New England Art News November 22
$14,000 in art grants. Calls for artists, art writers, and a residency. Plus 20 exhibitions and events around the region. Oh, and a museum without a curator.
Happy Friday, art enthusiasts!
I hope that you’ve had a good week. Thank you to all who have sent in tips and suggestions. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to amplify art news to nearly 400 readers. I cannot believe how fast this community has grown and I am so appreciative to all of you who have sent New England Art News to friends and colleagues.
I’m also very grateful to readers who have introduced themselves to me at events in the Providence area. Please don’t be shy. If you see me at an opening come say hello!
In this week’s issue, find $14,000 in potential grant funds, as well as art calls, events, an artist of the week, and a special exhibition closing reminder. Plus, an editorial meditation on a museum without a curator.
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Artist of the Week: Leia Fifer
This week’s artist of the week is Leia Fifer, a mixed-media visual artist and tattoo artist based in Northern Rhode Island. I first met Leia while jurying a college exhibition a couple years back and am always impressed not only by their artistic individuality and inventiveness, but also by their personal strength and tenacity.
An individual who has had experiences with social services and DCYF, Leia studied at Maine College of Art and Rhode Island College and is now in the final stages of finishing their art degree at Community College of Rhode Island. They also recently completed a residency with the Creative Reuse Center in East Providence, RI. Please consider following and supporting this emerging artist.
Funding and Jobs
A few grant and employment opportunities.
Craft Jumpstarter Grant - Artists working in craft-based disciplines can apply for funds of up to $3,000 from the Society of Arts and Crafts. Deadline Nov. 25.
Executive Director for Natick Center Cultural District - Help shape economic development within an arts district in Massachusetts. Salary $65,000 - $75,000, deadline to apply is Dec. 1.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants - Open to artists across the USA. Grants are up to $3,000 with average award of $1,900. Deadline Dec. 4.
Interlace Fund Emergency Grants - Providence-area artists may apply for up to $500 in relief funds. Applications due by Dec. 7.
New Hampshire Art Business Competition - Offers $7,500 in grant funds for a business that focuses on arts vibrancy in NH. Deadline is Dec. 11.
Cape Ann Museum Hiring Education Coordinator - Salary of $55,000 to run education and community outreach. Deadline to apply is Dec. 15.
Peabody Essex Seeks Teaching Artist - Position in Salem, MA, open to individuals with Associate’s or Bachelor’s. Pay is $20.50 - $21.40/hr. Deadline is Dec. 20.
Cambridge Art Association Associate Directorship - Manage operations of three gallery spaces and more at a key Boston-area arts org. Salary of $50,000. Deadline Jan. 7, 2025.
Calls for Artists in RI and MA
Share artworks locally in shows and a fair.
Anti-Robot Club Seeks Vendors - Providence-based org is looking for artists and others to vend at Dec. 14 market at FarmFresh. State your interest ASAP.
Hera Gallery Seeks Works for Online Show - Theme is “Rewriting Her Story” with a focus on centering women in new ways. Entry fee starts at $15. Need-based discounts available. Enter by Dec. 1.
True Grit Gallery Seeks Small Works - Share small artworks priced $500 at gallery in Middleboro, MA. Deadline to apply is Dec. 5. Show starts Dec. 14.
FRACC Ignition Space Seeks Proposals - Fall River, MA arts venue is looking for artists to activate its space from December to May. Rolling deadline.
Calls for Art Outside the Region
Show art in Arizona, California, and New Jersey.
Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition in LA - Show work in California at Blue Line Arts. $5,000+ in prizes. Entry fees start at $45. Deadline Nov. 23.
Rutgers Cancer Institute Seeks Art - Leading hospital seeks work images to create prints for new facility. $2,000 per image selected. Deadline Nov. 24.
Earth and Fire Ceramics Show in Sedona - Share ceramics in Arizona. $900 in prizes. Entry fees start at $30. Deadline Nov. 25.
Call for Art Writers
Focus on monuments for Boston’s premier arts journal.
Boston Art Review seeks individuals to write about monuments as part of a program being organized through the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Interesting opportunity to share in one of the region’s premier publications.
Residency Opportunity
Make art on an island in Narragansett Bay.
The Prudence Island Artist in Residence Program is Seeking Artists - Applications open Dec. 1 and close Jan. 31. Stay on an island and make art informed by peer artists and the natural beauty of your surroundings.
Learn to Collect Art
On Monday, Nov. 25 from 12:30 - 1:30, the SMFA will host an online webinar about art collecting to demystify what it takes to build a collection and support artists. Collectors are hugely important to the health of our local ecosystem and I hope some of you might consider attending or passing along the info to individuals who have the means and interest to support artists by buying work.
Editor’s Note: The Museum Without a Curator
The increasingly weird and troubling case of the Newport Art Museum.
