best: “Established in 1974, Hera Gallery promotes a

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professional artistic presence for emerging and established artists who are dedicated to their creative practice [and as] a non-profit artist-run arts organization has continued to stimulate discussion and challenge perceptions for 40 years.” Look for the national juried exhibition Geometry, on view September 12 through October 10.

Twelve minutes further south down RI-1A, the Charlestown Art Gallery showcases fine contemporary American art. The prestigious gallery specializes in regional painting, sculpture and photography. Owners Renee O’Gara and Dave Gilly Gilstein have had long careers as photographers and painters and strive to bring similar success to their artists. Most important to O’Gara and Gilstein is making art

accessible to the public. They foster a personal connection between their visitors and their artwork. One of Charlestown Gallery’s artists, Jennifer Knaus, appeared on the cover of Art New England’s July/August issue with her oil on panel piece, Burgeoning.

Now that you’ve walked, dined, gallery hopped and museumed your way through Rhode Island—purchased your art tax-free and shipped it home —you’ve undoubtedly discovered (or re-discovered) what a pleasure it is to unwrap the “small package” that is Rhode Island. Sophisticated, fun and extraordinarily friendly, Rhode Island’s new boutique hotels, revitalized nightlife and world-class academic institutions round out an exciting fall getaway.

Ocean views and foliage? Spectacular!

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