2011 State Creative Impact Series Art Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents the "2011 1st State Creative Impact Series Art Exhibit" at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. The Creative Impact Series provides career advancing workshops, resources, and exhibit opportunities across a spectrum of greater Rhode Island/southern New England visual artists. This exhibit also features guest artist Reynier Ferrer, who through a series of events brings together Art, Film and Literature, for a celebration of Latin American Art in multi-disciplinary forms.

Curator: Donna Bruton

Curator Bio: Donna Bruton is a practicing visual artist and RISD painting professor living in Portsmouth, RI. She earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Michigan State University, then studied painting with professional painter Edward Lopez in Wilmington, Delaware. During this time, she was exposed to the Barnes Foundation and its philosophy. She later earned an MFA from Yale University in Painting. Bruton has exhibited in various group and solo shows throughout the United States, and participated in group shows in Canada, France, and Korea.

Participating Artists: Jenine Bressner, Jiyoung Chung, Robert Dilworth, Holly Gaboriault, Scott Lapham, Betsy McLaughlin, Farnaz Mobayyen, Jennifer Rolfsema, Cynthia Scott, Mart Taber, McDonald Wright, Genise Choy, Sompaseuth Chounlamany, Liliana Fijman, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, Saberah Malik, Paola Mangiacapra, Mahendar Paul, Ann Rozhon, Hiroko Shikashio, Thomas Terceira

Guest Artists: Reynier Ferrer

Guest Artist Bio: Reynier Ferrer was born in Havana, Cuba in the 1970’s, where he currently resides. He graduated from the Academia de Bellas Artes San Alejandro in 2004 and became a member of the Asociacion Hermanos Saiz in 2005. His works have been widely shown in Cuba and abroad as part of solo and group exhibits. “Con La Memoria” is an exhibition of paintings from Cuban artist Reynier Ferrer inspired by a conversation he had with his uncle Edmundo Desnoes, a Cuban writer. Ferrer turns to textural support to create empathy between literacy and visual art. “Con la Memoria '' paintings unifying literature and the visual arts.

The New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema (NEFIAC) brought Ferrer in as a guest artist for the film festival. RISCA partnered with NEFIAC to provide the opportunity to have multiple paintings featured in this exhibit.

Performances: Mark Taber, Raksmey Kampuchea Music featuring Song Heng

Partnerships: New England Festival of Ibero American Cinema, AS220

Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) developed the Atrium Gallery to recognize talented artists from communities throughout the state. The Atrium Gallery hosts multidisciplinary exhibitions in partnership with diverse artists and cultural organizations. The gallery features a stunning tall glass ceiling with light that cascades into an open space surrounded by three walls of artwork. This has become a destination point for visitors and the many people who frequent the Administration offices at One Capitol Hill, while enriching the environment for hundreds of state workers in the building.

International Artist and Cultural Exchange Program
The International Artist and Cultural Exchange includes community workshops, artist presentations, film screenings, panel discussions, and art exhibits. This program brings together inter-cultural art in multi-disciplinary forms at several venues across Rhode Island. Many international artists have been affiliated with this cultural exchange including Afro-Brazilian artist Tiago Gualberto, Cuban abstract visual artist Reynier Ferrer, Dominican fiber artist Julianny Ariza, Ecuadorian artist Illdefonso Franco, and Sri Lankan artists Chaminda Gamage and T.P.G. Amarajeewa. Partnerships have included: AS220 Artist in Residency Program, Attleboro Arts Museum, Brown University Watson Institute Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Gallery Z, Ibero-American Film Festival, Newport Art Museum, Providence Community Library, and Warwick Center for the Arts.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders. To learn more visit www.arts.ri.gov