Watch: A conversation with the founders

From the Archives: A History Of Gallery Night Providence

Gallery Night Providence traces its roots back to 1996, a distinct moment in the port city’s  history. The Providence of 1996 was a city in flux, decades into a decline in the jewelry and  textile industries it was built upon and yet still, in many ways, sustaining a burgeoning arts scene within downtown’s landscape of abandoned warehouses and commercial spaces. The  downtown area was attractive to artists looking for low-cost work space, and the local arts  schools, such as the Rhode Island School of Design, produced a steady influx of emerging  creatives in need of somewhere to put down roots. However, downtown’s lack of commercial  activity and residential housing resulted in neighborhood that felt distinctly empty,  unwelcoming, and potentially dangerous. Foot traffic was low, and sustaining any kind of  business in the area was a tough proposition. Moving in the new millennium, Providence’s  challenge was to find a way to re-instill a sense of life and safety in the city that would also  boost its image and economy. Investment in the arts became a crucial part of the solution. 

Bob Rizzo, then-director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, is among the key figures in the urban  revival of Providence around the arts, as well as the genesis of Gallery Night. One of Rizzo’s  biggest achievements in the office was the founding of the Convergence International Arts  Festival in 1988, a now-annual event that commissions works of public art from new and  established artists. Rizzo would curate and direct the festival from its founding until 2003.  

Rizzo invited the International Sculpture Conference to Providence for the June 1996  Convergence Festival. To welcome them, he asked local art galleries to produce a coordinated  opening and sculpture show during the conference. Suddenly, gallery owners from around the  city were sitting at the same table, making plans and building relationships.  

The opening around Convergence was a huge success, with participating galleries reaping the  benefits of increased foot traffic and sales. Inspired, Catherine Little Bert of Bert Gallery,  Teresa Level of Gallery Flux, and Paula Martiesian of Center City Artisans decided to work  together to recreate the experience on a monthly basis. They recruited both for-profit and non profit galleries to participate, under the conditions of sharing their mailing lists for outreach  purposes and contributing a quarterly fee for operations. The group mapped routes for patrons  to find their way from one gallery to the next. In order to include as many galleries as possible,  a trolley service (the Art Trolley) was arranged to make travel along the route quicker and  easier, circling through carefully planned loops. Patrons could visit as many or as few galleries  as they wanted, hopping on and off the bus or following along on foot. On the trolleys,  Providence Preservation Society guides would provide detailed commentary on the sights and  history of the city. 

Gallery Night launched its first official season in August 1996 with 8 participating galleries (a  number that would double by its second opening and fluctuate throughout the years). The first  night drew more than two thousand participants.  

The impact of gallery night on its galleries was immediate and powerful. Part of Gallery Night’s  central goal was to create economic support for juried arts spaces, and Gallery Night proved an excellent way to educate potential fine arts buyers and expose them to a wide variety of artists  and galleries, spurring on sales. With so many different galleries exhibiting so many different  styles of art, there was sure to be something for everyone. As an added benefit, the increased  foot traffic brought in by Gallery Night benefitted local businesses, particularly restaurants,  many of which saw increased sales as locals and tourists flooded into the usually quiet  downtown area. At the same time, regular openings and opportunities to connect personally  with artists and gallery owners helped demystify galleries for audiences that may have  previously viewed them as exclusive spaces. 

Also crucial to Gallery Night’s success and the Providence’s arts-centered turnaround was the  support of Mayor Buddy Cianci and Patricia A. McLaughlin, a city administrator who  spearheaded the creation of the Arts and Entertainment District. Mayor Cianci understood the  vast potential of Providence’s arts scene and its power to improve the city with strategic  investment. His administration was game to help fund and support the activities of young arts  organizations like Gallery Night, AS220, and WaterFire, at the same time creating tax breaks to  convert the city’s vacant commercial space into residential housing. Mayor Cianci and  McLaughlin also negotiated the creation of the Arts and Entertainment District, where resident  artists were freed from income tax on their work. 

Gallery Night continued to thrive into the new millennium. The number of featured galleries  has fluctuated over the years, featuring as few as 8 in its inaugural season to as many as 24. To  sustain the program, member galleries all served on the board and paid dues, but this model  sometimes posed a burden to smaller operations. To accommodate these concerns, an  associate member track was developed, whereby galleries could simply be advertised on a list  of arts hot spots in exchange for a smaller fee and relief from duty to serve on the board.  

Since Gallery Night’s inception, some frequently participating galleries and artists have been  Anthony Tomaselli Painter, AS220, Copacetic, Bert Gallery, Big Nazo Lab, Center City Artisans,  Gallery Flux, Helianthus, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, The Peaceable Kingdom, the  University of Rhode Island Providence Campus Gallery, Yellow Peril Gallery, and WaterFire. 

In 2001, Gallery Night achieved 501(c)3 status. As a nonprofit, Gallery Night formalized its  board structure, in 2021 was run by a president, treasurer, secretary, and executive director.  Although the organization still works to cultivate and strengthen Providence’s creative economy, a greater emphasis has been placed on the entertainment and educational value of  art for a diverse public audience. With more than 4,000 annual visitors and the ability to showcase more than 200 artists per season, Gallery Night still plays a role in the sustainability of both juried and unjuried art in Providence. 

From March 2020 to May 2021, in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Gallery Night  shifted its activities online for the first time in its history. Gallery Night was presented via Facebook livestream, with staff stepping in to film the art and commentary from artists and gallery owners. 2022 marked Gallery Night’s return to a fully in-person season!

Timeline: 

• June 1996: The first informal Gallery Night is held as part of the International  Sculpture/Convergence Festival 

• August 1996: Gallery Night launches its first official season

• 1997: Gallery Night holds its first “Birthday Bash,” complete with custom-decorated  cakes 

• 2000-2001: Gallery Night participates in the Women’s Festival 

• 2001: Gallery Night achieves 501(c)3 status 

• 2004: Gallery Night named the “Best Night out on Foot” in a Rhode Island Monthly  editors’ poll 

• 2009: Gallery Night establishes its first indoor information booth in the Regency Hotel

• August 2016: Gallery Night celebrates its 20th anniversary with a birthday party and  panel discussion 

• 2020: Gallery Night moves out of the Regency and begins its partnership with the  Graduate Hotel  

• February 2020: Gallery Night hold its first annual juried art show 

• March 2020: Gallery Night opens its first virtual season, in response to the global  COVID-19 Pandemic 

• January 2021: Gallery Night begins an archiving project in celebration of its 25th anniversary, funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Council of the Humanities (RICH) 

• May 2021: Gallery Night reinstitutes bike and walking tours, beginning at the Graduate Hotel in downtown Providence