ART! Growing the NetWorks, at WaterFire Arts Center

As summer comes to a close and we rush to the beach, or to the garden, or grab that book we meant to read, let’s pick an arts event to end the summer as well – Growing the NetWorks, an exhibition at WaterFire Arts Center will end on August 31st.

Made possible, in part by the support of  BankNewport.

WaterFire Providence presents Growing the NetWorks, a large-scale summer exhibition that builds on the momentum of the 2024 NetWorks Rhode Island and the Chazan Collection. This year’s exhibition extends the vision of the late Dr. Joseph A. Chazan, whose mission was to connect art lovers and collectors directly with Rhode Island artists—encouraging the purchase and support of local work.

The 2025 exhibition features artists brought together through peer nominations and artistic connections—recommended by participants of the original NetWorks Rhode Island project. With more than 160 artists highlighted across two summers (2024 & 2025), this growing network reflects the collaborative and generative spirit that fuels Rhode Island’s vibrant visual arts scene.

Spanning the 15,000 sq. ft. Main Hall and gallery spaces of the WaterFire Arts Center, Growing the NetWorks presents work across painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, and installation. Artist talks, public programs, and community tours invite deeper dialogue around artistic practice, mentorship, and cultural exchange.

Closing Reception:
Thursday, August 28, 2025 | 5:00–9:00 p.m

Exhibition Hours

Wednesday–Sunday | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays | Open late until 9:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays + Tuesdays

Participating Artists

Adam Waimon, Amy Wynne, Ann-Marie Gillett, Anne Tait, Ari Montford, Becci Davis, Betzy Cordon, Brooke Erin Goldstein, Cali Almy, Carrie Usmar, Charlie Corley, Cindy Petruccillo, Claudia Flynn, Darrell Matsumoto, David & Jennifer Clancy, Eileen McCarney Muldoon, Emily Wilker, Entang Wiharso, Eric Telfort, Gail Dodge, Giossi and Kuhn Design, Hannah Subotnick, Jamie Murphy Hlynsky, Jay Coogan, Jean Blackburn, Jerry Mischak, Joan M Hall, Jonathan Pitts-Wiley, Jordan Seaberry, Julia Samuels, Justine Chang, Karin Gielen, Kate Huntington, Kate Barber, Kathrine Lovell, Kirstin Lamb, Kyna Leski, Lynne Harlow, Mara Trachtenberg, Marlene Malik, Mary Dondero, Masha Ryskin, Michele Provost, Mick Chivers, Mimo Gordon Riley, Mo Kelman, Norlan Olivo, Paulina Kobylar, Peter Geisser, Pippi Zorzona, Rebecca Jenness, Robin Crocker, Sarah Hardesty, Shawn Gilheeney, Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos, Stephen Fisher, Susan Clausen, Susan M. Matthews, Tina Tryforos, Triton Mobley, Wendyll Brown, Bill Martin, Wu Hanyen, with a special performance on opening night by Chris Monti.

About NetWorks RI

NetWorks Rhode Island, a visual arts project, was initiated in 2008 by Rhode Island arts sponsor and collector Joseph A. Chazan, M.D. Conceived with Umberto Crenca, the then artistic director of the alternative arts center AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island, NetWorks Rhode Island proposed to document, celebrate, and foster the richly creative and diverse professional visual arts community in contemporary Rhode Island through profiles of individual artists and their work. Seventeen profiles were produced that first year. During each subsequent year through 2016, additional profiles were produced, eventually forming an archive of 113 video and photographic profiles supplemented by museum and gallery exhibits, five printed catalogues and panel discussions. Each fall, RI PBS broadcasted the newly released profiles and has frequently re-broadcasted profiles from previous years, providing broad access to the content.