The Wickford Art Association is a non-profit dedicated to fostering the Rhode Island art community and is currently displaying the exhibit, “Figure It Out,” which consists of figurative work showcasing the human figure, at its art gallery.
The WAA is community-based and focuses on educating and inspiring members through the visual arts.
Established in 1962, the WAA has held several exhibits; the current exhibit is displaying artwork from several artists throughout Rhode Island, such as Victoria Guerina, Tim Tait, Tracy Stilwell and many others.
Juried by Bob Dilworth, a former professor at the University of Rhode Island in the Fine Arts Department, the “Figure It Out” display has pieces ranging from 400$ depending on the artist and the artwork type.
The medium of these works of art varies, with paintings, sketches, sculpture pieces, photography and more being displayed. Realistic and abstract, they all share the common theme of “Figure It Out.”
Some of the pieces were very meaningful to the artists, such as Angelo DeSista, who created a sculpture piece called “Trapped.”
“My mother had dementia,” DeSista said. “She was in a facility, and she would call me all the time on the phone, and some days it was good and some days it was really bad, so I would work on the sculpture the whole time my mother was in the facility.”
When his mom passed away, he took an old bulletin board of hers that he had held on to, full of photos and notes, and used the base of the statue as a tomb to hold all of the important things from the board.
“It wasn’t anything significant, but it was significant to her,” Desista said.
Another artist whose artwork, “Man/Nature”, is on display, Julian Penrose, takes the meaning of “Figure It Out” as a juxtaposition with the figurative artwork style and centers his artwork around figuring out the perpetual question of man vs. nature.
“I do assemblage art, and a lot of my issues are around man and nature, and recycling materials,” Penrose said.
In a biosheet at the exhibit, Penrose said his works take discarded, forgotten materials and transforms them into artworks.
Other artwork, such as “Red Bed” by artist Adolfo Peralta, featuring oil on paper, and Matthew Brennan’s “Embracing the Elders” piece, using graphite pencil and oil paint on mylar, are also on display and showcase other forms of art media.
As well as exhibits, the Wickford Art Gallery is dedicated to creating a community of artists in Rhode Island, and they offer adult and youth art classes throughout the year, according to their website.
The “Figure It Out” exhibit will be up until Nov. 15; after that, WAA will switch to a “Holiday Small Works” exhibit. They also have 12 exhibits already planned for 2027 as well. More information is listed on their website or in person at their gallery, located at 36 Beach St. North Kingstown.
