Join a conversation with Rhode Island artists whose work addresses a variety of environmental issues and instigations, and learn how they use their work to calibrate, celebrate, test, and protest the evolving consequences of human interaction on the physical environment.
FirstWorks and the Providence Athenaeum present Sylvia Ann Soares (niece of the late, great jazz pianist Eddie Soares) and psychology professor and jazz aficionado Ferdinand Jones (co-editor of the anthology of essays "The Triumph of the Soul: Cultural and Psychological Aspects of African American Music") for a fascinating discussion about the role of jazz in Rhode Island history and culture.
Jed Hancock-Brainerd and Rebecca Noon of Strange Attractor discuss Rhode Islanders’ relationship with the ocean and their upcoming performance. Hancock-Brainerd and Noon researched Rhode Islanders’ relationship with the ocean in preparation for a 100-person Sea Pageant performed on August 21, 2017 on First Beach in Newport during a solar eclipse. They found materials related to […]
As part of the Pulitzer Campfires Initiative, Akiko Busch discusses the way that essay form promotes a kind of collaborative thinking, accommodating both sciences and humanities. Mining the works of groundbreaking naturalists for their ruminations on the relationship of science, literature, and human emotion, she looks for evidence of how the practice of citizen science, […]
This Open Sesame Salon will concentrate on the process involved in bringing together all the layers of the "Of Nature Composed" program which Sherba is developing for The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities What is the 21st Century Essay?, a series of programs to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 through […]
Photo-based artist Annu Palajunnathu Matthew is an Indian from India, who lives near Providence's India Point, and uses photography to relook at histories. She will discuss her creative journey as she explored the Providence Athenaeum's Special Collections and learned more about Rhode Island's long history with non-white immigrants. Note: This event is free but reservations […]
The undercurrent of the American spirit is driven by the ideals of progress, resiliency, and modernization. Will Reeves, sculptor and founder of The Wurks, will discuss his research at the Athenaeum, the driving force of progress in today's world, and perspectives of the 19th century to discover if there are parallels the 21st century can learn […]
SALON: Architectural historian Ijlal Muzaffar as part of the Open Sesame project In 19th century England, Providence’s global reach was attested by its literary output. Yet for many in India, the city’s reach was experienced unknowingly through its chickens. Architectural historian Ijlal Muzaffar will explore how and why the Rhode Island Red was known as […]
SALON: Poet and writer Colin Channer as part of the Open Sesame project Poet and fiction writer Colin Channer will read and discuss poems arising from encounters with books, maps, and documents about food in the Athenæum’s archives. The exploration continues the journey of his artistic life – all the multitude of ways in which […]
Join us for a community talk-back showcasing Echoing Histories, a documentary video created by filmmaker David H. Wells which follows his wife Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, a Rhode Island immigrant artist and woman of color, as she navigates cultures and immigrant experiences around the world. The discussion will be led by scholar and critic Bakirathi Mani […]
