2013 RISD Project Open Door at the Atrium Gallery New Visions New Curator Series

Rhode Island State Council on the Arts presents "RISD Project Open Door" at the Atrium Gallery @ One Capitol Hill. This exhibition features work from High School students as part of the New Visions New Curators Program.

Curator: Dr. Paul Sproll

Curator Statement: Project Open Door is extremely grateful to have been invited by RISCA to exhibit in the Atrium Gallery as part of their New Visions/New Curator Series. Project Open Door, a public engagement initiative of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), now in its 9th year, is committed to providing talented teens attending public high schools and charter high schools in Rhode Island’s urban core cities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket with access to free programming both at their schools and on RISD’s campus. Project Open Door was established as a portfolio-based access program designed to advance urban teens’ artistic practice and to provide a network of support leading to competitive applications for college and university.

Teens are encouraged to view themselves as artists, so making their work public through exhibitions such as this provides our teens with an important opportunity to share what they create with the community at large. The teens exhibiting in this show have taken up the challenge to develop their creative practice- for some this has meant dedicating time at the end of the school day, while for others, it has meant a commitment to attending a Portfolio studio at RISD on Saturday mornings. We are extraordinarily proud of our teens’ achievements, and it is my sincere hope that you too will applaud their success as young Rhode Island artists. For information about Project Open Door visit https://www.risdprojectopendoor.com.

Participating Artists: Project Open Door Artist-in Residence: Jane Masters, Masha Ryskin, Johnny Adimando, Robin Wiseman, Josephine Sittenfeld, Rachel Stern, Mike Russo, Bobbi Jarvis

Students who participated in these programs attended the following high schools: Blackstone Academy, Central Falls Senior High School, Charles E. Shea Senior High School, Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School, Hope High School, J.M. Walsh School of Performing and Visual Arts, MET School, The Juanita Sanchez Complex, William E. Tolman Senior High School, William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School.

Partnerships: Rhode Island School of Design, along with the Surdna Foundation, Amgen Foundation, Angell Foundation, Amica Companies Foundation

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.

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