3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Local puppeteer Dan Butterworth brings his marionettes to The RISD
Museum. Dan and his intricately hand-carved puppets have performed in
movies, operas, classical music festivals, and on TV specials, and his troupe
has performed in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Sponsored by The
Art League of Rhode Island in conjunction with The Art of Excellence exhibition.
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Artist, designer, independent curator, and former “first lady of RISD” Gayle
Mandle (RISD MFA ’97) returns to Providence from Qatar to discuss life and
art in her new home. Sponsored by The Art League of Rhode Island.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Jan Howard, Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, discusses Linda Connor's (RISD BFA '67) photographic concerns and process.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Join Tom Sgouros (RISD BFA ’50) and other artists featured in the exhibition
as they discuss their work.
Music and refreshments in the Main Gallery: K.C. Moaners, folk and
blues musicians, 6:30 – 8 pm
6:30 PM - 8:10 PM
Filmmaker Peter Greenaway’s documentary brings art to life by meticulously
examining Rembrandt’s group portrait Night Watch, searching for clues to
a murder and the motives of the characters depicted. Greenaway weaves
in the social history of 17th-century Amsterdam as he unravels secret
messages and a conspiracy that involves everyone in the painting
(2008/100 min./not rated).
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Programs
6-8pm - Drop-In Figure Drawing - Main Gallery
Sketch from a live model in the gallery. Receive one-on-one instruction from a professional artist/educator. Materials are provided; no experience is necessary.
6:30-8pm - Music + Refreshments - Main Gallery
Bluegrass band, K.C. Moaners perform.
6:30-8:10pm Screening: Rembrandt J’accuse
Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center
Filmmaker Peter Greenaway's essayistic documentary brings art to life by meticulously examining Rembrandt's group portrait Night Watch, searching for clues to murder and the motives of the 34 characters depicted. Greenaway weaves in the social history of the 17th-century city as he unravels secret messages never noticed before and a conspiracy that involves everyone in the painting (2008/100 minutes/not rated).
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
A major figure in American art since the 1970s, Pat Steir has created some of the most ambitious and challenging drawings of the late 20th century. Organized by RISD Jan Howard and independent curator Susan Harris, Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line presents forty years of Steir's work in a survey that focuses on the artist's exploration of the vocabulary of drawing.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
This artist-designed installation of 76 photographs presents more than 30 years of work created as by Linda Connor (BFA 1967), who traveled the world in search of sacred spaces.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
This group, founded in 2003, has sung with many adult choruses in the
region and is featured on Bill Harley’s children’s album I Wanna Play,
nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
The Hive Archive presents Body Language, a RISD Museum family workshop inspired by the current exhibition, The Figure: Contemporary Works from the Collection. Join artists from The Hive Archive for an interactive drawing installation for all ages, 1pm-4pm. (Last Saturdays are free and open to the public, 10am-5pm.)
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
All galleries open until 9pm! Free admission! All programs are free!
Take gallery exploration into your own hands. Enjoy live music with wine at our cash bar. Exercise your artistic potential with optional coaching. Watch award-winning, independent documentaries focused on art and culture.
5:30pm Gallery Talk, Upper Farago, 6th Floor
Alice Neel’s intimate portraits of friends, family, poets and artists are known for their expressionistic use of line and color and emotional intensity. In 1967 Nancy Selvage sat for the artist and reflects on the experience 43 years later in front of Neel’s portrait of her.
6-8pm Drop-in Art Lesson, Radeke Garden
Watercolor by the fountain in the garden! Receive one-on-one instruction from a professional artist/educator. Materials are provided; no experience is necessary.
6:30-8pm Screening: Alice Neel, Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium
Director Andrew Neel looks at the life and work of his grandmother, Alice Neel (1900-1984), one of the 20th century’s best portrait artists. This intimate documentary uses interviews, photos and art to detail her struggles as a woman artist, single mother, and painter who defied convention. The enigmatic Alice sparked a revival of the genre by producing portraits that unmasked her subjects, who included Andy Warhol, poet Allen Ginsberg and other notables. (USA/2008/81 min./not rated). Co-sponsored by Cable Car Cinema.
6:30-8pm Music in the Radeke Garden
12:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Contemporary drawings and prints can function as key components of an artist’s practice, and in recent years works on paper have come to challenge the primacy of painting and sculpture. This selection, intended to complement the exhibition Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line, features recent works by Shahzia Sikander, Julie Mehretu, Kiki Smith, Sol LeWitt, and others for whom the act and process of drawing plays a key role in the creation or rejection of meaning.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Rapid Gestures: Waterfalls in British Romantic Art showcases the variety of materials, colors, lines and brushstrokes artists used to portray these boisterous features of the natural world. Drawn from the Museum's rich collection of 18th-and 19th- century British watercolors and sketches, this exhibition offers the rare opportunity to compare works by J.M.W. Turner, including his magnificent Dazio Grande (1843), with depictions by contemporaries such as John Ruskin, John Constable, Edward Lear, and John Robert Cozens.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
A major figure in American art since the 1970s, Pat Steir has created some of the most ambitious and challenging drawings of the late 20th century. Organized by RISD Jan Howard and independent curator Susan Harris, Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line presents forty years of Steir's work in a survey that focuses on the artist's exploration of the vocabulary of drawing. The exhibition begins with a recreation of her wall drawing Self-Portrait: An Installation, first created for the New Museum in New York (1987). In the 4,000 square-foot gallery of the Museum, drawings on paper, dramatically varied in scale, are presented and set in relationship to her paintings and prints. Her piece from 1985,Untitled (Long Wave Drawing), measuring at 5 x 15' (collection of the Museum of Modern Art), is a prime example of how Steir challenges the notion of drawing, both in scale and in ambition.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
During the heady years of the 1970s and ’80s, the New York City art
scene was abuzz with a new spirit, and photographer Robert Map-
plethorpe and curator-collector Sam Wagstaff were at the center of it.
In this documentary, punk poetess Patti Smith reflects on the
relationship all three shared and the fertile artistic environment that
resulted (not rated, but for mature audiences). Co-sponsored by
Cable Car Cinema and Café.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
All galleries open until 9pm! Free admission! All programs are free!
Take gallery exploration into your own hands. Enjoy live music with wine at our cash bar. Exercise your artistic potential with optional coaching. Watch award-winning, independent documentaries focused on art and culture.
6-8pm Drop-in Art Lesson, Upper Farago, 6th Floor
Draw from a live model in the exhibit, The Figure, while receiving one-on-one instruction from a professional artist/educator. Materials are provided; no experience is necessary.
6:30-7:45pm Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe, Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium
During the heady years of the 1970s and 80s, the New York City art scene was abuzz with a new spirit, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and curator-collector Sam Wagstaff were at the center of it. In this documentary, punk poetess Patti Smith reflects on the relationship all three shared and the fertile artistic environment that resulted. (USA/2007/76min./not rated, but for mature audiences) Co-sponsored by Cable Car Cinema.
