One week till Foo Fest and that’s the deadline for the Fairey mural on Aborn Street. It looks to us like artist Johan Bjurman will finish on schedule, but the pace for the last week has been grueling. Just think of those hot muggy days we had. David Scharfenberg has a swell profile on Mr. Bjurman in this week’s Providence Phoenix. (For a look at the mural’s progress as of July 23rd, go here.) So head over to Cuban Revolution, have a drink on the sidewalk, and watch paint dry.

I’m happy to see that Shepard Fairey’s mural on the side of the Pell Chafee Theatre includes one of the endangered Atlantic Mills Towers; it will of course be sad if the mural outlasts the actual tower. The theater itself fronts on Empire Street, but head over to Cuban Revolution on Aborn Street to see the mural in progress on the side of the building. . . and buy a cubano while you’re at it. Rhode Island artist Johan Bjurman is executing the project. His work already adorns of few of our downtown buildings; and check out his portfolio for some cool tromp l’oeil. AS220 is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and, in addition to commissioning the mural, has created a “Free Culture Award” which will be bestowed this August at Foo Fest,

. . . its honorees: AS220’s own Jukebox creator, Brandon Edens, and contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey.

Further, Fairey has created a Providence-themed limited edition screen print that you can pre-order through AS220 (picture after jump). More at ProJo.

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Artist Louise Bourgeois has passed away. I’ve known her as the sculptor behind those huge creepy awesome spiders and had a vague idea that she worked in other mediums, but I’m hella impressed to learn that she continued creating art right up until her death yesterday at age 98. Seems like much of her work was pretty controversial, too.

Her lovely piece “I Do” (pictured) is currently for sale on Freedom to Marry’s website, with proceeds helping to garner support for marriage equality throughout the U.S.

Freedom to Marry also attributes this nice quote to Ms. Bourgeois: “Everyone should have the right to marry. To make a commitment to love someone forever is a beautiful thing.”

Head downtown tomorrow night for sculpture, installations, video, DJ and fun stuff. Check out four RISD galleries as well as video work on Tazza’s outdoor screen. Cash bars, live music.

65 Eddy St: Show Title: “Looking” Graduating Glass Thesis Show
Who: Matthew Perez, Charlotte Potter, Rui Sasaki

186 Union St: Show Title: “Black Sheep 2.0″
Artist: Jake Beckman, Sculpture Grad

232 Westminster St: Show Title: “Some Pulp”
Sculpture Senior Show

201 Westminster Street: Show Title: “Limits Complete”
Glass Seniors

Thursday, 6pm to 11pm, Westminster etc. (pictured here, ‘Emergence’ by Jake Beckman)

Tomorrow from 5:45pm to 8pm (or later, you know, if you want to hang out) IDSA RI will be hosting their fourth Creatives+Cocktails event of 2010 at the AS220 restaurant/bar. If you haven’t been to one of these events before, here’s what you’ve been missing; creative people, cocktails, food, and great Wednesday evening conversation.

What’s that? You’re not a one of those “creative” types?  Not a problem! Everyone and anyone is welcome. Bring your brother, the wind-turbine specialist. Bring your alter-ego, the rocket scientist. Bring your roommate, the jobless person who keeps eating your Cheez-its.

See you there.
5:45pm to 8pm, Wednesday, Creatives+Cocktails, AS220 restaurant/bar, 115 Empire St.

The RISD Museum of Art wants you to get into drawing.

The Big Draw at The RISD Museum is a celebration of drawing for all.  Bring your imagination and come make your mark!

Join us for engaging drawing activities on the walls, in the galleries, and beyond.  Let your drawing come out of the box.  After making your mark in the museum, experience a collaborative performance by the youth dance troupe JUMP! and Lynne Harlow, explore the litany of lines in Pat Steir’s work or draw from puffer fish and ferns in the RISD Nature Lab.

Go here for a schedule of activities.

11am to 4pm, Saturday, RISD Museum of Art, 224 Benefit Street, 454.6500

The silent auction runs through 5pm Sunday. Fifty-five artists have donated 70 artworks for this silent auction.  Winning bidders donate directly to a Chilean relief organization, and go home with a work of art. Artists include Andrew Moon Bain, Boris Bally, Jennifer Daltry, Erik Gould, Corey Grayhorse, Jungil Hong, Josie Morway, and Frank Mullin. (Seen here, archival inkjet print by Mullin, Roadside Shade Outside Huasco, Chile.)

Presented by Chilean artist Magaly Ponce, photographer Frank Mullin and curator Maya Allison.

Noon to 5pm, Sunday, 232 Westminster Street

Maya Allison, curator of recently-shuttered gallery 5 Traverse, is teaming up with photographers Frank Mullin and Magaly Ponce for a silent auction and exhibition to benefit victims of the earthquakes and tsunami that have recently affected Chile, where rural areas were deeply devastated and where winter is coming.

The pieces being auctioned come from a who’s who of local artists:

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In our grand tradition of only bringing you news at the last possible second, we’d like to draw your attention to the second annual New England Art Awards, voting for which ends tomorrow (Sunday).  Lots and lots and Providence artists and galleries got nominated for the awards, which are organized by Phoenix art critic Greg Cook, and this year’s ballot is a lot less unwieldy than last year’s, so you may want to check it out.

