NEW: Art Openings + Closings This Weekend

NEW: Art Openings + Closings This Weekend

For art enthusiasts, every week certain decisions look like, “How far am I willing to drive?” or “How am I going to fit all these events into one evening?” Some people are more decisive and may just attend the most popular art opening of the week, though others, like myself, will try to fit it all in to not miss anything.  After all, there is always plenty to see, but this week is especially busy. Here is a sneak peek into my art geek’s schedule for the long weekend.

Thursday

Thursday night from 7-10 pm at the Keeseh Studio, Creatives and Cocktails will take place for the thirteenth time. This networking event is a great pit stop after work to meet new peers and socialize with colleagues.  In addition to the shoulder rubbing, the new Vicinity exhibition opens at the studio. This non-juried show will feature 40 to 50 works representing various mediums by a wide range of RISD alums.  A committee from the Rhode Island RISD Alumni Chapter curated the inaugural exhibition for the alumni chapter.  Asher Dunn and Matt Grigsby, RISD alums and the minds behind Keeseh Studios, always planned to use a portion of the Keeseh space for exhibition, but the actual exhibition square footage is not very large, so it will be interesting to see how different artistic mediums will work in this space.  This will be the first public exhibition held in the studio since it opened this summer. Keeseh Studio, 42 Rice St, Providence.

Friday

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Depending on where you live in Rhode Island will depend on how you navigate Friday's evening events.  I tend to start far and work my way back home.  First up is the opening at Candita Clayton Studio from 6-9 pm.  She will be showing work by the artists featured in this year’s NetWorks project produced by Dr. Joe Chazan.  The series of thirteen video portraits will also be airing this weekend on Rhode Island’s PBS station, channel 36, Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 11 pm. Candita Clayton Studio at Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main Street, Unit 105, Pawtucket.

Next stop is West Side Arts on 745 Westminster for the closing reception of the Owls to Athens: INDEPENDENTS show curated by Joe Skorupa from 7-10.  The show combines low and high art and features several works that will cease to exist after the show closes.  This collection of artists is not to be over looked on this busy evening.  There is something about this exhibition that feels like this is beginning of a new generation of artists who represent a style that is so classically Providence. Also, this will be the final gallery show for West Side Arts as Travis Mullin and Jyll Ethier-Mullin go into hibernation for the next several months. West Side Arts, 745 Westminster St, Providence.

Saturday

On Saturday night starting at 7 pm is the opening of a new exhibit at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, Ghost Town Studio presents: Dollar and Dream Art Exhibition.  The show will feature the work of William Schaff, Ty Paulhus, Peter Cardoso, Johnathan Wiseheart, Alexander Carlisle, and Darren Johnson.  These five artists will be showing and selling new work that may strongly reflect their day jobs since some of these five support themselves as tattoo artists, others as designers and screen printers.  This exhibit is the perfect bookend to the INDEPENDENTS show because while the work itself is very different, both shows convey feeling that this kind of art cannot be contained.  While there is no simple ocean horizon line and lighthouse, it is arguable that the unique nature in this work is just as representative of Rhode Island as a painting of a boat. Machines with Magnets, 400 Main St, Pawtucket.

Maybe not everything is your cup of tea, but with so many artists living and working in Rhode Island, there is always something for everyone, you just have to find a way to fit it all into your schedule. Regardless of where your tastes lie, at some point all art enthusiasts’ schedules overlap, so perhaps I’ll run into you this weekend. 

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