Celebrating Diversity Art Exhibit at the Attleboro Art Museum
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010Celebrating Diversity
A multi-cultural exhibition honoring communities, backgrounds and points of view.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: This February, the Attleboro Arts Museum welcomes
Celebrating Diversity – a breakthrough multi-cultural arts exhibition.
Celebrating Diversity represents the greatness that can be achieved when we
embrace diversity and inclusion. Elena Calderón-Patiño, Community Arts Program
Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), curates this group
show featuring a variety of media from over 40 New England artists.
Exhibition Dates:
February 23 – March 13, 2010
Location:
Attleboro Arts Museum
86 Park Street, Attleboro, MA 02703
508.222.2644
www.attleboroartsmuseum.org
From February 23 – March 13, 2010 the Attleboro Arts Museum will present
Celebrating Diversity – a multi-cultural exhibition honoring communities,
backgrounds and points of view. Gallery-goers will view personal responses to life
in, for example, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, China; examine
artwork developed for the visually impaired; discover the creative strength of an
artist with developmental challenges; and explore contemporary visual statements of
global importance. Celebrating Diversity offers a range of media and concepts.
Celebrating Diversity was initially on display at The Atrium Gallery at One Capitol
Hill, Providence, RI, (a gallery run by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts)
during August and September 2009. The exhibition launched as a group show that
included the work of artists currently living in Rhode Island. Due to popular demand
and interest it has grown to incorporate a range of artists that live and work in
Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. This expansion has made for a very
intriguing collection of reflections and statements
“Regardless of where we come from or who we are, we all can be moved by a
powerful concept and well executed visual work”, comments Mim Brooks Fawcett,
Executive Director of the Attleboro Arts Museum. Fawcett continues, “The vibrant
and varied art in this exhibition is thought-provoking, and will undoubtedly touch all
viewers. Using a rich mix of personal messages and a range of creative techniques
Celebrating Diversity truly reflects the idea that art is a universal language.”
Exhibiting
Exhibiting Artists
Joshua 2, Nancy Aleo, Pablo Alvarez, Elizabeth Arseneau, John Avakian, Juan Jose Barboza-
Gubo, Dan Butterworth, Taliabah & Carlos Cabral, Josh Carter, Jiyoung Chung, Cinzia
Cittadino, Nancy Cusack, Felix Diclo, Iris Donnelly, Samantha Fields, Ana Flores, Nancy
Gaucher-Thomas, Eric Mora Guillén, Francisco Hernandez, Ciriaco Herrero, Ezequiel
Jiménez, Grimm Lee, Hiroko Lee, Nixon Ledger, Farnaz Mobayyen, Munir Mohammed, Betsy
McLaughlin, Maria Napolitano, Clare Nesdall, Debra Olin, Agustín Patiño, Kristan Rangel,
Tony Reeves, Monique Rolle Johnson, Amy Jean Romero, Cynthia Ross-Meeks, Affandi
Setiawan, Hiroko Shikashio, Balam Soto, Dawn Spears, C.A. Stigliano, Mark Taber, Brittanny
Taylor, Peter Thibeault, Sidney Tillett, Luis Villanueva, Jessi Vohs.
Elena Calderón-Patiño, Community Arts Program Director of the Rhode Island State
Council on the Arts (RISCA), remarks “The motivation behind the 1st Annual
Celebrating Diversity exhibit at the Atrium Gallery in Providence, RI, was to promote
art as a means of facilitating cross-cultural dialogue. After an overwhelming
response to the exhibit, I envisioned the show traveling throughout the New
England area. This led to a conversation with Mim Brooks Fawcett, Executive
Director of the Attleboro Art Museum, to discuss the prospect of moving the show to
her location and she welcomed the idea.” Calderón-Patiño continues, “We then
began working on an expanded version of the Celebrating Diversity exhibit for the
Attleboro Arts Museum, featuring over 40 artists from Rhode Island, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and New York. We also talked about hosting future regional multicultural
exhibits that will include nationally and internationally renowned artists, as
well as Southern New England artists with a range of challenges.”
“The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is pleased to collaborate with the
Attleboro Art Museum and all of these extraordinary and diverse artists in presenting
this important show” states Randall Rosenbaum, Executive Director, Rhode Island
State Council on the Art (RISCA). “The citizens of Rhode Island and Massachusetts
are fortunate to have artists of this caliber living and working in their communities.
