I participated in Gallery Night Providence on August 15th for the first time. There were 5 different guided tours visiting different art spaces in Providence leaving from the Graduate Hotel at 11 Dorrance Street and the WaterFire Arts Center at 475 Valley Street at different times. I chose the 5:00 pm tour leaving from the Graduate Hotel with a friend.
I registered through Eventbrite and made a donation to guarantee our spot on the tour. Half of the seats on the trolley or mini coach will always be available (first-come, first-served), completely free, to anyone who shows up on Gallery Night. The other half of the seats are available to those that reserve in advance via Eventbrite by making a donation. If you are reserving multiple tickets like I did, Eventbrite requires a separate reservation for each ticket since each order is only for one ticket. Eventbrite also charges a small fee ($0.03). A confirmation email was sent on the day of reservation and reminder email was sent earlier in the week about the event.
On August 15th, my friend and I checked in at the podium with a Gallery Night banner near the main entrance. We were handed a pamphlet with a list of the different tours and all the galleries on view. Around 5:00pm, we met our Gallery Night Guide Jenn Wilson and walked to the mini coach. I'm glad we chose the trolley/mini coach tour instead of the walking tour, because there was torrential downpour of rain for pretty much the whole duration of our tour.
Our first stop was at Galerie le Domaine at Domain Properties (a real estate office). At this gallery, we saw the works of Neal Walsh. Walsh's work is primarily abstract, inspired by seasonal shifts of light, the elemental forces of nature, and an everlasting faith in the elegance of ferns and the song of the wood thrush. This exhibit title "Our days are weatherworn" is from the poem, "The Goneness of Lost Things" by Don Domanski. Walsh hopes the paintings evoke invisible threads, a bit of mystery, a spark of recognition, and perhaps a lost memory of connection in the viewer. The pieces were interesting to see and definitely gave me feels. It was also cool to see artwork on a mantle and on top of a couch compared to the usual art studio or gallery.
Second stop was Anahid Ypres Art Studio located on the 3rd floor of 118 N Main St. At the studio, we saw pieces by artist Anahid Ypres and guest artist Fior De La Cruz. There were big pieces with vibrant colors and even pieces using fluorescent paint. These pieces were beautiful. There were also cups of wine, mini bottles of water, and snacks (peanuts and pistachios).
The third and final stop was Providence Art Club. We spent time looking at pieces by young artists affiliated with Riverzedge Arts of Woonsocket. The young artists are so talented! There was a reception with cheese and we had the opportunity to meet some of the artists and talk about their work.
Around 7:00pm, we arrived back at the Graduate. Time went by so quickly and I had such a great evening. Jenn was a great guide and very personable and friendly. In between stops, she would talk about RISD, Brown, downtown Providence, and encourage us to think about the art setting and the artwork we were looking at. Each of the galleries we visited were different and stunning in their own way. I am definitely interested in participating in another Gallery Night Providence. It'll always be a unique experience since there are different galleries and different works displayed. read more