2017 shows
January 12th - February 5th, 2017.
Political and Historical Artworks
At GALLERY Z - POLITICAL and HISTORIC ART WORKS, Thursday, Jan. 12 through Sunday, Feb. 5th. Opening Reception Thursday, Jan. 19th, 5-9PM. Closing Reception Saturday, Feb. 4th, 2-4 pm.
Gallery Z, established January 2001, brings new concepts to Federal Hill this year with eleven new themed exhibits. This January, for this highly charged political season and era of vast universal cultural change, upheaval and turmoil, Gallery Z is exhibiting provocative art referencing momentous or troubling events both national and international. A selection of original works in various media including painting, drawings, sculpture, assemblages, photography, lithographs and serigraphs, invoking or encapsulating historic episodes, as depicted by the following established artists: Kevork Mourad, Alex Khomsky, Lawrence Sykes, Stephan Brigidi, Alan Metnick, Judith Ferrara, John Gaumond, Angelo Marinosci, Jr., Carol Travers Lummus, Ian Mohon, Honore Daumier, Marty McCorkle, Anoush Bargamian, Julian Penrose, Paula Schmerge, Brian O'Malley, J.C. Lazarus, Virginia Arakelian, Helena Stockar and William Daby. Gallery Z Hours: Wed. 12-6pm, Thurs-Sat 12-8pm, Sun. 12-6pm and by appt. or chance. ALL RECEPTIONS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |
Prints and Multiples
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March 9th - April 2nd, 2017
Drawings and Studies
At GALLERY Z - DRAWINGS and STUDIES, Thursday, March 9th through Sunday, April 2nd. Featured artist Harut Aghajanian. Opening Reception Thursday, March 16th, 5-9PM. For its March exhibit, Gallery Z will be displaying "Drawings and Studies", featuring Harut Aghajanian, along with works of numerous other artists chosen from its extensive stable, including but not limited to: Kevork Mourad, Judith Ferrara, Robert Elibekian, Julian Penrose, Karnig Nalbandian, Erin Starr, Ben Weiss, Lazar Artazian, Brian MacNeil, Hrair Aprahamian, Richard Carlson, Emily J. Parks, William Fowler and Reuben Nakian. A variety of mediums and techniques, such as acrylic, ink, pencil, as well as studies in oils, will be shown, in a wide assortment of themes.
Harut Aghajanian is a prize-winningArmenian artist from Iran, born there in 1956. He studied at Terlemezian College art school in Yerevan from 1984 to 1987. His paintings have been exhibited in the Beirut, Lebanon, art galleries Bronte and Zeina Sultan, and in Boston. Aghajanian has many works in private collections in the United States and several European countries. On exhibit will be Aghajanian's exquisite figurative works of acrylic on paper. Aghajanian works in both black and white and soft apricot-colored washes. Perfectly centered scenes of groups of finely detailed figures may intermingle with musical instruments and animal heads peeking out from their midst. The viewer is drawn in to ascertain the historic story and references. |
ARMENIAN ARTISTS
April 6th through April 30th.
At GALLERY Z - ARMENIAN ARTISTS, Thursday, April 6th through Sunday, April 30th. Featured artist Alexander Grigoryan. Opening Reception Thursday, April 20th, 5-9PM. Along with representing over 400 established artists from many diverse backgrounds, Gallery Z in April will showcase the long tradition of exceptional fine art with an extensive selection of the world's most talented Armenian artists, past and present.
