Bert Gallery

RISD Class of 1897: F. Usher DeVoll, Eliza Gardiner and Mabel Woodward [Pocket Show]
March 3 – May 7, 2010

Providence, RI. Bert Gallery, located along the Providence waterfront at Corliss Landing at 540 South Water Street, continues its twenty-five year anniversary celebration with the Pocket Exhibit, RISD Class of 1897: F. Usher DeVoll, Eliza Gardiner and Mabel Woodward. New Gallery Hours! The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11am-5pm, Saturday 12-4pm, closed on Sunday and by appointment Monday-Tuesday. Call ahead – we are often at the gallery working during off hours! Free parking is available on the street in front of the gallery or in the parking lot across the street. Exhibits are free and open to the public. For further information, please visit www.bertgallery.com.

The founding of Rhode Island School of Design in 1878 ushered in a new era of cultural enlightenment in Providence and the contributions of this institution to the world of art continues today. The recent publication, Infinite Radius: The Founding of the Rhode Island School of Design, documents the rich and varied contributions of the art school. A remarkable trio of artists graduated from the fledgling institution in 1897: DeVoll, Gardiner and Woodward. These three artists would go out into the world of art and make contributions that give testimony to the strength of this visual arts program.

This Pocket Exhibit takes a rare look at the three artists together, exhibiting works that have remained in private collections since the 1940s. Mabel Woodward is presently the most widely recognized of the three artists and was awarded the first scholarship offered to RISD. She joined F. Usher DeVoll in heading to New York City to make her mark in the competitive American art market. Meanwhile, classmate Eliza Gardiner would head down to Provincetown and embrace the newly emerging American Color woodcut coterie.