Folk and Traditional Arts – Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

Artworks by Cynthia “Listens to the Wind” Ross Meeks to be on display at the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill, April 11 – June 7

March 30, 2023April 4, 2023fayezuckerman

Artist Cynthia “Listens to the Wind” Ross Meeks

Mark your calendar for the opening reception on Thursday, April 20, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today works by Native American artist Cynthia “Listens to the Wind” Ross Meeks will be on display from April 11 to June 7 at the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill on the main floor of the state’s Administration Building in Providence. The exhibit, called In Flight, features Indigenous circles formed by an assemblage of exquisite feathers.

The opening reception in the gallery will be on Thursday, April 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meet the artist on Thursday, May 11, from noon to 1 p.m. Both events are open to the public.

“Knowledge of my ancestry and culture was the catalyst for the creation of this exhibition of Indigenous circles,” Ross Meeks said. “The work emanates from a sacred circle shape, used in cultures around the world, as a form of spiritual practice. I draw my inspiration from a rich history of using shields in Native American culture.”

Ross Meeks traced her ancestry back to the Royal House of the Pokanoket Tribe, a direct descent of Massasoit. Narragansett, Pequot and Wampanoag tribal nations are part of her family tree. Ross Meeks communes with the Native American community and incorporates love of her ancestry and anthropology into the artwork she creates.

“We are all under the same sky” – Cynthia “Listens to the Wind” Ross Meeks

Upcoming Gallery events

Opening Reception, Thursday, April 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Meet the Artist, Thursday, May 11, from noon to 1 p.m.

Both are at the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill on the first floor of the state Administration Building in Providence, and open to the public.

Exhibit details
What: In Flight, by Cynthia “Listens to the Wind” Ross Meeks Solo Exhibition, Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill, Providence.
When: On display, April 11 – June 7. Open to the public, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill is on the first floor of the state Administration Building in Providence

RISCA staff members assist in navigating the FY22 fall grant application process

September 27, 2021September 28, 2021fayezuckerman

View the video of the fall grant workshop

Get your questions to staff prior to 6 p.m. on deadline day– October. 1. The portal closes at 11:59 p.m.

Click here to sign up for open office hours on Oct. 1.

View the Power Point presentation

Our helpful and friendly RISCA staff can assist you with your grant application needs. In addition, we are available to meet with you about your grant ideas. We are offering grant writing and budgeting workshops, drop-in hours and one on one meetings during August and September so you can meet our Oct. 1 deadline.

In addition to open office hours on Oct. 1, the staff is available for schedule meetings throughout the open granting period.

How to schedule a one-on-one meeting

Arts Access Grant

Todd Trebour, Organizations Program Director, will be holding one-on-one virtual meetings for nonprofit organizations interested in Arts Access Grants organizations. He will answer any questions you have about the grant program. He can also help you with the budget forms; review any specific answers you’ve written; or any other assistance you need with your grant application.

You can sign up for either a 30 minute or 1-hour meeting slot. To schedule a meeting with Todd, click here.

If none of the dates or times listed works for you, email Todd at todd.trebour@arts.ri.gov for alternate date or time.

Project Grants in Education and Individuals in Education

Maggie Anderson, Director of Arts In Education, will be holding one-on-one meetings for nonprofit organizations, artists and schools interested in Project Grants in Education for Individual.

For more information and to schedule a meeting to assist you with your grant application, email Maggie Anderson at Maggie.Anderson@arts.ri.gov.

Fellowships

Mollie Flanagan, Individual Artists Program Director, will be holding one-on-one virtual meetings for artists interested in fellowships for individual artists. She will be answering any questions you have about the grant program.

You can sign up for drop-in hours with Mollie. Here is a listing of Mollie’s meetings. Please sign up in advance for the following drop-in hours.

For office hours for Fellowships, please sign up in advance by clicking here.

Folk Arts Fellowships and Apprenticeships

Elena Calderón Patiño, Community Arts Program Director, will hold meetings for artists and culture organizations interested in folk arts. The folk arts are defined as those artistic practices which are community or family-based and express that community’s aesthetic heritage and tradition.

For more information and to schedule a meeting, contact Elena.Patino@arts.ri.gov.

Project Grants in Healthcare

For more information on Project Grants in Healthcare, contact Randall.Rosenbaum@arts.ri.gov.

RIEAP Alumni Consultant Program offers mentoring to the latest cohort

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021fayezuckerman

On April 21, Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program alumnus Chief Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson and Denise Barge hosted a workshop for the 2019-2022 RIEAP Cohort. They brought with them insightful knowledge and guidance on LLC’s, nonprofits, and alternative business. Workshops such as theirs are specifically designed to meet the needs of individual organizations within the RIEAP Cohort.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is denise.png — Denise Barge

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is daryl-close-up.png — Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson

Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson, a RIEAP Alumni Consultant, is the Clan Chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation. The Pocasset Tribe’s reservation called Wattupa is based in Fall River. Chief Jamieson has been the Drum Director of the Eastern Medicine Singers for the last 13 years, and the CEO of Eastern Medicine Cultural LLC, a for-profit company. He runs Black Eagle Productions, a new media and music company promoting culture and music productions. For more information about the Eastern Medicine Singers click here.

Denise Barge is the proprietor of Barge & Associates, LLC, (established in 2009) which provides planning, management and operational consulting to nonprofits and small business owners seeking assistance in starting, growing or sustaining their organizations and companies.

RIEAP Alumni Consultant Program was developed to recognize the important role the alumni play in strengthening their communities including cultural preservation, education, and youth development. Having gone through the program, the alumni continue their leadership role as culturally sensitive consultants who share their knowledge while mentoring the new cohort to become future leaders. It also serves as a professional development opportunity for the alumni. This program becomes an incubator for consultants of color from Africa, Latinx, Arab, Asian, and Native American (ALAANA) communities.

For more information about the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program, visit the website or click here.