Insider’s Guide to the RISD Alumni Art Sale

Friday, April 29, 2011

Maggie Lange, GoLocalProv Contributor

RISD’s Alumni Art Sale floods Benefit Street each year with the school’s alumni vending their arts, crafts, jewelry, apparel, paintings, pots, and prints. The thoroughfare feels transformed into an old-world market, filled with stalls and colors. With more than 150 tables and thousands of milling students and shoppers, the site can certainly be overwhelming, so Lois Harada, the Alumni Sale Coordinator, gives us six alums whose tables you should prioritize. (To find these standouts and plan your route, check the online art sale map, here).

Jewelry: Meghan Devinat

Check out Meghan Devinat, whose jewelry studio Studio Devinat combines disparate elements to make jewelry that is fun and bold. In colors like rich burgundy and cobalt paired with feminine designs, like flowers and tutu-like hoops, her jewelry is both striking and wearable.

Stuffed animals as art: Nina Alexander

After graduating in 2008 from the sculpture department, Nina Alexander has created interesting pieces that are a combination of stuffed animal and art. Made out of scraps of upholstery, found fabric, and thread, these pieces are delightful and sophisticated at the same time.

Pots & planters: Paul Olson

Potter, painter, and illustrator Paul Olson is a mainstay at the alumni sale, recognizable for the budding green that emerges from his table. His ceramic pieces—pots and planters—are usually filled with live plants and herbs, which adds a seasonal touch to the spring event.

Wearable art: Anne Emlein & Martin Emlein

If apparel is more your scene, try Anne Emlein’s table which is sure to have a colorful collection of wearable art. Anne works in the Textiles Department at RISD. She makes her scarves from large pieces of felt, with cut out shapes that give a silhouette to the clothes underneath, both constructed and flowy. Emlein shares the table with her son, Martin Emlein, who graduated from the Textile Department in 2008.

Rising Star: Ceramicist Nicole Kowalski

In addition to the alumni, a few students were selected to participate in the show—including Nicole Kowalski, who will graduate in 2012 with an MFA in Ceramics. Her pieces, like this perfectly accented coffee cup, are balanced and quirky, delicate and substantial.

RISD Alumni Art Sale, Saturday, April 30, 10am-4pm, Benefit St between Waterman & Hopkins, Providence.

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