 Exhibition, Film Screening, and Conversation to
Celebrate the Legacy of Edward Mitchell Bannister Bristol, RI — The Bristol Art Museum announces In Bannister’s Footsteps, a special exhibition and program in recognition of Black History Month honoring the life, work, and enduring influence of Edward Mitchell Bannister, a Canadian-American oil painter who resided in New England in the late 1800’s, on Sat., Feb. 7, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The event features an exhibition and screening of a nine-minute documentary highlighting the Bannister Community Art Project and Bannister’s significant yet often underrecognized contributions to American art, followed by guest speakers and an engaging audience conversation. This program is sponsored by Annie Castelnovo McMullen in memory of her mother, Providence Art Club artist Mary Castelnovo. “In Bannister’s Footsteps invites our community to engage more deeply with the legacy of Edward Mitchell Bannister, an artist whose work and influence deserve broader recognition,” said Mary Dondero, Museum Curator and Board Member. “This program honors not only his artistic achievements, but the continued dialogue his life inspires around creativity, community, and representation.” The program will feature guest speakers Theresa Guzmán Stokes, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, and Gage M. Prentiss, sculptor. The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Victoria Gao, Director of the Bannister Gallery and Adjunct Professor at Rhode Island College. Participating artists include Darrel Perkins, ponnapa prakkamakul, and Michael Talbot. Theresa Guzmán Stokes is a writer, historian, U.S. Navy veteran, and cultural preservation leader whose work centers on African Heritage, Latin American, and diasporic histories. She is president and founder of 1696 Heritage Group and founder of Historical Writers of America, and she leads statewide efforts to preserve and elevate African and Indigenous histories through her role at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Gage M. Prentiss is a Rhode Island–based visual artist whose loosely representational sculptures and evocative oil paintings explore presence, place, and light. Working in materials ranging from welded steel and bronze to resin and concrete, Prentiss’ work spans private commissions and an expanding public art practice. He has a BFA in Sculpture from Boston University. Dr. Victoria Gao has served as Director of the Bannister Gallery and Exhibitions at Rhode Island College since 2018. She received her PhD and MA in Visual and Cultural Studies from the University of Rochester and her BA in Physics and in Art History from Cornell University. Victoria has had a longstanding interest in curating and in art exhibition spaces and previously interned at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Admission is $10 for Bristol Art Museum members and $15 for general admission. Tickets and additional information are available via Eventbrite.
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 The Bristol Art Museum, in partnership with Rogers Free Library and Bristol BookFest, is pleased to announce an open call for art for its upcoming exhibition, A Day in a Life, inspired by the themes of the 2026 BookFest selection, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. The exhibit will be on view in the Rogers Free Library Herreshoff Room from Feb. 18 through Apr. 15, 2026. All entries are due by Mon., Jan. 26 at 11:59 p.m. An entry form is available on the Museum’s website. Woolf’s groundbreaking novel, written in stream-of-consciousness form, explores the depth of the human experience through memory, perception, and emotion over the course of a single day. Artists are invited to interpret these themes and create works that reflect what a day in their lives means to them. “Virginia Woolf reminds us that even the most ordinary day can reveal extraordinary inner worlds,” said Trish Sylvester, BAM@RFL Committee Member. “We look forward to seeing how artists translate the beauty, complexity, and rhythm of daily life into visual form. This collaboration with BookFest and Rogers Free Library is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate literature and art together in Bristol.” Submission Requirements All artists must be at least 18 years old, and work must be original, installation-ready, and fall within 18" x 24" maximum dimensions. Eligible media include drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, fiber arts, and photography. (No 3-D works.) Artwork may be offered for sale. Sales are negotiated directly between artist and buyer; no commissions are taken by the Museum. Submission fees for Bristol Art Museum members are $20 for one submission or $30 for two; non-members, $25 for one submission or $40 for two.
 The Bristol Art Museum will host Art For Your Mind: Social Realism in American Painting with local art historian Jill Sanford on Tues., Nov.,18, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 10 Wardwell Street, Bristol. The interactive program, open to the public, will explore how early 20th-century artists captured the struggles and spirit of urban America through the bold and compassionate lens of the Social Realism movement.
