The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced today that two new art exhibitions are on display in Rhode Island's airports. At TF Green's GREEN SPACE Gallery an exhibit entitled JOURNEY'S TALE is on display from September 13 through January 3, 2017, while the Block Island Airport Gallery is hosting works by Liliya Krys in a one-person exhibit October 4 through January 19, 2017.
At GREEN SPACE Gallery, JOURNEY'S TALE features three artists whose works describe a literal place or figurative journey. This can manifest in several ways: a simple view of a particular place, a theme that develops in a body of work, or the evolution from one concern to another. Within this exhibit, find Michael Lyons's figurative landscapes as they become increasingly gestural, Saberah Malik's mixed-media pieces that express increasing environmental concerns, and works by Barbara Owen inspired by one specific shape that is incrementally whittled down to its essence.
Michael Lyons' paintings in this exhibit range from the literally familiar to places that only exist in the form of a fleeting impression, memory, or feeling. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Lyons was recently named one of Watercolor Magazine's "25 artists to watch". Lyons work is strongly influenced by his time in residence at the Cape Cod National Seashore in 2007, 2010 and 2015, his experiences during which were featured in an article in Smithsonian Magazine. A resident of Providence, Lyons exhibits widely and holds memberships at the Providence Art and Salamagundi Clubs.
Saberah Malik grew up and studied in Lahore, Pakistan before eventually settling in Rhode Island, where she has lived and worked for the last four decades. Her artworks reflect her strong interest in textiles, especially shibori, as well as her environmental concerns. Responding to the Rhode Island landscape, water, light and stones are common motifs in her works, which have been shown nationally and internationally. A graduate of the Panjab University and the Pratt Institute, Malik's work is held in numerous institutional and private collections.
Barbara Owen graduated from Bennington College with a dual degree in Sculpture and Poetry. Turning later to painting, her work remains influenced by her study of sculpture, while using color, shape and form to express concepts of history, feminism, and painting. In this exhibit, Owen shows works evolving from a fascination with a particular shape; initially in painting and progressing to cut paper assemblies. Owen has received numerous awards and residencies, including most recently a 2015 artist-in-residence at MASS MoCA/Assets for Artists. A resident of Wakefield, she maintains a studio in Pawtucket.
At the Block Island Airport Gallery, painter Liliya Krys presents a selection of her expressive landscape paintings. Born in the Ukraine, Krys spent her early youth on Iturup, one the Kuril Islands, an experience which she credits with heightening her strong affinity to nature. She enjoyed the stark beauty of the island's dormant volcano, forests and view of the Pacific. Emigrating to the U.S. in 1998, she expresses these formative years in her landscape paintings.
Krys earned Bachelor's degrees in Painting and Art Education at Rhode Island College and a Masters of Fine Art in Painting from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Exhibiting widely, Krys has taught at numerous colleges and universities including RISD Continuing Education, Roger Williams University, Bryant University and CCRI. She lives and works in North Providence. Artists for GREEN SPACE were selected for exhibition by an panel consisting of Peter Geisser, arts educator and public artist, Karen Harris, painter, and Hollis Mickey, RISD Museum educator and new media artist. Artists for the Block Island Airport Gallery were selected by a panel consisting of poet and resident Lisa Starr and fine artists Ben Wohlberg and Carolina Arentsen.
The Airport Galleries, a partnership between the Rhode Island Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, promote outstanding work by artists living and working in Rhode Island. The galleries 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 and the five 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 for T. F. Green and Block Island airports.