6:30-8pm Music in the Main Gallery – Debra Mann on piano
7-7:30pm Art Shots From Converted Barns to Museum Galleries: Experimentation and Development in 20th-Century Art
These engaging gallery talks focus on individual works of art from the perspective of student artists and art historians. This discussion is led by Brown University student Montana Blanco. Meet in the Chace Center lobby.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Artists and designers delve into The RISD Museum’s costume and textile storage to mine historical references and exemplary craftsmanship. Held in conjunction with the exhibitions Queen of the Insects and Designing Tradition, this series explores how work of the past generates new work.
RISD alumni Anna Gitelson-Kahn (MFA 2009) and Joe Segal (MFA 2009) reflect on their use of historic textiles from the Museum’s collection to create new work.
Fee: $15 per lecture, non-members; FREE to museum members + members of the RISD and Brown communities with ID. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Enjoy a chamber music concert by the Providence String Quartet,
quartet-in-residence for Community MusicWorks, joined by the CMW
Fellows Quartet and internationally renowned violist Kim Kashkashian.
The program will include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Bela Bartok,
and Johannes Brahms. Admission is $25, members; $35, non-members;
Community MusicWorks benefactor admission, $50 (includes preferred
seating). Reservations recommended. For information or to purchase
tickets, call Community MusicWorks 401 861-5650.
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The RISD Museum and the Northeastern Region of the Costume Society
of America present this one-day symposium The Museum Unbuttoned:
Costume and Textile Collections in the 21st Century. The day’s program will
focus on the changing role of fashion and textile collections in the new
millennium, how objects are displayed and studied, and how museums
are working to keep historic garments and textiles relevant and dynamic
for contemporary audiences.
Preregistration is required. Cost is $55 per person before April 25 and $60 after April 25. Fee includes all sessions and lunch.
For registration information, contact Jessica Urick at jurick@newportmansions.org.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
This month, the local favorite and nationally-known Slippery Sneakers
band brings its upbeat Zydeco sound to the Main Gallery. Enter through
the Chace Center at 20 North Main Street. Admission is $5, members;
$8, non-members. Attendees must be 21 or over.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Curating Contemporary Art: Perspectives on Practice
Debra Singer, Executive Director and Chief Curator, The Kitchen
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Culture and Media and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the Graduate Studies Division at RISD, and The RISD Museum.
Free and open to the public.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Always fashionable, the butterfly motif has adorned a wide variety of objects, from porcelain and prints to jewelry and textiles. Objects from the Museum's costume and textiles collections- including a luminous 19th-century Chinese hand-painted summer robe, a ca. 1905 embroidered silk gown from the famed Japanese retailer Lida Takashimaya, and a gossamer 1970s printed chiffon dress designed by Hanae Mori- serve to illustrate the universal impulse to capture the fleeting art of the butterfly. Juxtaposed with its usage in Western design, the traditional symbolism of the butterfly in Asian art will be explored and decoded as a design inspiration and as a material in itself.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Curating Contemporary Art: Perspectives on Practice
Helen Molesworth, Chief Curator, ICA Boston
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Culture and Media and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the Graduate Studies Division at RISD, and The RISD Museum.
Next, and final date, is May 11. Free and open to the public.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
A major figure in American art since the 1970s, Pat Steir has created some of the most ambitious and challenging drawings of the late 20th century. Organized by RISD Jan Howard and independent curator Susan Harris, Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line presents forty years of Steir's work in a survey that focuses on the artist's exploration of the vocabulary of drawing. The exhibition begins with a recreation of her wall drawing Self-Portrait: An Installation, first created for the New Museum in New York (1987). In the 4,000 square-foot gallery of the Museum, drawings on paper, dramatically varied in scale, are presented and set in relationship to her paintings and prints. Her piece from 1985,Untitled (Long Wave Drawing), measuring at 5 x 15' (collection of the Museum of Modern Art), is a prime example of how Steir challenges the notion of drawing, both in scale and in ambition.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Join the Museum Associates for a fun, circus-themed evening!
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Pam Kimel
at 401 454-6505 or pkimel@risd.edu.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Curating Contemporary Art: Perspectives on Practice
Dara Greenwald, Artist and Independent Curator
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Culture and Media and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the Graduate Studies Division at RISD, and The RISD Museum.
Other dates May 4 and May 11. Free and open to the public.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Poet Anne Waldman, described in the New York Times as “the fastest, wisest woman to run with the wolves in some time,” will read from her poems related to the work of Pat Steir and other visual artists. Waldman is poet, professor, performer, cultural activist, and the author of more than 40 books and small-press editions of poetry and poetics. With Allen Ginsberg, she co-founded of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. Co-sponsored by the RISD English department and the Division of Liberal Arts.
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Big Draw at The RISD Museum is a celebration of drawing for all. Bring your imagination and come make your mark!
Join us for engaging drawing activities on the walls, in the galleries, and beyond. Let your drawing come out of the box. After making your mark in the museum, experience a collaborative performance by the youth dance troupe JUMP! and Lynne Harlow, explore the litany of lines in Pat Steir’s work or draw from puffer fish and ferns in the RISD Nature Lab.
11-4pm
Drawing on the Walls - Who says you can’t draw on the walls? Join us for drawing exercises that explore the physical space around you.
Take it to the Floor - Let the museum be your muse. Explore the galleries through the eyes of an artist and make your own response to the lines, dots, and dashes that bring a work of art to life.
Be a naturalist - Drawing from models helps artists develop their eye for observation and detail. At the RISD Nature Lab, our models range from furry and winged, to the poisonous and slimy.
Drawing Exchange - Visit the RISD Museum Drawing Exchange booth at the student sale on Benefit street and take home a work of art in exchange for a drawing made by you.
2pm
Visual artist Lynne Harlow and JUMP! Dance Company will present Postscript, a performance exploring the intersection of drawing and dance.
1 + 3pm
Drawing out of Line - Join us for an introduction to the exhibition Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line and explore how the artist challenges the notion of drawing in scale and ambition.
Food and refreshments provided throughout the day by Tim Hortons.
Support for The Big Draw is provided in part by the Providence Tourism Council and Tim Hortons.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Walter Denny, professor of Art History at the University of Massachu-
setts at Amherst and a renowned expert in the art and architecture of
the Islamic world, will speak on the European fascination with the style,
technique and imagery of Ottoman ceramics. This lecture is presented
by the Pottery and Porcelain Club.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Curating Contemporary Art: Perspectives on Practice
Ana Paula Cohen, Adjunct curator of the 28th Bienal de São Paulo
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Culture and Media and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the Graduate Studies Division at RISD, and The RISD Museum.
Other dates April 27, May 4, and May 11. Free and open to the public.
3:00 PM - 4:45 PM
What happens when artists meet at the margins of their disciplines and push the boundaries back and forth? In this performance presented by Aurea Ensemble, the work of Pat Steir, Paul Cézanne, and August Rodin are drawn together through their association with the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke. This performance, of a string quartet, harmonica and reader set to texts of Rilke, features the world premiere of a composition by Bill Barclay, composer in residence of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass. Be sure to arrive a bit early, pick up a program and look at related works in the galleries.
