March 31, 2003

SPEAKER:

Sue GLASHEEN, from RISD Museum Education Department

In RISD museum many of the exhibits have been updated and there are new items featured every month or so. There's so much to see, you can't do it all in one day. The website boasts 85,000 works of art so it is wise to focus on one area of interest and plan return trip.

The museum consists of four buildings containing 40 plus galleries. It was started in 1876 by a group of women from Providence who sold a few items at the Philadelphia Exposition and netted $1600. They decided to use the money to launch a school in Providence for students interested in trade and manufacturing. Mrs. Jessie METCLAF, whose family was involved in textile manufacturing, was one of the charter members. She received full support from her family since there was a need at that time for people with expertise in the design field. The school graduated many students who went into the industry.

Gradually the curriculum extended to include fine arts and to add buildings to house the numerous collections that were either donated or purchased. One of the buildings, Pendleton House, was built in 1906 to house the furniture that was donated by Charles PENDLETON of South County. It is one of the most popular attractions.

In the early 1990s a new wing was added to display of a variety of wallpaper from different periods. For those who are interested…there is even one by Andy WARHOL that features the heads of cows!

The museum is at 224 Benefit Street in Providence. Hours are Tues. thru Sun. 10-5. Closed Mondays. For more information: 401-454-6502 or visit the website at http://www.risd.edu