Art For Your Mind offers a welcoming, educational experience that encourages participants of all backgrounds, artists and non-artists alike, to observe and interpret art in new ways. “Programs like Art For Your Mind reflect the Museum’s mission to make art accessible, thought-provoking, and connected to our shared human experience,” said Mary Dondero, Bristol Art Museum Board Member and Curator. “Social Realism remains as relevant today as when it first emerged, challenging us to see truth and beauty in the lives around us.” To register for this lecture, please contact [email protected].  This fall, the Bristol Art Museum invites audiences to experience CONFLUENCE: Creative Connections and Contrasts, a conceptually rich exhibition that brings together five contemporary artists united by a single challenge: to explore the expressive potential of black. The exhibit will be on view from Sat., Nov. 1 to Sat. Dec. 20. An Artist's Reception is scheduled for Sun., Nov. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m.
CONFLUENCE features the work of Dwo Wen Chen, Sandra Kunhardt Basile, Mimo Gordon Riley, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, and Eileen McCarney Muldoon. This group of artists’ work spans painting, photography, mixed media, and sculpture. Each artist responded to the shared prompt with a spirit of experimentation, curiosity, and dialogue. Viewed together, these works reveal how diverse creative voices can both resonate and diverge, creating an exhibition that celebrates individuality while exploring shared undercurrents of process, perception, and emotional intent. “This exhibition is a testament to how a simple formal prompt can open endless avenues of creative exploration,” said Mary Dondero, Bristol Art Museum curator and board member. “By focusing on black as both subject and medium, the artists invite viewers to look beyond color and into emotion, space, and light. CONFLUENCE challenges us to see how art can bridge differences and reveal shared human experience.” Through this shared focus, the artists found both connection and contrast, a fitting reflection of the exhibition's title. The exhibit becomes, in effect, a conversation in form, texture, and tone: a confluence of distinct perspectives navigating a common thread. “Black can be foreboding or neutral; it can suggest negative space or act as a curtain of black; it can be lustrous or smoky, a sharp silhouette or the soft edge of shadow,” says participating artist Sandra Kunhardt Basile. “Imbued with meaning and mood, black often carries an aura of mystery, stillness, and introspection.” During the Artists’ Reception, visitors will have the opportunity to meet the featured artists and view their works up close. Later in the exhibition’s run, the Museum will host an Artist Talk titled “Cross Currents: How Artists Inspire One Another” on Sun., Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. During this special event, the exhibiting artists will reflect on their collaborative process, the creative surprises that emerged from their shared prompt, and the ways influence flows between artists. Bristol Art Museum Offers “Photography: An Introduction” with Veteran Photographer Shane Gutierrez10/10/2025  BRISTOL, RI — The Bristol Art Museum invites photography enthusiasts to take part in Photography: An Introduction with professional photographer Shane Gutierrez, a four-session course designed for beginners who seek to learn how to use their cameras more effectively and confidently.