We are committed to supporting this work, and the work of all artists, for the value
that they bring to life in southern New England.”
“Since 2001, The Rhode Island Department of Administration, Human Resources
Outreach & Diversity Office (HROD) has partnered with Rhode Island State Council
on the Arts (RISCA) to showcase the work of black and Latino artists from the
Rhode Island area. Our shows have served as a means through which their artistic
voice could be heard,” comments Cheryl Burrell, Administrator, Rhode Island
Department of Administration, Human Resources Outreach & Diversity Office
(HROD). “In 2009 we launched our first Celebrating Diversity exhibit featuring the
work of a more diverse group of Rhode Island artists. The show was a huge
success, largely due to the efforts of our curator, Elena Calderón-Patiño, RISCA’s
Community Arts Program Director. I look forward to the Attleboro Arts Museum’s
expanded Celebrating Diversity exhibition.”
Several related arts experiences will take place at the Attleboro Arts Museum during
the Celebrating Diversity exhibition.
Events include:
1. Attleboro’s Winter Night Festival
Saturday, February 27th, 2010; 6-10pm
Directly outside the Attleboro Arts Museum, Downtown Attleboro
Free and open to the public
Attleboro’s Winter Night Festival is a one-night, outdoor/indoor, family-friendly arts
event celebrating visual arts, music, performance, culinary adventures and
children/family activities. The Attleboro Cultural Council (a Local Cultural Council of the Mass
Cultural Council) is the lead sponsor of Attleboro’s Winter Night Festival.
2. Attleboro Arts Museum Annual Poetry Slam
Saturday, March 6th; 2-5 pm
Attleboro Arts Museum Ottmar Gallery
Free and open to the public
Hosted by Boston SlamMaster Simone Beaubien
The Boston Poetry Slam and the Attleboro Arts Museum present the fifth annual
Attleboro Arts Museum Poetry Slam on March 6, 2010. Poets, listeners, and art
enthusiasts of all ages are invited to attend this high-energy literary event. “Poetry
Slam” is most easily defined as the art of competitive poetry. Poets nineteen years
of age and under are invited to compete in a “youth” competition. An adult poetry
slam, open to all, will close the afternoon. All members of the public are invited to
attend to listen, compete, or judge as one of the Museum’s most dynamic programs
celebrates its fifth year of poetic fun. The Celebrating Diversity exhibition will serve
as a backdrop for the Poetry Slam.
3. “Picturing Connections”: Spotlight Exhibit at the Attleboro Arts Museum
Saturday, March 13th; 2-4 pm
Attleboro Arts Museum Ottmar Gallery
Free and open to the public
“Picturing Connections”, a visual arts education workshop series at the Attleboro
Arts Museum, featured hands-on classes with artist-in-residence, Cristina Hajosy,
and culminates with spotlight exhibitions in the Museum’s Ottmar Gallery and
Attleboro City Hall. This series was funded by VSA arts of Massachusetts and served
adult students with developmental disabilities from the Arc of Northern Bristol
County. “Picturing Connections” encouraged participants to visualize and appreciate
their surroundings for the larger possibilities, while empowering them through art to
become involved in community betterment and support.
About RISCA
Established in 1967, the RI State Council on the Arts (RISCA) is charged by the state
of Rhode Island legislature to stimulate public interest and participation in the arts
and to serve as the liaison to the state arts community. www.arts.ri.gov
About the Attleboro Arts Museum
The Attleboro Arts Museum involves audiences of all ages and backgrounds in the
visual arts through diverse educational programs and engaging arts experiences.
We work to support the creative and artistic development of both promising and
professional artists. The Museum is a privately supported, non-profit arts institution
whose core commitment to Arts for Everyone guides the Museum’s programs and
operations. www.attleboroartsmuseum.org
Contact:
Elena Calderón-Patiño
Community Arts Program
Rhode Island State Council for the Arts
One Capital Hill
Providence, RI 02908
401-222-6996 epatino@arts.ri.gov
Mim Brooks Fawcett
Director Executive Director
Attleboro Arts Museum
86 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
508-222-2644 x11
epatino@arts.ri.gov mfawcett@attleboroartsmuseum.org