While, more than anything, the ballot just made me gloomy about all the shows I wanted to see but didn’t (ie. the ACT UP retrospective at Harvard), a couple of ones I actually saw made the cut.  Michael Bizon’s instillation at 5 Traverse was great, as was Joe Deal’s landscape photography at the RISD Museum.  Shepard Fairey also got two indirect nominations, sort of:  one for the Boston Police Department’s showy arrest, and another for the anonymous artist that spraypainted dollar signs at the AS220 Mercantile Block.  (On a more community-minded note, Lydia Stein’s giant mural on a Smith Hill home was nominated in that same category.)  And Maya Allison from 5 Traverse got a well-deserved nomination in the “local curator of local art” category.

Winners will be announced on February 8 at the New England Art Awards Ball, which will take place at an Irish bar in Somerville.  Er…

[image via One Photo Every Day]

Attention starving artists — the deadline for submissions is January 15th for a juried show at the Providence Art Club.

The Providence Art Club invites New England artists to submit recent, original works to the 12th Annual Fidelity Investments “Extreme Scale” All Media Juried Art Exhibition. Deadline is January 15.

More than $1,700 in cash prizes will be awarded by a panel of community jurors including Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council and Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader Dan Connors. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) will be the honorary chair for the show.  In addition to three cash prizes, Fidelity will purchase one work for its permanent collection. Submissions will be exhibited at the Providence Art Club from February 28 to March 19.

For more more information, call the Providence Art Club at 401.331.1114.

Okay. . . politicians and art. . . there’s a natural combination. But the Art Club will run things properly I’m sure, and there’s actual money!

Admission to the musem is free all day Christmas eve. This gallery has couches and chairs in it so you can take a load off. People often nap here. And there is a gift shop.

Thursday, 10am to 5pm, RISD Museum, 224 Benefit Street, 454.6500

From Damian Ewens:

This Thursday night, Firehouse13 founder and burgeoning fashion designer Nick Bauta, collaborates with Mike Rinaldi and Joan Wyand for a first time show of Nick’s wild new pieces.

Think sexy industrial leather dominatrix, meets lace infusion with Olneyville punk knitting.

Music by DJs Dave Allyn and Damian Ewens, aka Unkle Thirsty and Lively Experiment.
Dub dub dub, 8pm, $5, Thursday, preceded by a holiday art sale.

The 105th Annual Little Pictures Show & Sale continues at the Providence Art Club. (Read the history of the club — the founding artists and collectors sound like the 1880 version of AS220, with a little Trinity mug club mixed in.)

The galleries will be home to an array of diverse multi-media works, all for $250 or less.
The Club’s newly renovated spaces will feature pieces by more than 100 of its artist members. Blending together a collection of timeless landscapes and still lifes with intricate glass works and mixed media assemblages, this medley of mediums and styles are sure to satisfy every art aficionado. Purchases can be picked up immediately, an ideal opportunity to give the gift of art to someone special for the holidays.
Deacon Taylor House at the Providence Art Club will also host open artist studios on Saturday and Sunday, December 12th and 13th, from 10am to 4pm.

Providence Art Club, 11 Thomas Street, sale through December 24, 331.1114

Can it be ten years already? The kind people at What Cheer Antiques and Vintage (go Daltrys!) are celebrating ten years in business and they’re passing the savings on to you. All weekend take 25% off everything in the store! Head over to Wayland Square and shop, shop, shop! Remember what I said last week about America’s grotesque culture of consumerism? Forget all that. It’s time to goose the economy and what better place to start? Besides, this is recycling at its best. Jewelry, old maps, things, stuff and ephemera. Crates and crates of records (vinyl and clay) and there will be music all day, with food, drink and even dancing. Yes, dancing, why not?

And don’t miss the beautiful original drawings, prints and paintings by Jennifer Daltry.

Noon to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday, What Cheer Antiques & Vintage, 7 South Angell Street, 401.861.4244

This post is a bit on the early side, but if Black Friday got you down, and you’re wondering how you can make your own holiday shopping meaningful and cool, check out the Monohasset Mills Holiday Sale this Saturday from 2pm to 6pm.

From Damian Ewens, surfer/artist/educator/DJ and recently poppa:

Monohasset Mill is Providence’s most active artist space with over 60 working artists living in 40 converted mill spaces. The Mill is home to photographers and fashion designers, ceramacists, jewelers and DJ’s, graphic designers, RISD profesors, art educators and more.

With residents that include the founders and owners of hyper-creative ventures such as The Steelyard, Woolly Fair, Queen of Hearts, and Firehouse13 this is an Open Studios not to be missed.

Even the folks who were living in the Mall, actually live at Monohasset.

The CREATure, a vast lighting installation in the courtyard of the Mill, will be lit at 4:30pm.
If you’re looking to collect some of Providence’s finest local art, head to Monohasset Mill on December 5th.

While not yet as well-known as Craftland or the Foundry sale, this is more of the village holiday shopping experience than any other as you walk around the studio/residences, meeting the artists themselves as you browse unique artwork at amazing prices. Parking and directions here.

The Blackout
11.07.09 8pm-12am
West Side Arts Gallery
645 Westminster Street

The Blackout is a showcase of up-and-coming talents and brands poised to make a difference in their local communities and the world. A handful of graphic artists, fashion labels, musicians, DJs, aficionados and media outlets will gather for this very special night to celebrate in Providence, Rhode Island for the sake of human creativity and to help raise funds for philanthropic community projects overseen by West Side Arts.