State Arts Council Announces New Art on Display at T.F. Green Airport Gallery
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today that a new art exhibition, entitled THE GREATER WHOLE, will be held from September 12, 2014 through January 2, 2015 at GREEN SPACE, an art gallery at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick that presents the work of contemporary Rhode Island artists.
The exhibition presents works by Ben Watkins, Ben Blanc and Troy West. Watkins and Blanc present their works in multiples or assemblages to create a larger whole, while West presents a body of work which collectively forms a pictorial history. The ancient quote by Aristotle, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, is particularly apt in reference to the works by these three artists.
Much like a parade of scientific specimens, Ben Watkins’ installation Time Line features multiple small reliefs arranged off of a center axis. Each relief depicts a single form or line, executed in pristine white plaster; the absence of color allows each form to take center stage. Displayed collectively, the work becomes encyclopedic, showcasing the possibilities of sculptural relief. Among other honors, Watkins is the 2015 recipient the RISCA Fellowship in three-dimensional art.
Ben Blanc’s sculptural works use the repetition of shape to create new experiences. His grouping, Graphite Pendant Lights creates three different variations simply by rotating one shape. In his freestanding sculpture Cloud, individual translucent forms are combined to create a collected mass of shape and color. Blanc is a visiting faculty member in furniture design at RISD, and has exhibited his sculptural and functional objects both nationally and internationally.
Troy West has had a lifelong fascination with the abandoned mill buildings of New England. Executed exclusively on site, each individual drawing has a passionate, obsessive quality. Exhibited as a group, the work documents a part of New England history; A record of each site individually, as well as the bygone economy they represent. As an architect, artist and sculptor, West has exhibited widely and received numerous accolades in a career spanning over 50 years.
The artists were selected for exhibition by an accomplished panel: Sam Duket, artist and former GREEN SPACE exhibitor; Ellen McBreen, art historian and professor at Wheaton College and Victoria Lichtendorf, Director of Education at Storm King Art Center.
GREEN SPACE, a partnership between the Rhode Island Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, promotes outstanding work by artists living and working in Rhode Island. The gallery presents art to an ever-changing audience of local, national and international travelers. GREEN SPACE is located in the airport terminal where the skywalk meets the main building. Art is exhibited on both levels of the terminal.
About RISCA:
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.
About RIAC:
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation operates T.F. Green Airport and the five general aviation airports in Rhode Island. A long-time supporter of public art in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation has worked with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts on a number of public art commissions.