Featured artist is Alexander Grigoryan (1927-2008), a highly celebrated artist of his culture. Born in Leninakan, Armenia, he received the highest honor in Armenian Art. He has painted portraits of William Saroyan, Alex Manookian and film producer Ruben Manuelian. Grigoryan not only worked in a glorious palette of oils on canvas but was versatile in assorted media, also recognized for his sculptures, pencil portraits and poetry, receiving numerous awards and honorary diplomas. Grigoryan graduated from the Yerevan Institute of Art and Theatre, and also studied at the Yerevan Art Specialized School and at the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Leningrad. He was a follower of international artist-painter Martiros Saryan. Grigoryan achieved his own fame after participating in the exhibition "Five Artists of Armenia" (Alexander Grigoryan, A. Kapantsyan, L. Bajbeuk-Melikyan, H. Siravyan, A. Minas). His art has been in solo and group exhibits worldwide, from Armenia to Paris, Moscow, Leningrad, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Toronto, Lisbon, Beirut, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Netherlands, Lebanon, Germany, Italy and beyond. His works hang in the National Gallery in Yerevan, as well as in museums, galleries and private collections in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Madrid, London, Beirut, Warsaw, Sao Armenia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria and more. My dearest, noblest Alexander Grigoryan is one of the most talented artists. He creates Art . - Martiros Saryan, 1968 In addition to Gallery Z's regular website, Director Berge Zobian had also created a designated Armenian art website (www.armenianartgalleryz.com) as a user-friendly reference for the gallery's extensive representation of many foremost Armenian artists, complete with their biographies. A diverse collection of works in assorted media will also be on exhibit from the following other excellent recognized Armenian artists: Vladmir Aivazayan b.1915 d.1999, Lazar Artazian b.1857 d.1924, "PAKRAD" Ashot-Krikorian b.1939, Rafael Atoyan b.1931, Mariam Attarian, Anoush Bargamian b. 1963, Martin Barooshian b.1929, Seda Bekarian b.1953, Yevkine De Greef b.1934, Areg Elibekian b.1970, Robert Elibekian b.1941, Vagharshag Elibekian b. 1910 d.1994, Samuel Gareginyan b.1961, A. Gevorkian b.1928 d.2003, Emma Gregorian b.1943, Avejik A. Hagopian b.1944, Harutune Hovhanesian b.1922, Edward Issabekian b.1914 d.2007, Levon Jamgochian b.1947, Albert Khachaderian b.1938 Vava Khachadourian b. 1895 d.1984, Stephen Koharian b.1982, Mary Melikian b.1927, Kevork Mourad b.1970, Zareh Mutafian b.1907 d.1980, Petros Najarian, Karnig Nalbandian b.1916 d.1989, Marsha Odabashian b.1954, Martin Petrosyan b.1936, Hovsep Pushman b.1877 d.1966, Simon Samsonian b.1915 d.2003, Ekanyan Spartak, Kegham Tazian |
The Art of Fashion
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THE ART OF FASHION at Gallery Z in May includes both a fine art exhibit exploring the art of fashion and style AND an exciting, not-to-be-missed live fashion show of one-of-a kind designs, during May 18th's evening opening reception, as colorful wearable art by young fashion designer and artist Melissa Thyden will be modeled in a runway show for this exhibit, both of which she has curated. And throughout the month, fashion-themed fine art work by several regional artists - Melissa Thyden, Chrissy Bulakites, Erin O'Leary Bates, Judith Ferrara, Larisa Martino, Renee Caouette, Sabina Mollot and handmade jewelry by Richard Bradley - will be on display. The fashion show on the evening of May 18th will feature ten different looks by Cosmic Unicornz, designer Melissa Thyden's fashion line that explodes with color, space-age design, innovatively combined textures and one-of-a-kind styles for contemporary fun-loving young women. Hair that complements each model's presentation will be done by Maggie Bouchard, and makeup by Dazirae Reynhart. The models will stay to mingle with visitors following the show, offering a close-up of these groundbreaking garments.
