SALON SERIES ​

In 2016, the Jerome Robbins Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts acquired its first hip-hop archive, the private collection of iconic artist, filmmaker, and writer Michael Holman. Holman brings his the New York arts scene into dialogue with the cultural explosion of art intersecting with life and the influences of hip-hop culture. From downtown collaborations with Jean-Michel Basquiat to the creation of the very first hip hop television show Graffiti Rock. NYPL Assistant Curator Tanisha Jones led Holman in a conversation focused on the role of cultural archives and libraries as stewards of world culture and revolutionary voices to inspire future generations.

As a curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, Dr. Bercaw explored Rhode Island’s role in telling the story of global slavery. Beginning in the 15th century with the transatlantic slave trade and traveling through the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, the museum’s centerpiece exhibition “Slavery and Freedom” uses personal stories and artifacts found in Rhode Island to explore the economic and political legacies of slavery for all Americans. Dr. Bercaw discussed the Rhode Island Historical Society’s role in the creation of this exhibit and its preservation of objects and stories from both slaves and slave traders.

Tom Hennes, principal and founder of the agency firm Thinc Design, discussed his work and belief that exhibits can encourage people to see the world differently and transform people’s lives. More than just forms of entertainment or education, powerful exhibits can bring communities together and inspire change. Through designing exhibitions and attractions as diverse as art museums, science centers, aquaria, zoos and brand experiences, Hennes and his team transform how people think about the world and each other. Hennes discussed designing the National September 11 Memorial Museum and the challenges of how to tell complex stories of tragedy, bravery and the resilience of a nation.

Beginning in 1932, writer and  photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) immortalized many of the most famous and influential figures of the Harlem Renaissance. From actors and writers of the American stage, to opera stars, costumiers choreographers, ballerinas, authors, activists, and social critics - his interest in who inhabits the cultural margin become the iconic portraiture of the 20th century. Melissa Barton and Nancy Kuhl, curators at The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale discussed Van Vechten’s collection,  its importance in American culture, and the complicated artist and writer who challenged the conventions

and prescribed early to mid-century American ideals of gender, race. and cultural resilience.

Stuart Whitehurst, former appraiser at Skinner of Boston and PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, lifted the curtain behind what it’s like to be an appraiser, what motivates private collectors and how they build their expertise. Perhaps driven by pleasure and curiosity, a collector’s life evolves into a dialogue of scholarship and stewardship with their collection, including conservation and preservation. A generalist appraiser, with extensive knowledge of rare books, manuscripts, maps, furniture and fine art ranging from the 17th through the 20th centuries, Stuart shared the insider’s view of appraisal and explored the business of art, antiques, the passion for collecting with lively tales from the auction houses to the flea market and everything in between.

Photo-based artist and URI professor Annu Palakunnathu Matthew is an Indian from India, who lives near Providence’s India Point, and uses photography to relook at histories. She discussed her creative journey as she explored the Athenaeum’s special collections to learn  more about Rhode Island’s long history with non-white immigrants. Through her exploration she found information stretching from Muslims in Rhode Island in the 1880s to the long history of Syrian Americans in Rhode Island to a map of the Underground Railroad in Fox Point. Matthews connected the dots between how she came up with ideas to where it led her as an artist, woman, minority, and immigrant living in the United States.

The first Providence appearance with Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier, creators and producers of the hit Gimlet podcast Crimetown, which looks at how organized crime has shaped particular American cities. Praised as “an ambitious, anthropological epic,” the series interwove interviews and historical recordings to bring notorious stories of the expansive web of Rhode Island organized crime to life. Marc and Zac played clips, outtakes, and told behind-the-scenes stories as they looked back on their favorite moments from the Crimetown season. An intimate evening of conversation about this breakout series, the art of storytelling, and the wiseguys we all met along the way.

Tony Estrella, nationally celebrated artistic director of the award-winning Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre lifts the curtain behind how a theatrical season is created. A diverse season must have balance, reimagining the classics for contemporary audiences while highlighting , offering a behind-the-scenes look at the composition of new works that explore the social, political, and cultural climate. Tony revealed the values underlying those decisions, including the institutional priorities, creative negotiations, and challenges to provide innovative theater that challenges and expands perceptions and understanding.

Sons and Daughters of the Incarcerated is a feature documentary exploring parental incarceration through the eyes of three boys. Following their interweaving trajectories through boyhoods marked by the criminal justice system and told directly through the child’s perspective, the film unveils the challenges of growing up and what it means to become a man in America. Between film clips, documentary filmmakers Rebecca Stern + Denali Tiller joined Deputy Superintendent of the Rhode Island Training School Peter Slom in conversation about the prison system complex and its effect on the incarcerated and their children .