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Music students from Brown University present a program of classical music in the Main Gallery at The RISD Museum. Free with museum admission.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Carey Young (British-American, b. 1970) explores current political, social and ethical issues by focusing on increased commercialization in both personal and public domains. Inspired by historical conceptual art movements and institutional critique strategies, this London-based artist investigates legal and corporate cultures, and appropriates their language in order to reveal their influence on our daily lives, as well as the art world. Commonly made through consultation and participation with various legal, sociological and corporate experts, Young's multidisciplinary works - videos, photography and installations - often depict the artist herself, and/or require the viewer's interaction. This exhibition features a selection of the artist's videos and works in other media, as well as her vinyl wall installation Declared Void (2005), recently acquired by the Museum.
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Music Students from Brown University present a program of classical music in the Main Gallery at The RISD Museum. Free with museum admission.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Brown University’s Megan Boomer and RISD’s Marlene Frontera
(BFA ’10) lead a lively gallery talk about portraits from the perspective
of student artists and art historians. Meet in the Chace Center Lobby.
For more information, visit www.gallerynight.info.
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
An official selection for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, this documen-
tary reveals some of the most influential advertising campaigns and
creators of our time – people responsible for “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,”
“Got Milk,” and “Think Different,” who have profoundly impacted our
culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. (USA/86min./Not rate) Co-sponsored
by Cable Car Cinema and Café.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Looking at watercolors and drawings by J.M.W. Turner, John Constable
and their contemporaries, Crawford Alexander Mann III, the Museum’s
Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, discusses the importance of
waterfalls within British Romantic landscape painting.
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Balzac and Manet, Byron and Delacroix, Thackeray and Firth. Make connections between great novels and stunning paintings in this 3 session, monthly gallery book group. Dates: April 15, May 20, + June 17. To prepare for each monthly session, participants read an assigned text and then explore the intersections of novels and paintings in lively discussions led by retired Brown professor Rhoda Flaxman. We will discuss not only similarities and differences in content (what is being depicted), but also in form (how it is being expressed). Members, $120; Non-members, $200; Fee does not include books. Space is limited, pre-registration is required. Contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Take gallery exploration into your own hands. Enjoy live music with wine
at our cash bar. Exercise your artistic potential with optional coaching.
Watch award-winning, independent documentaries and shorts focused
on art and culture.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Artists and designers delve into The RISD Museum’s costume and textile storage to mine historical references and exemplary craftsmanship. Held in conjunction with the exhibitions Queen of the Insects and Designing Tradition, this series explores how work of the past generates new work.
Desiree Koslin, artist, medieval textile scholar, and former director of the Center for Excellence and the Teaching Institute at the Fashion Institute of Technology, introduces her deductive approach to analyzing historic textiles in the Museum’s collection.
Next date - May 18, 1pm RISD alumni Anna Gitelson-Kahn (MFA 2009) and Joe Segal (MFA 2009) reflect on their use of historic textiles from the Museum’s collection to create new work.
Fee: $15 per lecture, non-members; FREE to museum members + members of the RISD and Brown communities with ID. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Begin by viewing selected 18th-century prints from the Museum’s
collection with professor of Printmaking Andrew Raftery. Then listen
to the Boston Museum Trio playing great chamber works—from Bach
to Tartini, Marais to Scarlatti. Daniel Stepner on baroque violin; Laura
Jeppesen on viola de gamba; and John Gibbons on harpsichord.
For ticket information, visit www.museumconcerts.org.
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Lively gallery talks focus on individual works of art from the perspective
of student artists and art historians. This discussion is led by Brown
University students Reina Shibata and Montana Blanco. Meet in the
Chace Center Lobby.
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Drawing from an actual work of art can deepen one’s engagement with it. The exhibition Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line provides participants in this session a unique opportunity to discover how certain effects were achieved, then experiment with their own interpretations. Co-sponsored by RISD Continuing Education. Space limited; pre-registration required; fee $100, Museum members receive a 10% discount; to register, go to www.risd.edu/conted.cfm.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
This month the Chelsy Lau Band performs their unique blend of rock,
blues, soul and funk, featuring a mix of original songs and covers.
Chelsy Lau was voted “Best Female Vocalist” in the Providence Phoenix’s
2009 Best Music Poll. Enter through the Chace Center at 20 North Main
Street. Admission is $5 for members, $10 for non members. Attendees
must be 21 or over.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Siebren Versteeg (American, b. 1971) uses online mass media and commercial databases to investigate our media-saturated world in which the real and the virtual have become intertwined. Versteeg’s works employ computer programs that automatically connect to the Internet, browse different types of images, and bring them to monitors in a gallery space. This infinite flow of images, which creates a loose narrative, is a pseudo-random selection: the computer program chooses the images, but according to the artist’s instructions. This automatic process recalls everyday internet browsing and sometimes brings strange results. Some of Versteeg’s works are inspired by seminal art works that commented on social and political issues of their own time, such as Jasper Johns’s Flag series of paintings dating from the late 1950s and Vito Acconci’s video The Red Tapes (1976). The exhibition includes Versteeg’s Boom (Fresher Acconci), 2007, recently acquired for the Museum’s collection.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
A major figure in American art since the 1970s, Pat Steir has created some of the most ambitious and challenging drawings of the late 20th century. Organized by RISD Jan Howard and independent curator Susan Harris, Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line presents forty years of Steir's work in a survey that focuses on the artist's exploration of the vocabulary of drawing. The exhibition begins with a recreation of her wall drawing Self-Portrait: An Installation, first created for the New Museum in New York (1987). In the 4,000 square-foot gallery of the Museum, drawings on paper, dramatically varied in scale, are presented and set in relationship to her paintings and prints. Her piece from 1985,Untitled (Long Wave Drawing), measuring at 5 x 15' (collection of the Museum of Modern Art), is a prime example of how Steir challenges the notion of drawing, both in scale and in ambition.
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
RISD Museum’s Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Jan Howard and Aurea founding members Consuelo Sherba, Chuck Sherba, and Nigel Gore in a conversation about Rilke as muse and mixing art forms at the Providence Athenaeum.
Jan Howard’s exhibition (organized with independent curator Susan Harris), Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line, is a 40-year survey focusing on Steir’s exploration of the vocabulary of drawing. Reflecting on Rilke, Part II, is Aurea’s meditation through music, prose, and poetry, on the work of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whom Pat Steir has cited as one inspiration for her work. Join us for a conversation about how artists are inspired by work in media outside their own, and how they bring those influences and inspirations to their own art. Free and open to the public! Sponsor: risdworks, risdworks.com
Reflecting on Rilke, Part 1 will be presented, also free of charge, at Brown University’s Grant Recital Hall, on Monday, April 12. On Sunday, April 18, at 3pm, Aurea will present Reflecting on Rilke, Part II at The RISD Museum. More on Aurea: aureaensemble.org and the Providence Athenaeum - providenceathenaeum.org.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Avish Khebrehzadeh's (Iranian, b. 1969) hand-drawn animations and large-scale drawings are praised for their poetic sensibility and dreamy, timeless atmosphere achieved through the most economical means. Their usual motifs—human figures performing simple activities, iconic animals, and excerpts of nature against neutral backgrounds—are made of elemental shapes which are softly drawn with just a pencil, olive oil, and resin. The artist's inspiration stems from childhood memories, everyday life, literature, and art history. The contemplative and somewhat mysterious nature of Khebrehzadeh’s work allows for a variety of readings and invites the viewer's participation though his/ her own imagination. Along with the selection of Khebrehzadeh's single channel videos, the exhibition will include Backyard (2005-06), a large-scale video projection on a three panel drawing from the Museum collection.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Most of the objects that we use in our daily lives have been designed by someone. Many we take for granted. In this session, we explore revolutionary objects that have changed the way we interact with the world around us. Come be an inventor and designer!