Melissa Thyden, b. 1987, is a Boston-based illustrator, painter and fashion designer who creates paintings, objects, garments and accessories radiating youthful, colorful energy. Melissa has taken courses at the Boston School of Fashion Design and the Worcester Art Museum and has a BFA from UMass Dartmouth. Her clothing line, "Cosmic Unicornz", features original dresses and skirts, hand-painted shoes, denim, silkscreened T-Shirts and handmade accessories. One of her skirts was featured in an international commercial for Mattel's Monster High Dolls. Melissa's designs are in great demand and are inspired by 1980s' cartoons and by art nouveau and contemporary street art. Her studio is located in Boston (www.cosmicunicornz.com). Chrissy Bulakites was born in a Connecticut forest on June 12, 1989. A Gemini who works in duality and contradiction, her art marries atypical combinations - the pretty and the ugly, the light and the dark, bold color and black and white. Her digital photography and mixed media address social issues such as body image, gender identity, race. Chrissy currently resides in Boston where she earns her living with her commercial photography business. Erin O'Leary Bates is a photographer, who studied at CDIA BU, and owned her own studio by age twenty-seven. Erin draws inspiration from the vintage pin-up culture, believing that anyone can feel beautiful rocking that iconic style. |
Judith Ferrara is a highly accomplished artist, poet and educator who has been exhibiting regularly since 1999, receiving the Jacob Knight Emerging Artist award in 2000. Her work is notable for its strong expressive colors and stylized shapes and pattern in acrylics, oils, oil sticks, oil pastels, pastels, pencils, transfers and/or archival inks. The process is integral; her ongoing search for meaning leads her to tend to work in series. Judith's work has been in many solo exhibitions in addition to a long list of group shows, and her work is in numerous publications.
Larisa Martino is an ethnically Russian artist, born, raised and educated in Central Asia in the former USSR. Growing up in a multicultural environment, she developed a fusion of art styles. Larisa has a BA in Design & Art, 1993, from the University of Textile Industry (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), where she was on the costume design committee for the Independence Day Celebration of Uzbekistan in 1992, and a featured designer/participant in fashion shows at the University's Fashion Theater. Larisa arrived in the U.S. in 1995. Primarily an easel painter, she focuses on fantasy themes, illustrative ideas, and fashion sketches in acrylics, ink pen, oil pastels, color pencils, fabrics, faux finishes, or a combination for different effects. Many of her pieces are representations of feminine emotions, moods or characters. An accomplished muralist, her art has appeared in numerous galleries, private residences and commercial spaces. Larisa and her family reside in RI.
Rene Caouette has lived between Boston and Paris studying fine art and art history. Aesthetically, her work is influenced by her classical sensibilities and art historical background, developed throughout her studies and her travels throughout Europe and North America researching art work from the primitive to contemporary. Her paintings explore ubiquitous themes through the eyes of a millennial, such as identity, feminism, death, equality and addiction. As a professional female artist, Rene feels compelled to express the American/global zeitgeist and the world's expanding Diaspora. Grounded in realism and figurative narratives, her works are highly conceptual, expressing a subtle message. She has fused the symbolism of the northern renaissance, the grotesque, mysticism and contemporary performance arts into a body of work uniquely her own as a representational artist in a contemporary art world. In June 2016 she was awarded a grant by The Ringholz Foundation to fund her latest painting project, and invited to the Bakehouse Art Complex Residency Program during Miami Art Basel. She has exhibited throughout the US and France, including Paris, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Last year she was invited to join both the Copley Society of Boston and the Salmagundi Club of NYC. Most recently, the muralist Kent Twitchell awarded her the Patron Award at the Brand Art Center's 43rd annual juried exhibition in Los Angeles, saying her work shows devotion to the picture plane; she is not trying to jump on anyone's bandwagon", and "sincerity", rendering her work valuable and unique in the art world.
Sabina Mollot is an illustrator whose watercolors are fashion-inspired and often fairytale-infused. Her illustrations have been shown in New York at the National Arts Club and at Visual AIDS benefit shows. In New Jersey she has shown at Proto Gallery's Projects Studios, part of the Hoboken Art Walk, at LITM, Jersey City, and regularly at venues curated by ArtFront Galleries, a Newark-based nonprofit pop-up gallery operator. This is her first time exhibiting in Rhode Island.
