Providence

Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) was a prominent Black artist who was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and lived in Providence in the last decades of his life. He was the first artist of color to win a national art award when he received First Prize at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, and he went on to help build Providence into a New England cultural center, becoming a driving force in establishing the Providence Art Club in 1880.

The Bannister Community Art Project and Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College are seeking professional artists to participate in and create new artwork for an exhibition that responds to Edward Bannister’s life and artwork. We welcome broad interpretations of the theme and a variety of artistic media.

Motion State Dance Films Series, is the only year-long, traveling short dance film festival in New England devoted to showcasing the diversity of contemporary creative voices exploring the medium of choreography for the camera.

By taking the festival "on the road" and into non-traditional film venues, such as art galleries, music halls, performing arts theatres, and university classrooms, Motion State seeks to expose the films and film makers to new audiences.

Every screening is followed by a public Q & A with the curators. All festival artists are invited and encouraged to take part in the conversation, should they find themselves in the area of any given screening.