Steven Pennell is the Founder and Coordinator of the URI Providence Campus Arts and Culture Program since 1996 with a fulltime gallery of monthly exhibit and performances. He is a Theatre Director, Oral Historian, Actor and Musician, and Lecturer in Theatre History and Performance. We asked him few questions about his life and art-making in Rhode Island for our series, Rhode Island Cultural Anchors.
RISCA: Give us a brief overview of your day yesterday- what did you do in both your personal and professional life?
SP: I picked vegetables, went to the gym, and worked on administration for the Fall Semester of monthly exhibits and events ending with a follow up meeting on the Public School Art Exhibit from last May.
RISCA: What do you love about the art scene in Rhode Island?
SP: The art community is so vibrant and varied. There is something for everyone and so many opportunities available to enjoy.
RISCA: Why do you make Rhode Island your home, and how did you end up here?
SP: I was born in Rhode Island, but I lived and worked in New York,
Ohio, Korea, Great Britian and Germany as a Theatre Director, Performer and Educator. I returned to Rhode Isalnd in 1994 to reestablish my roots and begin exploring new opportunities here in the visual and performing arts committed to education and social change.
RISCA: What is one thing that you want to accomplish in the next year?
SP: Establishing a PVD Solo Performance Festival.
RISCA: What is one thing you think the art community in Rhode Island needs?
SP: More interconnectedness, and more communication channels.
Previously an internationally acclaimed opera singer and fluent in five languages, Pamela A. Pantos has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera of Athens, and State Theater of Munich. Her experience on the stage and in the boardroom has transformed organizations, such as Arts Consulting Group, Opera North, and Newport Music Festival, by creating new revenue streams, reducing costs, and facilitating strategic partnerships. She is currently the Executive Director of the Newport Music Festival. We asked her a few questions about her life and art-making in Rhode Island for our series, Rhode Island Cultural Anchors.