Free-for-all Saturdays: Gallery explorations, hands-on art workshops, performances, and film screenings offer engaging ways for children and adults to discover art and design in RISD Museum’s collection and special exhibitions. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Held the last Saturday of the month, free all day.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
As a child living in England, Myrna Schkolne was first introduced to ceramic collectibles at the Portobello Road market, and a hobby became a lifelong passion. In 2006 she published People, Pastimes, Passions and Pleasures: Staffordshire Figures 1810–1835. This lecture is presented by the Pottery and Porcelain Club.
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
On the occasion of the exhibition Carey Young: Uncertain Contracts, chief curator of Creative Time, Nato Thompson presents highlights of his curatorial work, followed by responses from and conversation with RISD's dean of graduate studies, Patricia Phillips, and Abigail Satinksy, John Nicholas Brown Center public humanities fellow and founding member of InCUBATE. Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Culture and Media and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Brown University, the Graduate Studies Division at RISD, and The RISD Museum.
Free to RISD and Brown communities and RISD Museum members with ID. Free with museum admission.
Creative Time is a nonprofit organization that commissions and presents public art projects of all disciplines. InCUBATE is a research institute and artist residency program dedicated to exploring new approaches to arts administration and arts funding.
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
These engaging 30-minute gallery talks focus on individual works of art from the perspective of student artists and art historians. This discussion is led by Brown University student Megan Boomer and RISD’s Marlene Frontera (BFA 2010). Meet in the Chace Center lobby.
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Come and enjoy live music in the Main Gallery at the RISD Museum. Part of the Gallery Night festivities.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
At the Museum, join a conversation with a curator and artist. Take gallery exploration into your own hands. Enjoy live music with wine at our cash bar.
Exercise your artistic potential with optional coaching from 6-8pm with art educator, Paul Carpentier. This month, join him in the exhibit, Queen of the Insects: The Art of the Butterfly, in the Asian Textile Gallery, 6th Floor. Paul has an amazing lesson planned, or you can simply sketch on your own - all materials provided, no experience necessary.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Remarks at 7:30pm, gather in the Chace gallery, 3rd floor
Celebrate the winning installations by Lee Johnson and Benjamin Peterson (both MFA 2011) and Celeste Wilson (BFA 2010) for the annual Sitings competition juried by Spencer Finch (MFA 1989). Students were invited to respond to the Museum’s architectural idiosyncracies, collections, and the habits of its visitation. Light refreshments + music in the Main Gallery, 6-8pm.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
We invite members to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to enrich your Museum experience! Enjoy an afternoon reception followed by a brief tour of key objects with one of our renowned curators. This event is open to all Museum members. For more information, please contact Kristen Powich at 401 454-6321.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Listen to the Occidental Gypsy Jazz Quartet swing their gypsy sound to music by masters of the style, including Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. View the special exhibition Pat Steir: Drawing out of Line and enjoy music, refreshments, and a cash bar in the Main Gallery. Enter through the Chace Center. Admission is $10, non-members; $5, members. Attendees must be over 21.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The human figure, one of the oldest motifs in the history of art, seems to be an inexhaustable source of inspiration for contemporary artists. The theme is presented here in a range of mediums and approaches, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, video, and needlework. Some artists represented in the exhibition use themselves as subject matter while others work with live models, photographs, or personal memory as a starting point. The selection of objects includes a number of recent acquisitions that are being exhibited at the museum for the first time, including works by Tom Friedman, Tracey Emin, Keith Coventry, Judy Glantzman, Ryan Trecartin/Lizzie Fitch, Allison Newsome, and Grayson Perry, among others.
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Pat Steir and Julie Mehretu (RISD MFA 1997) will discuss how drawing became the basis of their work in all media. Susan Harris, co-curator for Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line, will then moderate a conversation on the view of drawing during the period when each of the artists came to prominence, with a special focus on issues specific to women artists of their respective generations. Co-sponsored by the Painting departments at Brown University and RISD and the Foundation Studies Division at RISD. Fee: $5 Museum members; $10, non-members. Advance tickets can be purchased by contacting Visitor Services 401.709.8402.
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Independent curator Susan Harris and RISD Museum Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Jan Howard discuss the exhibition in the galleries.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Artists and designers delve into The RISD Museum’s costume and textile storage to mine historical references and exemplary craftsmanship. Held in conjunction with the exhibitions Queen of the Insects and Designing Tradition, this series explores how work of the past generates new work. Master dyer Joan Morris merges painting, printing, gilding, and shaped-resist dyeing in her work, while artist Jane Masters uses traditional embroidery and wallpaper patterns as her inspiration. Fee: $15 per lecture, non-members ($35 for the 3-lecture series); free to members. Other dates for the series are April 13 + May 18. For more information or to register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Diverse photographic processes from the latter half of the 20th century capture the poetics and politics of the human figure. Brown University’s Mazie Harris and RISD’s Isaac Wingfield (MFA 2010), student curators of this exhibit, discuss varied conceptual and technical strategies used by the artists as well as their perspectives on artists and historians working with museum collections. Meet in Chace Center lobby.
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Pat Steir joins in conversation with Kathan Brown, founding director of San Francisco’s Crown Point Press, one of the most prestigious print shops in the country. Steir has made prints at Crown Point since 1977, giving Brown incomparable insight into Steir’s working process. RISD Museum curator Jan Howard moderates this discussion about how prints took on the role of drawings for Steir. Co-sponsored by RISD’s Printmaking Department.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
These engaging gallery talks focus on individual works of art from the perspective of student artists and art historians. This discussion is led by Brown University students Reina Shibata and Montana Blanco.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The relationship between nature and artifice, reality and fiction, is central to a selection of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and video in the Museum’s collection. In some cases, natural materials - a lemon, thistles, or rocks, for example - are placed in artful arrangements or altered to extend their significance. Conversely, manufactured materials - ranging from audiotape to flip-flop sandals - may be configured to resemble natural phenomena such as a cascading waterfall or the Caribbean Sea. A number of the featured works were acquired recently and are being exhibited for the first time.
