The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today that a new art exhibition of works by Neal Personeus will be held from October 8, 2015 through January 28, 2016 at the Block Island Airport Gallery. The Block Island Airport Gallery presents the work of contemporary Rhode Island artists in quarterly exhibitions.
Although born in Illinois, Neal Personeus always felt a deep connection to the seashore during his family's summer vacations on Cape Cod. This childhood interest eventually evolved into academic studies in architecture and environmental science and a subsequent career with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. As an adult, he revisits this childhood fascination through his sculptures, which he has dubbed "Capescapes". Utilizing found materials such driftwood, seashells, fish vertebrae and dune flora, the artist seeks to create moments of serenity and to inspire viewers' appreciation of the small wonders of the natural world.
A resident of Barrington, Personeus debuted his works to the public in 2011. He has been featured at numerous venues since, including the Rhode Island Home Show and the Warwick Museum of Art, and was interviewed in a PBS television segment about the Wickford Arts Festival. Recently, he was The Bay Magazine's featured artist in their August 2015 edition.
Exhibitors for the Block Island Airport gallery were selected by a panel of artists and community members. Panelists were Grace Luddy, Robert Newhouse, Ana Flores and Neil Lang. Other artists selected for exhibition in 2015 are Aleksander Baba-Vulic, and Ben Wohlberg and Chris Young.
The Block Island Airport Gallery, a partnership between the Rhode Island Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, promotes outstanding work by artists living and working in Rhode Island. The gallery will present art to an ever-changing audience of local, national and international travelers.
About RISCA: The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.
About RIAC: The Rhode Island Airport Corporation operates T.F. Green Airport, the Block Island Airport and four other general aviation airports in Rhode Island. A long-time supporter of public art in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation has worked with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts on a number of public art commissions.