In case you hadn’t yet heard, the Newport Art Museum in Newport, RI eliminated its entire curatorial team earlier this year. That’s right, they no longer have any full time curatorial staff - not even a preparator or registrar. The story was first covered by GoLocalProv before being picked up nationally by Hyperallergic. In a recent piece from Newport This Week, various points of view on the issue are documented.
Museums rely on trained professionals not only to mount changing exhibitions, but to monitor and care for permanent collections. This is serious business, but in all their public comments representatives for the museum seem to brush off the need for such staff. I know that I speak for dozens of respected professionals in the field when I say that the move to a guest curator approach is a source of major concern for those of us who support artists and organize exhibitions across the state. - Michael Rose
Art Events Coming Up in Rhode Island
See work, meet artists, learn, and gather with community.
Bhui Agua Closes at The Wurks Tonight - Compelling show by two Steel Yard resident artists. Closing 7-8pm Nov. 22 on Tingley Street in Providence.
Jessica Hagen’s Annual Holiday Show - Newport gallery with reception Nov. 23, 5-7pm. Show features work in a wide range of media and continues through Dec. 31.
Art Life Design Show at Art League - Pawtucket exhibition focuses on the role of art within interior design. Opens Nov. 23, 5:30 - 7:30. Runs thru mid-Jan. 2025.
Sonja Czekalski Solo Show at Hera - Opening Nov. 23 from 6-8pm, exhibition explores stories around Post-Roe women’s healthcare. Runs thru Dec. 21.
Gift of Art in the East Bay - Imago Gallery presents a wide-ranging exhibition of giftable artworks through Dec. 22. Reception Nov. 23, 5-8pm.
Public Opens Democracy Show - Starting Sunday, Nov. 24 from 5-7pm. Features 8 artists considering important issues. Continues thru Dec. 22.
Wedding Cake House Residency Talks - Monday, Nov. 25 visit iconic space and learn more about resident artists. Open house 4-6pm. Artist talks 6-7pm.
Mo Kelman Solo at Chazan Gallery - Wheeler School gallery presents exciting mixed media exhibition ‘Waterways’ through Dec. 17.
19 on Paper at Hoxie Gallery in Westerly - Exhibition on view at library gallery Dec. 1 - 26. Opening reception Dec. 4 from 5-7pm.
Neons Coming to Dirt Palace Storefront - Window gallery in Olneyville will feature light art by Nick McKnight Dec. 8 - Jan. 15, 2025.
Margie Butler Solo at Paper Nautilus - Fantastic vintage bookstore on Wayland Sq. in Providence hosts painting exhibition through mid-January. Meet the artist Dec. 15 from 3-5pm.
Alia Del Borgo and Natalia Miller at RIC - Student exhibition in Chazan Family Gallery highlights two talented emerging artists. On thru Jan. 18.
Art Happenings Around New England
Find artistic inspiration throughout the region.
Paradise City Arts this Weekend - Major arts and craft showcase in Marlborough, MA, Nov. 22 - 24. Entry starts at $14 for adults.
Greater Haverhill Art Association Holiday Show - Open Nov. 23 and 24 from 12 - 4pm at Veasey Park. Featuring affordable artworks and gift items.
Inaugural Huntington Avenue Commission at the MFA - Featuring public figurative sculptures of local Indigenous leaders by Alan Michelson.
Celebrating African American Artists - Lyman Allyn Museum in CT features works from the Paulson Fontaine Press thru Jan. 5.
Conservation in Real Life at Wadsworth Athenaeum - Head to Hartford, CT, to see an historic altarpiece conserved in real time over the next few months.
Members Show in Southern Vermont - SVAC celebrates some of its 300 artist members thru February 9. See it during ski season.
French Wallpaper at RISD - Immersive exhibition celebrates print and design with a special collection. Stunning installation. On view through May 11, 2025.
Modern Women in New Britain - NBMA shares an exhibition about Modernist women painters including Grace Hartigan and more. On thru the summer in CT.
Don’t Miss Bhui Agua at The Wurks in Providence
Closing reception and performance is tonight (Nov. 22) 7-8pm!
I will close by saying that if you’re in the Providence area today (Friday, Nov. 22), I hope you’ll consider heading to The Wurks gallery at 72 Tingley Street from 7-8pm to see the closing day of Bhui Agua, a two-person pop up exhibition featuring resident artists from The Steel Yard, Sarah Leiva and Prinshu Gautam. It’s a remarkable show featuring works that probe Queer identity across space and time in a wide-range of well constructed media. The artists have works for sale to benefit local non-profit Haus of Codec too. Please consider supporting these talented individuals!
Thanks for Reading!
Thanks for perusing this edition of New England Art News. Feel free to email me at michael@michaelrosefineart.com with ideas, requests, tips, etc. You can also follow me on Instagram at michaelrosefineart. You can share this newsletter and subscribe to all my posts using the links below: