Work by Women Billboard Project
The Hive Archive's Work by Women Billboard Project is a rotating outdoor exhibition of work by Rhode Island women artists. The billboard is installed on the exterior of The Hive's historic Gasometer, located on the corner of Manton Avenue and Aleppo Street in the Olneyville Neighborhood of Providence.
The Work by Women Billboard Project is made possible through generous support from the RI State Council on the Arts and YouthBuild Providence.
The Work by Women Billboard Project is made possible through generous support from the RI State Council on the Arts and YouthBuild Providence.
Currently on Exhibition: Anna Shapiro, Joinery
Anna Shapiro's Joinery is a looming, playful, feminine landscape. It is ridiculous, like the attack of the 50 foot woman from a vintage science fiction film. The scale of the mixed media billboard in contrast to the softness of its real life elements is both feminine and authoritative, subverting the timid teapot and creating an absurd over-sized doily landscape of delicate objects. Joinery is part of a larger body of work called Piecework; presenting domestic and global issues of gender, aggression, and consumption. To learn more about Anna and see more of her work, go to: www.artbyannashapiro.com.
Joinery will be installed on The Hive's building through the end of October 2010.
Special Thanks to Jae Wyllie Willard, founder of New England Nannies, who volunteered her time as Anna's studio assistant. Learn more about Jae and her flexible and affordable approach to childcare for the modern family by clicking the link above. And thanks to Indie Arts Fest for hosting the last leg of Anna's creative process and to all the festival attendees who contributed a flower and sparkle to the billboard.
Joinery will be installed on The Hive's building through the end of October 2010.
Special Thanks to Jae Wyllie Willard, founder of New England Nannies, who volunteered her time as Anna's studio assistant. Learn more about Jae and her flexible and affordable approach to childcare for the modern family by clicking the link above. And thanks to Indie Arts Fest for hosting the last leg of Anna's creative process and to all the festival attendees who contributed a flower and sparkle to the billboard.
Past Billboards:
Heather Guidero, Spring 2010
Jewelry designer, Heather Guidero, designed and constructed her billboard from recycled jewelry pieces, rhinestones, and copper. Heather chose copper so that the work will patina over time in order to look more like the natural world. Heather is a jeweler who currently resides in Providence. She received a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design in 2002. Heather worked as a goldsmith in NYC for three years before returning to Providence and establishing her own business in 2005. Heather currently teaches youth and adult jewelry classes at The Steel Yard, as well as designing pieces for stores and galleries across the country. Check out Heather's jewelry here.
Jewelry designer, Heather Guidero, designed and constructed her billboard from recycled jewelry pieces, rhinestones, and copper. Heather chose copper so that the work will patina over time in order to look more like the natural world. Heather is a jeweler who currently resides in Providence. She received a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design in 2002. Heather worked as a goldsmith in NYC for three years before returning to Providence and establishing her own business in 2005. Heather currently teaches youth and adult jewelry classes at The Steel Yard, as well as designing pieces for stores and galleries across the country. Check out Heather's jewelry here.
Laurencia Strauss, Winter 2010
"el rio...the rivah..." reminded passersby of the connection between the urban neighborhood and the nearby Woonasquatucket River, an example of the historical growth of communities along rivers throughout New England. Rivers carve their way through land to reach the ocean, in this case forming words. Watering holes (ponds, potholes, puddles) are scattered throughout the area and accumulate towards the river, reminding us that water everywhere is connected and meets in watersheds, rivers and then oceans. Shaded topographic lines highlight the text of the river as it interacts with a crosswalk, as this is an urban river. Rivers in New England have historically been the spine of energy, innovation and creative communities. The billboard design, made of roofing paper, water bottles and paint, suggests the possible exchange of energy from water flow to creativity in this vibrant neighborhood.
Laurencia Strauss is an artist, designer and educator working across art, design and ecology. Her work expands experience by interrupting routines of seeing and learning and by asking people to reconsider their relationships to local social and ecological systems. She is currently teaching at the Boston Architectural College and will serve as a Scholar in Residence at New Urban Arts in Providence this summer. She recently received funding from RISCA for a spring project related to urban landscapes. She has a degree in sculpture from California College of the Arts, a master's in landscape architecture from Rhode Island School of Design, and has studied at Penland School of Crafts. Laurencia lives in Providence, RI.
"el rio...the rivah..." reminded passersby of the connection between the urban neighborhood and the nearby Woonasquatucket River, an example of the historical growth of communities along rivers throughout New England. Rivers carve their way through land to reach the ocean, in this case forming words. Watering holes (ponds, potholes, puddles) are scattered throughout the area and accumulate towards the river, reminding us that water everywhere is connected and meets in watersheds, rivers and then oceans. Shaded topographic lines highlight the text of the river as it interacts with a crosswalk, as this is an urban river. Rivers in New England have historically been the spine of energy, innovation and creative communities. The billboard design, made of roofing paper, water bottles and paint, suggests the possible exchange of energy from water flow to creativity in this vibrant neighborhood.
Laurencia Strauss is an artist, designer and educator working across art, design and ecology. Her work expands experience by interrupting routines of seeing and learning and by asking people to reconsider their relationships to local social and ecological systems. She is currently teaching at the Boston Architectural College and will serve as a Scholar in Residence at New Urban Arts in Providence this summer. She recently received funding from RISCA for a spring project related to urban landscapes. She has a degree in sculpture from California College of the Arts, a master's in landscape architecture from Rhode Island School of Design, and has studied at Penland School of Crafts. Laurencia lives in Providence, RI.