Richard Bradley - "I've always had a fascination, as far back as I remember, with jewelry and all things sparkly. In my teenage years I started collecting vintage costume jewelry and my natural inclination was to explore how and where such beautiful objects were made. From working in design houses that opened in the 1930s and 40s I learned many of the old and lost techniques from some of the industries' 'old timers'. Today I'm a ten+-year veteran jewelry designer who enjoys inspiring others as well as exploring my own creative venues."
Larisa Martino is an ethnically Russian artist, born, raised and educated in Central Asia in the former USSR. Growing up in a multicultural environment, she developed a fusion of art styles. Larisa has a BA in Design & Art, 1993, from the University of Textile Industry (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), where she was on the costume design committee for the Independence Day Celebration of Uzbekistan in 1992, and a featured designer/participant in fashion shows at the University's Fashion Theater. Larisa arrived in the U.S. in 1995. Primarily an easel painter, she focuses on fantasy themes, illustrative ideas, and fashion sketches in acrylics, ink pen, oil pastels, color pencils, fabrics, faux finishes, or a combination for different effects. Many of her pieces are representations of feminine emotions, moods or characters. An accomplished muralist, her art has appeared in numerous galleries, private residences and commercial spaces. Larisa and her family reside in RI.
Rene Caouette has lived between Boston and Paris studying fine art and art history. Aesthetically, her work is influenced by her classical sensibilities and art historical background, developed throughout her studies and her travels throughout Europe and North America researching art work from the primitive to contemporary. Her paintings explore ubiquitous themes through the eyes of a millennial, such as identity, feminism, death, equality and addiction. As a professional female artist, Rene feels compelled to express the American/global zeitgeist and the world's expanding Diaspora. Grounded in realism and figurative narratives, her works are highly conceptual, expressing a subtle message. She has fused the symbolism of the northern renaissance, the grotesque, mysticism and contemporary performance arts into a body of work uniquely her own as a representational artist in a contemporary art world. In June 2016 she was awarded a grant by The Ringholz Foundation to fund her latest painting project, and invited to the Bakehouse Art Complex Residency Program during Miami Art Basel. She has exhibited throughout the US and France, including Paris, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Last year she was invited to join both the Copley Society of Boston and the Salmagundi Club of NYC. Most recently, the muralist Kent Twitchell awarded her the Patron Award at the Brand Art Center's 43rd annual juried exhibition in Los Angeles, saying her work shows devotion to the picture plane; she is not trying to jump on anyone's bandwagon", and "sincerity", rendering her work valuable and unique in the art world.
Sabina Mollot is an illustrator whose watercolors are fashion-inspired and often fairytale-infused. Her illustrations have been shown in New York at the National Arts Club and at Visual AIDS benefit shows. In New Jersey she has shown at Proto Gallery's Projects Studios, part of the Hoboken Art Walk, at LITM, Jersey City, and regularly at venues curated by ArtFront Galleries, a Newark-based nonprofit pop-up gallery operator. This is her first time exhibiting in Rhode Island.
Richard Bradley - "I've always had a fascination, as far back as I remember, with jewelry and all things sparkly. In my teenage years I started collecting vintage costume jewelry and my natural inclination was to explore how and where such beautiful objects were made. From working in design houses that opened in the 1930s and 40s I learned many of the old and lost techniques from some of the industries' 'old timers'. Today I'm a ten+-year veteran jewelry designer who enjoys inspiring others as well as exploring my own creative venues."