Those who would like to register for the class can do so here. The class, scheduled for Thursday evenings from October 23 through November 13, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., offers a hands-on approach to understanding the fundamentals of photography, including ISO, resolution, aperture, shutter speed, and shooting modes. Participants will learn through lectures, demonstrations, and weekly assignments, building the skills needed to move beyond automatic settings and capture intentional, well-composed photographs. Gutierrez’s teaching philosophy emphasizes both technical understanding and creative exploration. A seasoned commercial and fine art photographer, Gutierrez brings more than four decades of professional experience to the classroom. “I started photography probably more than 40 years ago when as a sophomore in college I received a camera and read everything about it,” Gutierrez shares. “I never thought of photography as an art form before I got the camera and started reading about people like Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.” Since founding his photography business in 1988, Gutierrez has worked in corporate, product, and event photography, while maintaining a personal portfolio of landscape and portrait work exhibited in galleries and libraries throughout the region. His passion for teaching began with free community classes at local libraries, which eventually led to positions in adult education and now at the Bristol Art Museum.  The Bristol Art Museum invites artists to declare, reflect, and respond: What does it mean to witness, participate in, or remember the course of human events? BRISTOL, RI — In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Bristol Art Museum invites artists from across the country to submit works on paper or of paper for its annual national juried exhibition, ‘When in the Course of Human Events…’ on view from Feb. 22 to Apr. 10, 2026. An Opening Reception is scheduled for Feb. 22 at the Museum. Artist Meredith Stern will judge all works. As part of the Town of Bristol’s commemorative celebrations, this exhibition invites reflection on the enduring words of the Declaration of Independence and their relevance in our contemporary world. Artists are encouraged to consider the evolving landscape of freedom, identity, and community, exploring how moments of upheaval, celebration, and transformation shape our shared human story. “When in the course of human events… how do we respond?” asks the Museum’s call. “Whose voices are heard, and whose stories remain untold? What declarations do we make today—individually or collectively?” All works on paper (drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, photography, or mixed media) are welcome. Paper, as both material and metaphor, offers a powerful platform for expression, documentation, and imagination. Artists may submit works for consideration here. “Paper has carried humanity’s greatest declarations, from freedom to faith to protest, and continues to be a surface for both personal and public reflection,” said Museum Curator and Board Member, Mary Donodero. “This exhibit invites artists to use that same surface to explore what it means to live, create, and participate in the course of human events today.” The exhibition will be juried by artist Meredith Stern, a member of the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative whose work is represented in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the RISD Museum, the Obama Presidential Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Important Dates:
Cash awards will be announced. Full submission guidelines and entry details are available through OnlineJuriedShows.com  The Bristol Art Museum is proud to present Tides and Depths, an immersive exhibition that explores the sea’s dual nature as both a source of mystery and a symbol of profound transformation. The exhibition will be on view from Sun., Sept. 7, through Sat., Oct. 25.
Through painting, sculpture, and poetry, Tides and Depths invites visitors to experience the emotional, ecological, and symbolic dimensions of the sea. Works in the show incorporate bold colors, layered textures, and even natural materials, such as seaweed. capturing both the ocean’s beauty and its power to shape human experience. Highlights of the exhibition include Two Swimmers by Michael Walden, a work that embodies the show’s central themes, presenting a vision of the sea that is at once deeply personal and universally resonant. At the heart of the exhibition is What the Sea Told Me, a poem by Vivian Eyre from her collection Ishmael’s Violets. Eyre’s writings mirrors the exhibition’s emotional depth, reflecting on endurance, vulnerability, and transformation in both the natural world and the human spirit. Selected artists include May Babcock, Angel Dean, Jenna DeAngelis, Brenda Figuerido, Cynthia Guild, Joanne Gregory, Jodi Manca, Chris Page, Chryssa Udvardy, and Michael Walden. For more information about Tides and Depths and future programming at the Bristol Art Museum, please visit www.bristolartmuseum.org.  The Bristol Art Museum announces its participation in Blue Star Welcome Week, an initiative by Blue Star Families to support military families moving to new communities. From Sept. 27 to Oct. 5, Veterans and military families will receive free admission to the Museum as part of this nationwide effort to provide a warm welcome to servicepeople and their loved ones.
The Museum is open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. As a Blue Star Museum, the Bristol Art Museum is committed to honoring those who serve our country and their families. This year, the Museum will continue its tradition of support for military families by offering a welcoming experience to Veterans and their families, helping them acclimate to their new community in a meaningful and uplifting way with free admission to the Museum. “Veterans, servicepeople and their families make tremendous sacrifices in service to our nation,” said Lynn Moran, Museum board member. “It is our privilege to offer active duty personnel, their families and Veterans free access to the Museum. By opening our doors, we hope that the Museum can do its part to foster a sense of community and belonging as they explore their new or existing communities.” Blue Star Welcome Week is an initiative that supports the estimated 600,000 military families who move to new communities each year. Through events and community messages, the program helps ensure that military families receive the welcome and support they need as they adapt to new surroundings. Museums like the Bristol Art Museum are well-positioned to make a positive impact, creating moments of connection in the community.” The Bristol Art Museum invites all military families and veterans to visit during Blue Star Welcome Week to enjoy the Museum's exhibits and to experience the vibrant cultural offerings in the community. |
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