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Join us for free hours between 10am-5pm, with special programming for children and adults alike from 1pm-4pm. All are welcome as we explore the special exhibition "Avish Khebrehzadeh: Backyard and other stories" and learn about different animation techniques, from traditional hand drawn animation to computer-generated imagery. Bring your own animated character to life through a story or drawing and spend time in the galleries. Film screenings of animated shorts at 2pm + 3pm. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sitings 2010: Museum as Action is a competition that invites student responses to the Museum's architectural idiosyncracies, collection, and habits of visitation. This year's winning artists are Celeste Wilson (BFA 2010), for her installation Untitled in the Associates Bridge, and Lee Johnson and Benjamin Peterson (both MFA 2011), for their installation Column in the Salter Media Gallery. New York- based artist Spencer Finch (MFA 1989) juried the competition.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Ceramic artist and sculptor Allison Newsome discusses how her work addresses issues of the environment and human interaction. She currently teaches at Harvard University and the Boston Museum School for the Arts. This lecture is presented by the Pottery and Porcelain Club.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Pat Steir has been a major figure in American art since the 1970s, creating some of the most ambitious and challenging drawings of the late 20th century. Drawing Out of Line presents 40 years of her work, focusing on her exploration of the vocabulary of drawing. Introduced with a recreation of her wall drawing Self-Portrait: An Installation, first created for the New Museum in New York in 1987, this survey presents her drwaings on paper, which are dramatically varied in scale, in relation to her paintings and prints.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
NetWorks 2009 films showcase the work of selected contemporary Rhode Island visual artists. This is an ongoing project that supports and documents artists, and was developed by Dr. Joseph Chazan and Umberto Crenca of AS220.
Artists featured in the video portraits include: Steven Easton, Stephen Brownell, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Nicole Chesney, Bob Dilworth, Astrid, Umberto Crenca, Tony Ramos, James Reynolds, William Schaff, Neal Walsh, and Thomas Sgouros.
Free and open to the public.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
All the galleries open; free admission 5-9pm.
Member Preview Day for Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line, 10am-9pm
Join us next month, March 18 for our usual Gallery Night activities - adult drop-in art class (free, all supplies provided, no experience necessary), refreshments + music in the Main Gallery.
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Explore the history of art, from the 18th century to the present day, in the galleries of The RISD Museum with specialist curators. Each of the four monthly Sunday sessions will include a discussion of major artists and primary texts. Dates: February 14, March 14, April 11, + May 16. Pre-registration required. Members, $180; non-members, $220 (includes readings). To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Workshop POSTPONED - new date announced the week of 2/15
This one-day workshop for cultural educators, community organizers, and teachers shares personalized plans for making drawing a medium for learning across a variety of settings. Led by Eileen Adams, director of the Campaign for Drawing, the workshop will explore the concepts of gesture, line, copying, and self portraiture. Participants will develop drawing activities and learn how to plan a Big Draw at their sites. SOLD OUT; Fee $25 includes all workshop supplies and lunch; seating limited; pre-registration required.
If you would like to be put on a wait list contact Deborah Clemons at dclemons@risd.edu or 401.454.6530.
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Always fashionable, the butterfly motif has adorned a wide variety of design objects, from porcelain to prints to jewelry. RISD Museum Costume and Textiles Assistant Curator Laurie Brewer, whose specialty is ecological fashion history, got her inspiration for this show from the Victorian use of butterfly wings in jewelry design. Among topics she will discuss at her Salon are Victorian era exotic, naturalist, and historical representations of the butterfly; ecology and the use of animal materials in fashion history; the romance of the butterfly in western and eastern design, and the journeys enfolded in the history of the exhibit, from the journey a collector would take to capture a specimen, to the travel a book takes to enter a collection. This latter is significant because Laurie took a journey of her own in curating the show, crossing Benefit Street to work with Athenaeum Collections Librarian Kate Wodehouse to find images and quotes from our rare and special collections for her exhibit. Free and open to the public.
For more information, www.providenceathenaeum.org.
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
In 2004 Jay Brown founded Lijiang Studio, an arts practice based in a rural farming village in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Since then, Lijiang Studio has facilitated and produced about 80 residencies and 25 exhibitions in urban, rural, domestic, public, and private settings. These events are co-curated with the artists involved and with members of that local community. Highlights include Jianghu Mobile Video, Kunming, 2005, To Raise One Question After Another, Beijing 2007, Another China, Berlin 2007, World Heritage Beer Garden Picnic, Lashihai, 2008. Before Lijiang Studio, Jay worked at the Nature Conservancy’s China Program, based in Yunnan and at various museums including the National Palace Musuem in Taipei and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Jay graduated from Princeton University in 2001 with a degree in Art History and certifcate in East Asian Studies.
Co-sponsored by RISD Museum and Graduate Studies and the Department of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University. This lecture is free and open to the public.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Benjamin Nacar (Brown University '12) presents an encore performance of classical piano music featuring works by Chopin, Bach and Beethoven.
Free with museum admission.
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Celebrate the life and work of this cultural icon and writer. Guest reader Jamele Adams, poet and associate dean of student life at Brandeis University, gives a special presentation. Jazz music by Daniel Ian Smith accompanies the readings, which are followed by a reception. This program is presented in coordination with Anne Edmonds Clanton.
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Benjamin Nacar (Brown '12) presents a program of classical piano music including works by Bach, Chopin and Beethoven.
Free with museum admission.
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Butterflies dancing on dresses, mountains on teapots, rivers crossing paper - the natural world is everywhere in art. Come explore distant lands and familiar creatures through costume, animation, prints and watercolors. During this day-long event for all ages, engage in unexpected ways with works of art, unleash your creativity in workshops, and participate in performances. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Last Saturday of the month, free
Gallery exploration, hands-on art workshops, performances, and film screenings offer engaging ways for children and adults to discover art and design in The RISD Museum’s collections and special exhibitions. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
No special Gallery Night activities are planned for January, but the Museum is free and open to the public.
1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
Robert D. Mowry, the Alan J. Dworsky curator of Chinese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University, discusses scholarly controversies related to these exquisitely glazed and beautiful forms, which are prized as some of the most compelling ceramics ever made. Presented by the Pottery and Porcelain Club.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
Opening January 15 in the Linda and Vincent Buonanno Works on Paper Gallery. Contemporary drawings and prints can function as key components of an artist’s practice, and in recent years, works on paper have come to challenge the primacy of painting and sculpture. This selection, intended to complement the exhibition Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line, features recent works by Shahzia Sikander, Julie Mehretu (MFA 1997), Kiki Smith, Sol LeWitt, and others for whom the act and process of drawing plays a key role in the creation or rejection of meaning.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
Opening January 15 in the Bill and Nancy Tsiaras Gallery in Honor of Aaron Siskind.