At GALLERY Z - "CITYSCAPES - STREETSCAPES", Thursday, Aug. 10th through Sunday, Sept. 3rd. Opening Reception Thursday, Aug. 17th, 5-9PM. Gallery Z is fortunate to represent, among other fine artists, many who paint and photograph compelling scenes of street life and vistas of cities - here and around the world - of Providence, of Rome and Venice, of famous cities local, national or international. Such artists present us with their creative ability to recognize and capture a moment, a view, a scene - via depicting residents, visitors or iconic architecture - that encapsulates the essence of the locales. This August Gallery Z will be displaying such cityscapes and streetscapes by Anthony Tomaselli, Angelo Marinosci, Jr., Lee Chabot, Ben Weiss, Linda Di Frenna, Areg Elibekian, David DeMelim, Virginia Delgado, Ruth Clegg, Stephan Brigidi, William Daby, Ian Mohon, Mark Freedman, John Gaumond, Michael Sherman, amongst many others.
Gallery Z also displays a rotating selection of original fine art (paintings, photographs, drawings, mixed media, glass, sculptures, assemblages, lithographs) from its stable of over 400 locally, nationally or internationally renowned fine artists, and fine ceramics, pottery, jewelry and Armenian and international handicrafts. The "Italy" room expands the local Federal Hill Italian atmosphere with "Dreamy Venice", handmade Murano glass gifts and jewelry chosen and imported from Venice by Gallery Associate Linda Kamajian, set amidst fine art either related to Italy or by some of Gallery Z's established Italian-American artists. Gallery Z celebrates its seventeenth year in 2017 of providing a center for experiencing fine art in a historic Providence neighborhood. Although there are no official Gallery Night events December through March, Gallery Z carries the torch by hosting a free opening reception for the current exhibit every third Thursday of the month, 12 months a year. Gallery Z is a tax-free zone. Gallery Z Hours: Wed. 12-6pm, Thurs-Sat 12-8pm, Sun. 12-6pm and by appt. or chance. ALL RECEPTIONS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |
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In September, Gallery Z will be featuring works by local, regional and internationally known Latino Artists, including Nilton Cardenas (Peru), Virginia Delgado (Uruguay), Tamara Diaz (Cuba), Liliana Fijman (Argentina), Evans Molina (Cuba), Julian Penrose (Brazil) and Sidney Tillett (Guatemala).
Nilton Cardenas is a painter born in Lima, Peru, who immigrated with his family to Miami and later moved to Providence. He studied journalism at the University of San Martin de Porres and Painting at the Institute Superior Jose Sabogal in Lima. His paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibits in the U.S. and Spain and are in private and corporate collections. He is a past Sol Gallery Board Member, which promotes Latino Art and culture. He has instructed Providence youth for years in schools and camps, and has worked for many organizations supportive of art and culture in Providence, including PASA, Achievement First Providence Mayor Academy Elementary, Blackstone Valley Community Action Program, City Arts, Dorcas Place, YMCA, Urban League of RI, Hispanic Heritage Society Museum, RISD, Providence Safe Smart Program and Providence School District. Nilton also works for the Providence School Department. Nilton has received awards from City Hall and state representatives acknowledging his art, his support and his impact as role model for Providence youth and residents. An inward search for his native origin is reflected in his art. Virginia Delgado is a photographer specializing in creating black-and-white photographs of people and their lives. A first generation American born of artistic Uruguayan parents, she grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey, surrounded by their artistic influences. Studying English Literature abroad in England, Virginia traveled through Europe by train and began photographing with her parents' old Minolta while focusing on writing; an easy transition to street photography led her to focus on people and their stories. Virginia moved to Uruguay in 2006, photographing street life in Montevideo and Maldonado while developing and printing her own images and studying darkroom skills with famed local photographer, Roberto Fernandez Ibanes. She subsequently traveled from Uruguay to New York every year. In February 2011 Virginia photographed the streets and characters of neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Virginia now lives in Bristol, RI, where she teaches English as a Second Language at Roger Williams University, while continuing to document the lives of people through her photography and to travel in pursuit of furthering her art. |
Tamara Diaz is a Providence child-and-family therapist and visual artist who works primarily with RI's Latino community. Her mother's parents were Holocaust survivors; her father arrived in the U.S. in 1962 with his family as exiles from Cuba. Tamara considers her Pop Art to contain strong emotional content, expressing "an underlying concern for the human condition and its tension with spirituality". Using markers, acrylics, pencil, pen and ink, photography, collage and computer illustration, Tamar's bold colors and strong visual imagery convey energy and optimism.
