It’s 1875, a year before Edward Mitchell Bannister becomes the first Black painter to win a nationally recognized award. He and his wife Christiana Carteaux Bannister are taking a slow stroll down Westminster St. towards the bridge crossing the Woonasquatucket River. They are coming from her salon, where she operates as a successful “hair-doctress” for […]
Last summer, a statue of a bronze man sitting alone on a bench appeared in PVD’s Market Square. Although he can’t introduce himself, his bench bears his name: Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901). If you aren’t familiar with Bannister, you likely know the Providence Art Club, which he helped found. During his life, Bannister was considered […]
Julius Kolawole works with a young volunteer to plant seeds. Photos courtesy of the African Alliance of RI. There is nothing that defines a culture more intrinsically than its food. The food a region eats is the first clue to its geography. A society on the ocean, in a humid climate, is more likely to […]
Before Dutchess SS (aka Janaya Gonsalves) was gracing the stages of southern New England as a stand-up comedian, she was working a sequence of jobs that she says quickly resolved any nervousness she might have about performing in front of people. She reflects on working in food service, saying it’s hard to be nervous in […]
On this day, whichever day you are reading this, it is important as ever to remember that although Black people account for about 13% of the US population, they make up almost 40% of the incarcerated population. The disparities get wider when we consider the War on Drugs: Black people are nearly four times more […]
I enter the Pawtucket Art Collaborative‘s gallery in Lorraine Mills and look at the art filling the room. It’s still early in the evening and the show’s energy is beginning to buzz. It doesn’t take long for Islay Taylor, The Steel Yard‘s associate director, to introduce herself. Taylor is friendly, despite the air of danger […]
Anti-Robot Club (ARC) is a community that is constantly looking to expand and provide new opportunities for creatives to display their talents and reach a wider audience. Their tagline states they are “dedicated to the preservation of mankind through a series of social gatherings and creative campaigns.” The marketplaces they host throughout the year feature […]
In the little-known world of the choral arts, The Providence Singers serve as a benchmark for southern New England. Headquartered in East Providence, this 80+ member ensemble has delivered countless impeccable performances over the last decade. Collaborations with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra have included full scale works such as Mahler’s 2nd and 3rd Symphonies, […]
Dear C; I have had it. I am sick and tired of myself. Every year I resolve to make the same changes and I start off with such a great attitude and so much enthusiasm, and then it just kind of dribbles off. I didn’t even bother to try this year. I know I have […]
When Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was granted public domain status in the 1970s – when copyright for the work reached its term of the author’s life plus 100 years – the freedom of not having to pay licensing fees or stick to the original text resulted in all kinds of poetic license in numerous, widely […]