New website calls for RI artists’ take on virus pandemic
Following the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado in 1999, one of the first things that happened to memoriali]e the 12 students and one teacher who were killed was the commissioning of a work of art. Four years later, in the aftermath of the Station nightclub fire in 2003, a piece of art commemorated the loss of 100 people.
Randall Rosenbaum, E[ecutive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, understands that art can often prove cathartic and contribute to the community healing process in the aftermath of a great tragedy, and that’s what he believes is happening at this very moment across Rhode Island, where creative minds are sharing their work online using the hashtag RIArts.
Recently, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo sent out a call across the Ocean State to all Rhode Islanders to connect through art by creating and sharing their own
family-friendly art inspired by this time in history. The wide-ranging art can be anything from drawings to poetry to songs to essays to photographs to videos and they can be shared on social media using the hashtag RIArts. Creations can also be submitted via email or mail to the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
“Gov. Raimondo understands that the arts can be a comfort and an inspiration during a time of crisis,” Rosenbaum said during a
phone interview on Tuesday afternoon. “She pushed for the establishment of a clearinghouse of information where people could access online to engage with the arts in some way. She was an[ious for people to create their own work and find their work to be seen and e[perienced.”
“The comfort that it provides when you create your own work and the pride that you take in sharing that work with others, the governor understands that can be a great part of recovering from this crisis,” Rosenbaum continued. “She wanted Rhode Islanders to create and post
work, digital images, video segments on social media and tag it RIArts so that others could e[perience it as well.”
There’s also a website that is serving as a hub for the arts during the COVID-19 crisis: www.riarts.org.
“During this difficult time, many of us are turning to creative outlets as a source of strength and as a way to take a break from the challenges we face,” Raimondo said in a press release issued late last week. “We hope RIArts becomes a way for us to connect with our fellow Rhode Islanders and share inspiration as we work together to
get through this time.”
Rosenbaum said the goal is to make people aware that artists “continue to work in our state and are finding ways to share their work online. That’s goal one.”
“Goal two is to encourage Rhode Islanders to make their own work and share it with their neighbors,” he added.
Thus far, the response has been “really interesting,” Rosenbaum said, citing one particular piece which the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts posted on its Instagram account. It is a piece by a healthcare worker in Rhode Island, of the Statue of Liberty wearing personal protective equipment, which hangs above where she and her co-workers punch the clock every day.
“That was one of the governor’s goals, to use the arts as a way to help in the healing and reinvigorating process « I think that is pretty clear with the kind of work we’re seeing, this Instagram e[ample is a good way of underscoring. It’s a frontline healthcare worker who is using art as a way to inspire and comfort her co-workers,” Rosenbaum said.