Liliana Fijman is a Providence artist from Cordoba, Argentina, where she attended film school. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1971, Liliana graduated from RIC and furthered her art studies in RISD continuing education courses. Her lifelong love of nature and plants in their multiple transformations informs her art, as Liliana has embraced paper arts as her medium - Roots, Fibers and Soul.
Evans Molina was born in Cuba in 1976 and raised in an artistic milieu of visual and performing artists. He studied historic restoration and painting in Cuba, restoring monuments island-wide, scriptwriting and film at the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) and at the Cuban Institute of Cinematography and Art (ICAIC), and performance art studies at Havana's National Folkloric Collective. Evans immigrated to the US in 2004, but Cuba continues to inform his creative endeavors. Heritage, ritual, immigration, family, folklore and legend are incorporated in his art and performances, with a goal to bridge cultures and break down the barriers and prejudices that separate us as people. Art, for me, is potentially a form of 'social medicine.' " Evans was a co-founder of the Green Brigade Project in Cuba in 2002, a five-year long multidisciplinary program that brought together Cuban artists in concerts, communal art exhibits and street performance as well as the International Book Fair in Havana. His art is expressed through painting, performance, music and video. In 2003 Evans received critical acclaim by Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain, for his short film titled "Tiempo" in 2003 and an Honorable Mention at the Independent Film Festival, Havana, in 2004, as well as at the Independent Film Festival in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He has taught extensively and performed at K-12 schools, cultural centers and community spaces. Evans founded Gallery La Nave in Providence, a former popular Gallery Night immersive art/music/dance venue and is a percussionist with local Latino band Santa Mamba.
Julian Penrose, born in Brazil in 1961, is a Providence artist who grew up in Philadelphia. Julian transforms found and recycled objects - natural materials, small manufactured items, printed images and other miniature discoveries - into three-dimensional assemblages. His intent is that recognizable objects will connect viewers to their own experiences. Julian's background in art and landscape architecture and drafting and design informs his three-D style, reminiscent of Cornell's boxes and Rauschenberg's constructions. Julian studied Art at Pitzer College, Claremont, California under the influence of collage artist Paul Darrow, and Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, Seattle. His study of architectural form is reflected in his assemblages, as he creates tiny 'landscapes' in shadowboxes and freestanding art works. Julian has been inspired by Marsden Hartley's philosophy of 'intuitive abstraction,' "where the artist allows the act of creating to drive the outcome of the piece. The subconscious mind relays meaning. The process of making art becomes a meditation of sorts" and by 'intentional randomness,' a term used to describe Joseph Cornell's assemblages, which emphasizes the process of placing items and materials intentionally, but making it seem random. In Julian's words, "I find that the most common and usual object can be made into a thing of beauty". The works are meant to draw the viewer in and connect with a moment, feeling or place that has some meaning to them, as it does to me." Julian's work has been represented in numerous solo and group exhibits, and is represented in Providence and Philadelphia.
Sidney Tillett, born in Livingston, Guatemala, immigrated to the United States in 1986. He has been painting since he was six years old and has been an educator at the Met High School in Providence, RI since September 2003. For the last several years Sidney has explored portraiture as his primary focus. In his art, he observes the connection between Central America cultures, particularly the Garifuna and African cultures, and combines the imagery with his own memories, creating dreamlike portraits.
