2012 State Diversity Exhibit My Story Our Community Atrium Gallery New Visions New Curators Series

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents the 2012 State Diversity Exhibit “My Story, Our Community” at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. This exhibit is part of the New Visions New Curators Program and the International Artist and Cultural Exchange Program in partnership with AS220’s Artist in Residency Program.

Curator: Kameko Branchaud

Curator Statement: “This exhibit represents to me a coming together of different cultural backgrounds and heritages, with room for celebration of both the traditional and the contemporary individual. To celebrate diversity means not to confine each other to essentializing expectations, but to allow each other to share the best parts of ourselves and or cultures, to make for a better community.”- Kameko Branchaud

“I am a second-generation Chamorro immigrant on my mother’s side. The influence of my Chamorro heritage is a complex mix of the impact of the island's history, and the cultures that have been assimilated into Guam’s diverse community. On my father’s side, I am a third-generation French-Canadian immigrant. My father has been teaching Okinawan martial arts for thirty-five years, and through him I have had plenty of exposure to Japanese culture as well. On either side of my family, there is still more historical immigration, with countries of origin including Spain, China, and France.” Kameko Branchaud

International Artist & Cultural Exchange Program Featured Artist: Julianny Ariza

Featured Artist Statement: “While we’re moving to different places, looking for a better life and working hard, we’re owners of our personal moment, and our participation in the collective environment depends on it. I am interested in recreating the reasons for the exaltation of the soul and basic human concerns. Extract humans from their social context, and appropriate their personal moment, especially when they feel omniscient of their own convictions, but at the same time totally vulnerable. I offer my own family environment, where the drama is sex, absence, selfishness, and complexity.”- Julianny Ariza

Participating Artists: Maria Del Carmen Mercado, Man Chouw, Judha Chouwan, Tanka Chouwan, Saraswati Chouwan, Sher Chouwan, Devi Odari, Rekha Odari, Zera Hamenyimana, Marie Mukabahizi, James Kaskile, Maitham Wadia, Zaid Wadia, Marie Uwera, Aichetou Lo, Hassan Tuba, Savy Veth, Mangal Tamang, Sagitta Woodman, Ciza Sylvane, Tamara Diaz, Munir Mohammed, Ben Rittmann, Cuong Sy, Laura D. Sullivan, Amy Jean Romero, Urania Lara, Betsy McLaughlin, Silaphone Nhongvongsouthy, Nixon Leger, Julianny Ariza, Sheyla Rivera Rios, Kameko Branchaud, Mary Ellen Lynch, Michelle DePlante, Ellen Gallagher, Miguel Bernal, Mark Taber

Performances: Mark Taber, Rekha Odari, Miguel Bernal

Partnerships: Welcoming Rhode Island/Enriching Neighborhoods Strengthening RI, International Institute Rhode Island, 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.

State Diversity Art Exhibit
The Diversity Art Exhibit represents the idea that visual art serves as a universal form of creative expression that can transcend cultural boundaries. It honors the unifying force of visual creativity and the multicultural communities of Rhode Island. The Diversity Exhibit is part of an ongoing partnership between Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) and the RI Department of Diversity, Equity, and Opportunity, along with culturally specific non-profit organizations.

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.

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