The desire to depict the perceptual and physical experience of the human body, rather than merely its appearance, can serve as a catalyst for photographic experimentation. This exhibition presents works by Emmet Gowin, Vik Muniz, Frederick Sommer, Lesley Dill, and other artists exploring the poetics and politics of the human figure. Featured is a cross-section of photographic processes from the latter half of the 20th century, from camera manipulation to more direct registers of presence.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
December 26 the Museum is free to the public all day.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Jazz piano
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Although most people see and even touch an engraving every day-US currency and many stamps are engraved on steel-few artists work in the medium today. Practicing engraver and RISD Associate Professor of Printmaking, Andrew Raftery, demonstrates the preparation and step-by-step execution of the engraving process. Discover the tools and techniques used by early modern engravers and try your hand at making a mark. This exclusive workshop ends with a guided visit to the exhibition The Brilliant Line. Members $45; Non-members $75; Fee includes admission to the Museum.Space is limited. Preregistration is required. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Inger Elliot, the author of Batik: Fabled Cloth of Java and founder and president of China Seas, Inc., the award-winning fabric-design firm, talks with Joanne Ingersoll, curator of costume and textiles.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us today for an encore piano recital performed by Benjamin Nacar (Brown '12) to celebrate the birthday of Glenn Gould. Gould (1932-1982) was one of the best known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th Century, known especially for his performances of the work of Johan Sebastian Bach. Nacar's recital will feature The Goldberg Variations by Bach and Movement #1: Allegro of Beethoven's Symphony #6.
The recital is free with museum admission.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join us for a Piano Recital in the Main Gallery presented by Benjamin Nacar (Brown '12) to celebrate the birthday of legendary pianist Glenn Gould. Glenn Gould (1932-1982) was one of the best known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th Century, known especially for his performances of the work of Johan Sebastian Bach. Nacar's recital will feature The Goldberg Variations by Bach and Movement #1: Allegro of Beethoven's Symphony #6.
The recital is free with museum admission.
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
This “book and image” gallery seminar, led by professor Rhoda Flaxman, explores relationships between the visual arts and literature of the nineteenth century. To prepare for each monthly session (Sept. 17, Oct. 15 + Nov. 19), participants will read a novel or selection of poetry, then meet in the gallery to discuss analogies and relationships between word and picture as regards both content and form. Members, $120; non-members, $200; Fee does not include books. Space is limited, registration is required before September 4. To register, contact Deborah Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tours begin in the lobby of the
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
This series of drawing and mixed-media classes encourages participants to explore objects in the galleries for inspiration then respond with a variety of materials, including ink, collage, and papers. Dates: July 10, 17, 24, + 31. Adults only, all levels welcome. Fee for the series (includes some materials): $85 members; $145 non-members. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; please contact Deb Clemons at dclemons@risd.edu or 401 454-6530.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tours begin in the lobby of the
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
This series of drawing and mixed-media classes encourages participants to explore objects in the galleries for inspiration then respond with a variety of materials, including ink, collage, and papers. Dates: July 10, 17, 24, + 31. Adults only, all levels welcome. Fee for the series (includes some materials): $85 members; $145 non-members. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; please contact Deb Clemons at dclemons@risd.edu or 401 454-6530.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The first exhibition to treat all facets of Breuer's work with equal weight, from the highly innovative furniture he produced as both a student and teacher at the famed Bauhaus, to the modest houses he created after moving to the United States, to the large-scale buildings he designed for major cities. Models, drawings, floorplans, photographs, video projections, and interactive computer terminals shed light on his long and varied architectural career in this exhibition, developed by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tours begin in the lobby of the
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tours begin in the lobby of the
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
This series of four drawing and mixed-media classes encourages participants to explore objects in the galleries for inspiration then respond with a variety of materials, including ink, collage, and papers. Dates: July 10, 17, 24, + 31. Adults only, all levels welcome. Fee for the series (includes some materials): $85 members; $145 non-members. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; please contact Deb Clemons at dclemons@risd.edu or 401 454-6530.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tour begins in the lobby of the Chace Center.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tour begins in the lobby of the Chace Center.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Sue McNally speaks about her painting King’s Beach, featured in the exhibition Nature/Artifice. This expressionist depiction of one of Newport’s well-known sites is based on the artist’s direct observation of nature, but the palette and composition are subsequently altered in her studio. Judith Tannenbaum, Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art, moderates the conversation.
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Enjoy jazz guitar by Steve DeConti.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tour begins in the lobby of the Chace Center.
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Docent-led 30-minute tours present special exhibitions and Museum highlights; free with Museum admission. Tour begins in the lobby of the Chace Center.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Celebrate the winners of the Museum’s annual student competition for site-specific installations:
Jill Allyn Peterson MID 2009
Better Reflectivity
Museum truck
Laura Swanson MFA Photography 2010 and Gregory Kuball
TOGETHER together
Radeke Garden
Sponsored by the Artist’s Development Fund of the Rhode Island Foundation.
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Visit the galleries for inspiration, then create your own collage portraits. The generosity of Letitia and John Carter and The Carter Fund for Museum Education provide significant ongoing support for outreach programs at The RISD Museum. Admission and all activities are free! These programs offer fun for the entire family: a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, refreshments and special gallery quests throughout the day. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Roll up your sleeves and work with wax-resist and dyes to create your own batik design on fabric. Instructor Mo Kelman (see Gallery Night listing, May 21) walks students through basic contemporary batik techniques. Fee (materials included): Museum members, $20; nonmembers, $40. Space is limited and pre-registration required. As this event is currently SOLD OUT please contact Deb Clemons, 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu to be added to a wait list or for future workshops.
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Fiber artist Mo Kelman demonstrates materials and techniques used in contemporary batik. From 6 to 8 pm, enjoy jazz by the Rick Costa Trio.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Join our drop-in workshop For Adults Only: a free art lesson anytime between 6 and 8 pm! Receive one-on-one instruction from a professional artist/educator. Materials are provided; no experience is necessary. From 6 to 8:30 pm, enjoy a drink at our cash wine bar. At 7 pm, you may take a visita guiada en Espa–ol/guided tour in Spanish. We also offer a 7 pm gallery tour for the public. Meet in the Chace Center for either choice.
