Inside Art with Michael Rose - Central Contemporary Arts Premiers in Providence

Inside Art with Michael Rose - Central Contemporary Arts Premiers in Providence

 

New cultural producers are welcome additions to the Rhode Island art scene, bringing with them fresh vitality and novel ways of seeing. In its premier public exhibition, Providence’s newest art organization, Central Contemporary Arts, will bring images by artist Andrew Moon Bain to billboards dotted across the capital city. The exhibition, titled AD SPACE, will run June 6 - July 3, and will make visuals by Bain accessible to a wide range of viewers in a variety of locations.

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AD SPACE is the first exhibition produced by Central Contemporary Arts (CCA), and it is an ambitious foray into artistic programming. Thirteen billboards located throughout Providence will host Bain’s artwork for a month, acting both as a celebration of a talented artist with local ties as well as the launch of a much-needed new venue for artists.

 

 

Andrew Moon Bain grew up in Seattle and earned his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. In addition to being a multi-talented visual artist, Bain is also well known for his accomplishments in the world of music. The work Bain has contributed to CCA’s first public project utilizes imagery that appears frequently in his oeuvre. Touching on themes like home and community, the artworks will undoubtedly be inspirational to the thousands of individuals who will pass by them daily. AD SPACE was curated by Jonny Skye, who has worked with Bain extensively. Enlivening everyday life and the cityscape through this project is a promising start for Central Contemporary Arts.

 

Founded in 2021, Central Contemporary Arts is the brainchild of emerging curator and arts administrator Natalie Cohen. Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, Cohen graduated from Harvard in 2020 with a degree in Comparative Literature as well as History of Art and Architecture. From September 2020 through August of 2021, she served as the Emily K. Rafferty Intern in Museum Administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Locally, she has held positions with Rhode Island Latino Arts and CityArts for Youth.

 

 

When asked what she hopes audiences take away from experiencing Bain’s work through this series of billboards, Cohen states, “I hope Bain's work encourages audiences to talk about how culture impacts their own communities. The artworks are placed in varied neighborhood contexts but exist in an interconnected web across Providence. Audiences will have the chance to reconsider how art--and billboard advertising--exists in their own communities, while the exhibition's continuity unites the city. Bain has a unique ability to use art to communicate and complicate conversations around identity, social, and environmental justice, and I hope audiences around Providence will see his work as a call to reflect upon their own ideals.”

 

In the lead-up to Central Contemporary Arts’ AD SPACE exhibition, Cohen has also been actively planning and fundraising to lay the groundwork for a dedicated new exhibition space in the heart of Providence. Slated to host its first shows later this summer, the 3,000-square-foot venue will be located on Rice Street. A call for art on Central Contemporary Arts’ website asks local creatives to propose pop-up events and exhibitions this summer prior to the organization’s official opening in the fall.

 

Speaking of what she hopes the organization will contribute to the local arts scene, Cohen says, “CCA hopes to fill a need in the Rhode Island arts space. While our community is rich in arts education and artists alike, we do not always find space to celebrate the work of emerging artists. We hope to elevate and showcase the work of responsive, innovative contemporary artists in a setting welcoming to the community at large. We aim to invite audiences young and old to appreciate the power of the arts.”

 

 

AD SPACE promises to be a worthy premier show for an exciting new organization like Central Contemporary Arts, but it is only with the engagement and support from the community that such a venture can thrive.

 

When asked how Rhode Island’s art enthusiasts can assist this nascent organization, Cohen replies, “Arts advocates can best support CCA by attending our events and exhibitions and sharing our work with their own communities. The more we can engage with a broader, vibrant community of artists, arts activists, and the viewers, the more effective our mission becomes. This organization is centered on the arts, but also the people behind the arts - both makers and audience members. Our goal is to become an epicenter of cultural conversation. That can only happen when we continue to talk about emerging arts organizations and their collaboration within Greater Providence.”

 

To learn more about Central Contemporary Arts and to find a virtual map where all of Andrew Moon Bain’s billboard installations can be found, go to www.centralcontemporaryarts.org. Bain’s work will be on view through July 3.