Special video of Bert Gallery’s recent Gallery Night Providence program, Artistic Life in Providence, which took place on August 21st 2008.
On Thursday August 21, 2008, Bert Gallery hosted the program, Artistic Life in Providence, a discussion moderated by RISD Museum Assistant Director James Hall and featuring local, veteran artists Frank Gasbarro, Nick Paciorek and Paula Martiesian.
What is it like to be a professional artist in Providence? What challenges would you face? What are the benefits of being surrounded by so many other artists? How do you deal with the unpredictable art market? Through this discussion, we hoped to gain an understanding of the life of an artist in this city.
The backdrop for this program is the series of Summer Pocket Shows at Bert Gallery, featuring the paintings of three local contemporary artists. Paula Martiesian, Frank Gasbarro, and Nick Paciorek have uniquely personal styles and approaches to painting, ranging from fairly realistic cityscapes, to painterly landscapes, to entirely abstract images. Each artist faces different obstacles in their careers and has their own unique relationship with the Rhode Island arts community.
Moderator
James Hall is Assistant Director of the RISD Museum. Previously, he worked for twenty years at RISD as the Director of Campus Design and Exhibition. He has advised numerous private and corporate collectors on the acquisition and installation of contemporary art and has extensive knowledge of living artists in the New England region.
Panelists
Frank Gasbarro seeks to evoke a response with his paintings. Throughout his career, he has used bold colors and geometric shapes to create striking images, reflecting his view of the world. The current Pocket Show features his newest works form 2008.
Nick Paciorek is best known for his vibrant paintings of busy cities. Most recently, he has finished a series focused around the theaters of Rhode Island. Though he grew up in Chicago and graduated form Maryland Institute’s College of Art, he has settled in Rhode Island, crediting the area with providing a wealth of subject matter for his paintings.
Paula Martiesian is well known for her fearless use of bright colors and strong brushstrokes to represent the natural world around her. She is also very active in the Rhode Island arts community as a co-founder of Gallery Night Providence and the curator for the Bank Rhode Island galleries.