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Visit the Cape Cod National Seashore to view Modernist cottages and learn about efforts to preserve them. A chartered bus provides transportation for an exclusive tour by Peter McMahon (see May 13 lecture). Members: $40; nonmembers, $60. Space is limited. This trip is sold out. To be place on a waiting list contact Fran Gorman at 401 454-6530 or fgorman@risd.edu.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Beginning in the late 1930s, a group of visionary architects congregated on the isolated backshore of Wellfleet and Truro. The modest experimental homes they built only hinted at their other accomplishments as designers of many of the iconic works of modern architecture. In conjunction with the exhibition Marcel Breuer, this lecture by Peter McMahon explores the Modernist legacy of the Outer Cape, along with efforts to document and preserve it. McMahon is executive director of Cape Cod Modern House Trust. The Trust promotes documentation and preservation of significant examples of Modernist architecture on the Outer Cape.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Rebecca More, director at the Sheridan Center for Teaching & Learning at Brown University and a professor of history at RISD, uses works from the Museum’s collection to discuss how portraits may serve as windows for understanding the past. $15 per lecture for nonmembers; FREE to members of the Museum, RISD, Brown + RWU communities. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
DJ Nick DeParis is accompanied by drums and sax for a traditional-meets-contemporary sound. The featured exhibition is Marcel Breuer. Attendees must be 21 years or older. Members, $5; nonmembers, $8. Music Fridays are supported by the Providence Tourism Council. Media sponsor:
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Marcel Breuer, architect Diane Lewis lectures on the competition-winning Riverview Music Quadrangle, a project to save Paul Rudolph’s first civic building. Since 1982, Lewis served both as principal at her own firm and as a professor of architecture at the Cooper Union School of Architecture. Her minimalist approach emphasizes refined, inventive use of structural elements and space, integrating the character of preexisting conditions.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The relationship between nature and artifice, reality and fiction, is central to a selection of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and video in the Museum's collection. in some cases, natural materials- a lemon, thistels, or rocks, for example- are placed in artful arrangements or altered to extend their significance. Conversely, manufactured materials ranging from audiotape to flip-flop sandals may be configured to resemble natural phenomena, such as a cascading waterfall or the Caribbean Sea. A number of the featured works were acquired recently and are being exhibited for the first time.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
David Orr discusses sustainability in design, followed by a showing of RISD student work that speaks to environmental issues in aesthetic practice. Dr. Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, is well known for his contribution to the construction of the college’s Environmental Studies Center, cited by the U.S. Department of Energy as a Milestone building of the 20th century. Sponsored by Respond|Design.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Visit the Museum’s Impressionist galleries and learn how these artists painted the landscape in new ways. Create a colorful, shimmering landscape using chalk pastels. These workshops, for families with children ages 5 to 12, combine gallery and studio experience. Learn about art in the Museum, then create a related artwork using a range of media. Workshops are held between 3 and 4:30 pm. Tickets are required; $15 each for adults and children (which includes admission), members pay $5 each. Advance tickets are available through ArtTix RI call 401 621-6123, purchase online at http://arttixri.com, or visit their box office at 155 Westminster Street between noon and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The first exhibition to treat all facets of Breuer's work with equal weight, from the highly innovative furniture he produced as both a student and teacher at the famed Bauhaus, to the modest houses he created after moving to the United States, to the large-scale buildings he designed for major cities. Models, drawings, floorplans, photographs, video projections, and interactive computer terminals shed light on his long and varied architectural career in this exhibition, developed by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
This program, organized by RISD students representing Respond|Design, an interdisciplinary forum for students and faculty interested in how design can respond to the critical issues of our day, focuses on design and sustainability. Enjoy music and refreshments in the Chace Center Lobby from 5:30 to 7 pm.
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
RISD Museum assistant director James Brayton Hall (MLA 1994) discusses the furniture and architectural designs of Marcel Breuer and the materials he used.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Join our drop-in workshop For Adults Only: a free art lesson anytime between 5:30 and 8 pm! Receive one-on-one instruction from a professional artist/educator. Materials are provided; no experience is necessary. From 6 to 8:30 pm, enjoy a drink at our cash wine bar. At 7 pm, you may take a visita guiada en Espa–ol/guided tour in Spanish. We also offer a 7 pm gallery tour for the public. Meet in the Chace Center lobby for either choice.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
RISD faculty, staff, students and Museum members are invited to this celebration and first look at this exhibition. Dress in your most Bauhaus-inspired attire for this party featuring music, refreshments, and cash bar. Hors d'oeuvres by NYLO Hotel Loft Restaurant in Warwick. Beer complements of Newport Storm.
Eliza Radeke Society members are invited to a special preview tour with RISD architecture professor and principal of 3SIX0 Architects Chris Bardt at 5:30 pm.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Superchief Trio returns with their energetic blend of swing, New Orleans R&B, and boogie woogie. Featuring Keith Munslow on piano, Pam Murray on trombone, and John Cote on drums, this group is always a crowd favorite. Attendees must be 21 years or older. Members, $5; nonmembers, $8. Music Fridays are supported by the Providence Tourism Council. Media sponsor:
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Lorraine Howes, RISD professor emeriti of apparel design, discusses how clothing in a portrait can give clues about significant historical and cultural influences. $15 per lecture for nonmembers or $35 for the 3-lecture series; free to members. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Learn about the Hindu god Siva in the Indian Sculpture Gallery, then use clay to model a sculpture of Siva in a ring of fire. These workshops, for families with children ages 5 to 12, combine gallery and studio experience. Learn about art in the Museum, then create a related artwork using a range of media. Workshops are held between 3 and 4:30 pm. Tickets are required; $15 each for adults and children (which includes admission), members pay $5 each. Advance tickets are available through ArtTix RI call 401 621-6123, purchase online at http://arttixri.com, or visit their box office at 155 Westminster Street between noon and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Create a small-scale mural after visiting "Pulled Up," which features paintings by Carl Ostendarp and works from the Museum’s collection. Enjoy Dan Butterworth Production’s Carnaval del Mundo Puppet Theater that afternoon.
Admission and all activities are free! These programs offer fun for the entire family: a variety of hands-on workshops, performances, videos, refreshments and special gallery quests throughout the day. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Discover the fine art of figure drawing in this weekly class open to adult students of all levels. Draw the clothed figure in poses based on artworks from the Museum’s expansive collection. Class is limited to 15; pre-registration required. Fee (includes some materials): $145, nonmembers; $85, members. For details or to register, contact Fran Gorman at 401 454-6530 or fgorman@risd.edu by February 25.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Discover the fine art of figure drawing in this weekly class open to adult students of all levels. Draw the clothed figure in poses based on artworks from the Museum’s expansive collection. Class is limited to 15; pre-registration required. Fee (includes some materials): $145, nonmembers; $85, members. For details or to register, contact Fran Gorman at 401 454-6530 or fgorman@risd.edu by February 25.
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Art director for the Academy Award nominated film Waltz With Bashir, illustrator David Polonsky talks about his aesthetic approach as related to the film and the recently released graphic novel based on the film. Co-sponsored by Brown RISD Hillel. $8 non-museum members; FREE tickets for Museum members, RISD, Brown + Roger William Communities with ID can be picked up at the Chace Center Lobby after 5:30pm. Book signing following the lecture
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Joseph Chazan shares his personal inspiration for NetWorks 2008, a series of exhibitions and documentation celebrating the work of 16 contemporary Rhode Island visual artists. Following Dr. Chazan, photographer Salvatore Mancini discusses his body of work, which ranges from landscape essays to industrial archaeology. From 5:30 to 8 pm, Paul and Veronica Lowe perform a variety of jazz favorites on soprano saxophone and violin.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The Dedham Pottery Company is noted for its blue-and-white crackleware designs; the Dedham rabbit is the most popular. Lecturer James Kaufman is the volunteer curator of Dedham and Chelsea Keramic pottery at the Dedham Historical Society and the author of the Dedham Pottery Collectors Society Newsletter. Free with Museum admission; sponsored by the Pottery and Porcelain Club.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Join associate curator of costume and textiles Kate Irvin and Brown University’s assistant professor of religious studies Nancy Khalek for a conversation about the social and religious significance of the garments displayed.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Learn about the art of printmaking. Check out Japanese monochrome prints, and then make a foam-block print of your own design. These workshops, for families with children ages 5 to 12, combine gallery and studio experience. Learn about art in the Museum, then create a related artwork using a range of media. Workshops are held between 3 and 4:30 pm. Tickets are required; $15 each for adults and children (which includes admission), members pay $5 each. Advance tickets are available through ArtTix RI call 401 621-6123, purchase online at http://arttixri.com, or visit their box office at 155 Westminster Street between noon and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
A longstanding tradition, this exhibiton offers the public an exciting opportunity to view studio work by RISD's outstanding full- and part- time faculty. The works in the exhibition represent more than 150 artists and range from painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking to graphic design, industrial design, architecture, and more. Presented in the Museum's new Chace Center Galleries and the Gelman Student Gallery.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Discover the fine art of figure drawing in this weekly class open to adult students of all levels. Draw the clothed figure in poses based on artworks from the Museum’s expansive collection. Class is limited to 15; pre-registration required. Fee (includes some materials): $145, nonmembers; $85, members. For details or to register, contact Fran Gorman at 401 454-6530 or fgorman@risd.edu by February 25.
