2012 State Black Art Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery New Visions New Curators Series

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents the "2012 State Black Art Exhibit" at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. This exhibit is part of the New Visions New Curators Program.

Curator: Robert Dilworth
Curator Bio:
Robert Dilworth is a Painting, Drawing, Design, and African American Art History Professor, and Chair of the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Rhode Island.
The University of Rhode Island Research Council, and the URI Center of Humanities among others, have recognized his work for its significant academic contributions. He has exhibited extensively in both solo and group exhibitions and his work has been reviewed regularly in the New England press as well as in Florida, New York, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas. Dilworth’s work is widely collected, from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island Schools of Design, Providence, RI, to the Fairmont Hotel Corporation, San Francisco, CA.

Participating Artists: Rufus Abdullah, Donna Bruton, Kerry Stuart Coppin, Venus Irving-Prescott, Ramona Bas Kolobe, Kyla Rae Laughlin, Nixon Leger, Munir Mohammed, James Montford, Dell Padgett, Tony Reeves, Monique Rolle-Johnson, Cynthia Ross-Meeks, Jason Smith, Simone Spruce-Torre, McDonald Wright.

Performances: Anthony Johnson, Raffini, Heavenly Praises, Ramona Bass Kolobe.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joyce Stevos, Executive Director, RI Black Heritage Society.

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.

State Black Art Exhibit
The Black Art Exhibition showcases incredible works of art from established and emerging artists who express their culture by highlighting their unique stories through a vast array of mediums including photography and painting. Starting from its initiation in 2003, the Black Art Exhibit was a partnership between the Rhode Island Department of Administration Human Resources Outreach and Diversity (HROD) Office and the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (RIBHS). This collaboration with RIBHS continued for several years, during which the Atrium Gallery attracted and showcased the works of talented artists from the black community. RISCA continues to partner with culturally specific organizations and individual artists, showcasing and celebrating the artistic talents of these communities.

New Visions/New Curators Program
The Atrium Gallery encourages the development of new curators and gallery directors from diverse communities through the New Visions/New Curators Program. Artists of color are provided logistical support to curate a show by defining a theme, professionally installing the artwork, and creating marketing materials that promote the exhibit. Previous participants have curated exhibitions in local and regional galleries and museums. This highly successful program has become an incubator for new curators that promote viewpoints and voices of artists of color.

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