Hank Gilpin enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design to do graduate work in photojournalism after serving as a photojournalist in Vietnam. He instead discovered the joy of woodworking under the influence of instructor Tage Frid, who convinced Gilpin to enter the world of studio furniture. After apprenticing with Frid, Gilpin established his shop […]

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NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio: Ann Fessler is a photographer, installation artist, filmmaker and author. Her non-fiction work brings the stories of ordinary people into the public sphere. For the last 35 years Fessler has focused on the subject of adoption. The work in this exhibition is […]

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David DeMelim pursues parallel explorations in printmaking and photography. He earned a BFA from the University of Rhode Island, studying with Bart Parker and Chris Cordes, and has been involved in advancing computer driven printing technology. With a focus on the built landscape and its human connections, DeMelim considers form, weight and proximity in his […]

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NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio: Dennis Congdon holds a BFA in Painting from RISD and an MFA from Yale. IN 1983 he won the Prix de Rome and became a Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. He has taught painting and drawing at the School of […]

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NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio: For the past decade Benson has continued to carry on the rarified craft of letter carving as well as exploring a new thread of artistically expressive and intellectual work that examines the scientific and informational languages of the digital age, and the […]

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Gail Whitsitt-Lynch’s art reflects her curiosity and fascination with animate structures, examining how and why they appear over and over again in nature. With her work she hopes to draw viewers into a dialogue, intending to widen the definition of artists’ community. She explores a variety of materials, both two- and three-dimensional. Wood is the […]

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NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio: Artist Meredith Stern has a BFA in Ceramics from Tulane University in New Orleans. She is a founding member of the international group the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative. She has a multifaceted practice that includes printmaking, ‘zine publishing, gardening, and utilitarian ceramic ware. […]

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Brian Shure is a painter and printmaker working with representations of people in public spaces. He received a BA from Antioch College. He worked as a professional lithographer for 15 years, has published and printed editions under the Smalltree Press imprint, and was a Master Printer and Coordinator of the China Woodblock Program at Crown […]

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Originally inspired by the redwood forests in her native California, Allison Newsome sculpts on site, in response to the land. She writes, “I tote my clay, wax, aluminum, plaster, into the elements and then return to my studio with the memories embedded in my fingertips, like a naturalist returning from the field with specimens.” Her […]

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Mary Beth Meehan is a photographer whose work explores issues of culture, community, and visibility. She undertakes long-term, in-depth projects, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, RISCA, RICH, and others. “City of Champions,” her first public installation, in her hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts, was featured on the New York Times LENS blog, […]

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NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection Exhibition, WaterFire Arts Center (2024) Bio: The images that I chose represent my most recent series of work. I produce about 10 to 20 works per series. In each series i try to explore new images as well as inventing new processes It keeps me excited about producing […]

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With camera in hand, Reenie Barrow is equally happy photographing flowers from her back yard as well as packing her bags and traveling from Havana to Hanoi, through the Mid-East, Europe, Mexico, Asia, Easter Island and several movie sets. She says, “The thread that binds my work is a straightforward presentation with the ultimate goal […]

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