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
The blues group Sit Down Baby, featuring RISD adjunct professor Mark Miloff, performs. The featured exhibition is the RISD Faculty Biennial. Attendees must be 21 years or older. Members, $5; nonmembers, $8. Music Fridays are supported by the Providence Tourism Council.
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Life-size sculpted portraits and tiny ones on gems and coins were seen everywhere in the Roman world. In this lecture by Gina Borromeo, curator of ancient art, learn how portraits of ancient Romans underscored their status, highlighted their ambitions, and embodied their dreams. $15 per lecture for nonmembers or $35 for the 3-lecture series; free to members. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Join Mark Moscone, Director of On-Campus Exhibitions, with Linda Sormin (Ceramics), Thomas Wedell (Graphic Design) and Gina Gregorio (Textiles) for a gallery talk through this showcase of faculty talent that informs RISD's creative academic environment.
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Study 20th-century still-life paintings in the gallery, then create a still-life picture using tempera paint. These workshops, for families with children ages 5 to 12, combine gallery and studio experience. Learn about art in the Museum, then create a related artwork using a range of media. Workshops are held between 3 and 4:30 pm. Tickets are required; $15 each for adults and children (which includes admission), members pay $5 each. Advance tickets are available through ArtTix RI call 401 621-6123, purchase online at http://arttixri.com, or visit their box office at 155 Westminster Street between noon and 6 pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, call 401 454-6674 or visit www.risdmuseum.org.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Discover the fine art of figure drawing in this weekly class open to adult students of all levels. Draw the clothed figure in poses based on artworks from the Museum’s expansive collection. Class is limited to 15; pre-registration required. Fee (includes some materials): $145, nonmembers; $85, members. For details or to register, contact Fran Gorman at 401 454-6530 or fgorman@risd.edu by February 25.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
Shih Chieh Huang (Taiwanese, b. 1975) describes his work as an "interchanging process between people and space." He creates colorful and playful installations that encourage viewer interaction through his combinations of everday objects such as electronic appliances, toys, plastic bags, and containers with motion sensors, computer parts, and video footage. Huang's installations contain numerous kinetic components which are constantly in flux, producing elegant and strange results.
12:00 AM - 11:55 PM
The earliest Japanese woodblock-printed books and single-sheet prints were monochromatic. Even after the technique of color woodblock printing had fully developed in the mid-18th century, artists continued to produce one-color works, some of which were dependent on the Japanese painting tradition. This exhibition examines the variety of printed effects that could be achieved in monochrome printmaking, including book illustration.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
In this lecture, Shih Chieh Huang discusses his work colorful, playful installations that use sound, movement, and everyday objects as he seeks to interact with viewers.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Celebrate the winners of the Museum’s annual student competition for site-specific installations: Jill Allyn Peterson MID 2009 Better Reflectivity Museum truck Laura Swanson MFA Photography 2010 and Gregory Kuball TOGETHER together Radeke Garden Sponsored by the Artist’s Development Fund of the Rhode Island Foundation.
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Photographer Jim Dow (BFA 1965, MFA 1968) shares his experiences as Harry Callahan’s student and discusses the influences of Callahan and Walker Evans on his own work.
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Are color palettes, material, and texture choices your thing? Get the insider’s scoop on the Chace Center’s exterior and interior details with a one-hour tour led by James Brayton Hall (RISD MLA '94), one of the Museum’s assistant directors. Free with Museum admission. Meet in the Chace Center lobby.
6:15 PM - 8:15 PM
Author/artist David Macaulay (RISD BArch 1969; former RISD faculty) presents this year's Gail Silver Memorial Lecture. His books, including The New Way Things Work, Cathedral, Ship, Rome Antics, and Mosque, have demystified the workings and origins of everything from simple gadgets to elaborate architectural structures. They have won him a gold and two silver Caldecott medals, not to mention a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2006. His soon-to-be-released book, The Way We Work, explores the human body. The lecture is free and open to all.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Beyond Utopia: Changing Attitudes in American Architecture, 1983 (60 min.) looks at the practices of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman, in 1982, at the height of the architectural postmodernist period. The architects show and discuss their projects both in their offices and on location. All protégés of Philip Johnson (who appears as commentator), these architects rejected European modernism in favor of innovative directions. Their work has made architectural history and has since influenced many other architects. The screening is free and open to the public. The lecture by architect critic Martin Filler, originally scheduled to follow the screening, has been canceled.
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
From the beginning, the Chace Center was created for people — to be a crossroads where students, faculty, staff, alumni and museum visitors from the general public all come together. With its unpretentious design, it melds student and museum exhibition galleries, an auditorium and other public venues with studios, classrooms and collection conservation areas, creating a welcoming center where art is made, studied and enjoyed.
The Chace Center — named by Jane Chace Carroll, Malcolm “Kim” Chace and Eliot Chace Nolen in honor of their parents, the late Malcolm and Beatrice “Happy” Oenslager Chace — was one of several key projects realized through RISD’s $104-million "Future by Design" campaign, the largest comprehensive fundraising effort ever undertaken here. But the stunning facility is much more than a fundraising success; it is an effective design solution for a complex site and an important expression of the growing cultural vitality of the city. It is also the bold outcome of a vision shared by RISD’s Board of Trustees; former President Roger Mandle, along with provosts and museum directors from 1998 to the present; the Chace family and other key donors to this project; and its architect José Rafael Moneo.
Since the beginning of his involvement in 2001, Moneo made eloquent use of the language of architecture to unite disparate activities and architectural styles into a coherent whole. His design of this 43,000-sf LEED-certified structure resolves issues of circulation, cross-pollination and public access, not to mention optimization of space and light. And it does so while offering picture-perfect views and reinforcing RISD’s core values of environmental sensitivity, academic excellence, community engagement and arts advocacy.
Synthesizing the creativity and exploration at the heart of the studio experience, the Chace Center offers both a literal and a figurative front door to RISD and all it has to offer.