Gallery Z also displays a rotating selection of original fine art (paintings, photographs, drawings, mixed media, glass, sculptures, assemblages, lithographs) from its stable of over 400 locally, nationally or internationally renowned fine artists, and fine ceramics, pottery, jewelry and Armenian and international handicrafts. The "Italy" room expands the local Federal Hill Italian atmosphere with "Dreamy Venice", handmade Murano glass gifts and jewelry chosen and imported from Venice by Gallery Associate Linda Kamajian, set amidst fine art either related to Italy or by some of Gallery Z's established Italian-American artists. Gallery Z celebrates its seventeenth year in 2017 of providing a center for experiencing fine art in a historic Providence neighborhood. Although there are no official Gallery Night events December through March, Gallery Z carries the torch by hosting a free opening reception for the current exhibit every third Thursday of the month, 12 months a year. Gallery Z is a tax-free zone.
Liliana Fijman is a Providence artist from Cordoba, Argentina, where she attended film school. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1971, Liliana graduated from RIC and furthered her art studies in RISD continuing education courses. Her lifelong love of nature and plants in their multiple transformations informs her art, as Liliana has embraced paper arts as her medium - Roots, Fibers and Soul.
Evans Molina was born in Cuba in 1976 and raised in an artistic milieu of visual and performing artists. He studied historic restoration and painting in Cuba, restoring monuments island-wide, scriptwriting and film at the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) and at the Cuban Institute of Cinematography and Art (ICAIC), and performance art studies at Havana's National Folkloric Collective. Evans immigrated to the US in 2004, but Cuba continues to inform his creative endeavors. Heritage, ritual, immigration, family, folklore and legend are incorporated in his art and performances, with a goal to bridge cultures and break down the barriers and prejudices that separate us as people. Art, for me, is potentially a form of 'social medicine.' " Evans was a co-founder of the Green Brigade Project in Cuba in 2002, a five-year long multidisciplinary program that brought together Cuban artists in concerts, communal art exhibits and street performance as well as the International Book Fair in Havana. His art is expressed through painting, performance, music and video. In 2003 Evans received critical acclaim by Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain, for his short film titled "Tiempo" in 2003 and an Honorable Mention at the Independent Film Festival, Havana, in 2004, as well as at the Independent Film Festival in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He has taught extensively and performed at K-12 schools, cultural centers and community spaces. Evans founded Gallery La Nave in Providence, a former popular Gallery Night immersive art/music/dance venue and is a percussionist with local Latino band Santa Mamba.
Julian Penrose, born in Brazil in 1961, is a Providence artist who grew up in Philadelphia. Julian transforms found and recycled objects - natural materials, small manufactured items, printed images and other miniature discoveries - into three-dimensional assemblages. His intent is that recognizable objects will connect viewers to their own experiences. Julian's background in art and landscape architecture and drafting and design informs his three-D style, reminiscent of Cornell's boxes and Rauschenberg's constructions. Julian studied Art at Pitzer College, Claremont, California under the influence of collage artist Paul Darrow, and Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, Seattle. His study of architectural form is reflected in his assemblages, as he creates tiny 'landscapes' in shadowboxes and freestanding art works. Julian has been inspired by Marsden Hartley's philosophy of 'intuitive abstraction,' "where the artist allows the act of creating to drive the outcome of the piece. The subconscious mind relays meaning. The process of making art becomes a meditation of sorts" and by 'intentional randomness,' a term used to describe Joseph Cornell's assemblages, which emphasizes the process of placing items and materials intentionally, but making it seem random. In Julian's words, "I find that the most common and usual object can be made into a thing of beauty". The works are meant to draw the viewer in and connect with a moment, feeling or place that has some meaning to them, as it does to me." Julian's work has been represented in numerous solo and group exhibits, and is represented in Providence and Philadelphia.
Sidney Tillett, born in Livingston, Guatemala, immigrated to the United States in 1986. He has been painting since he was six years old and has been an educator at the Met High School in Providence, RI since September 2003. For the last several years Sidney has explored portraiture as his primary focus. In his art, he observes the connection between Central America cultures, particularly the Garifuna and African cultures, and combines the imagery with his own memories, creating dreamlike portraits.
Gallery Z also displays a rotating selection of original fine art (paintings, photographs, drawings, mixed media, glass, sculptures, assemblages, lithographs) from its stable of over 400 locally, nationally or internationally renowned fine artists, and fine ceramics, pottery, jewelry and Armenian and international handicrafts. The "Italy" room expands the local Federal Hill Italian atmosphere with "Dreamy Venice", handmade Murano glass gifts and jewelry chosen and imported from Venice by Gallery Associate Linda Kamajian, set amidst fine art either related to Italy or by some of Gallery Z's established Italian-American artists. Gallery Z celebrates its seventeenth year in 2017 of providing a center for experiencing fine art in a historic Providence neighborhood. Although there are no official Gallery Night events December through March, Gallery Z carries the torch by hosting a free opening reception for the current exhibit every third Thursday of the month, 12 months a year. Gallery Z is a tax-free zone.
Autumn's annual explosion of color will be reflected inside Gallery Z this October, during which both glass and color field abstracts will be showcased.
Gallery Z is fortunate to represent two highly skilled glassmakers - Ben Giguere (b. 1978) is a Providence glassmaker who moved here in 2008 in order to further his education in additional glassmaking techniques. His journey began with a 1997 temporary job in 1997 at Simon Pearce, a world-renowned crystal glass factory in a small Vermont town, leading to his career and current life's work. Ben experimented with color in free-form glassblowing as he trained with master glassworkers from Sweden, the Czech Republic, Ireland and England. In Providence, Ben cast and molded glass into objects for Steven Weinberg, a renowned American Studio Glass movement artist, whose work has influenced Ben's own. In 2011, Ben helped create Providence's GATHER GLASS, the studio where he designs and teaches glassblowing, while working as Studio Manager at Weinberg Glass, Pawtucket, RI, and Head Glass Designer in product development at the Plant Nanny Company in Lebanon, NH. An extensive assortment of one-of-a-kind functional glassware in Ben's creative varying combinations of colors, patterns, sizes and forms will be exhibit at Gallery Z. Monte Becker is a glass artisan who has been creating stunning functional glass art and glassware since 1988. His finely crafted pieces are both beautifully colored and useful, many thin-walled in exquisitely pleasing colors. Monte creates his pieces in the classic Venetian style of transparent glass, which takes on color with the addition of metals, gold for rose and ruby tones, cobalt for blue. Each has a Roman foot, a classic 2,000-year-old form found on vessels in Jerusalem. Gallery Z will be showing a collection of small Roman-footed bowls in rose and cobalt blue. Although lightweight, they are sturdy for daily use. Monte lives and creates his art glass in Massachusetts. In addition, boldly colored abstract paintings will be on display by Farnaz Mobayyen, Linnea Toney Leeming, Stephen Silver, J. C. Lazarus, Bob Dilworth, Fran Henry-Meehan and Liz Dexheimer, amongst others. Gallery Z also displays a rotating selection of original fine art (paintings, photographs, drawings, mixed media, glass, sculptures, assemblages, lithographs) from its stable of over 400 locally, nationally or internationally renowned fine artists, and fine ceramics, pottery, jewelry and Armenian and international handicrafts. The "Italy" room expands the local Federal Hill Italian atmosphere with "Dreamy Venice", handmade Murano glass gifts and jewelry chosen and imported from Venice by Gallery Associate Linda Kamajian, set amidst fine art either related to Italy or by some of Gallery Z's established Italian-American artists. Gallery Z celebrates its seventeenth year in 2017 of providing a center for experiencing fine art in a historic Providence neighborhood. Although there are no official Gallery Night events December through March, Gallery Z carries the torch by hosting a free opening reception for the current exhibit every third Thursday of the month, 12 months a year. Gallery Z is a tax-free zone. |