The people who make up Gallery Night
Gallery Night is the product of many efforts, big and small, by many different people. Below are bios for…
…our tour guides who lead the tours each month and introduce hundreds of locals and visitors to the art scene in Providence…
…our team which organizes our events and ensures they run smoothly each month (and a lot more!)…
…and our board which provides the big-picture guidance to make we sure deliver on our mission year after year!
Our tour Guides
Danielle Wolfrum
Danielle Wolfrum (she/her) is an artist, historian, and nonprofit professional. As a new resident of Providence, she is excited to share her love of her new city with visitors and locals alike. Danielle is passionate about creating more equitable communities for future generations and believes art should be accessible to all. She enjoys painting, visiting museums, and studying art. In her free time, you can also find her hiking, kayaking, practicing yoga, reading, and traveling.
Shannon Hadfield
Shannon is an art historian and educator. As a Rhode Island College graduate and Rhode Island native, she has a passion for the city of Providence. She is excited to share an appreciation for our local history and thriving art community with all people.
Jennifer Wilson
Jenn Wilson is a Rhode Island native and she delights in introducing people to the arts in the area. Over the past decade, she's worked at Trinity Rep, The Gamm Theatre, and the Rhode Island Historical Society. She has volunteered for several other Providence-based historical and artistic organizations as a tour guide and educator. In 2021, she started to learn glassblowing, the tradition of which brings together her love of art and history.
Frank Toti
Instructor in Humanities at Johnson and Wales University and Rhode Island College. Playwright, Director, Actor
Loves star gazing, walks along the beach, broadway show tunes and a nice glass of Merlot!
Irene Yibirin
Irene Yibirin was born in California, USA. She grew up in Venezuela where she studied at the School of Arts of the Central University of Venezuela, obtaining a degree in Film Production. She began providing interpreting and translation services initially in support of the film festival environment, along with script translation and subtitling, later deciding to offer her services in the area of immigration. Irene is active in different groups in the Providence community, including producing the monthly Motif Film Screening Series together with Motif Magazine.
Emily Gray
Emily Gray (she/her) is a Providence-based artist practicing in painting, printmaking, sculpture, and performance art. In her current role as the Executive Assistant at WaterFire Providence, Emily focuses on community arts programming, WaterFire Arts Center's gallery + exhibitions, and all things arts administration. Emily finds immense joy in talking, learning, and thinking about art.
Bradly J. VanDerStad
Bradly is an entrepreneur, a writer, and a lover of all things Providence. It was this last affinity that drove him to establish the Providence Tour Company, where he and his team give walking tours for curious tourists of the Creative Capital; it also drove him to get the city tattooed on his forearm. He currently works as the Assistant Editor at Motif, RI's foremost arts and culture publication.
Larisa Martino
An ethnically Russian artist who was born, raised, and educated in the former USSR. Larisa is a contemporary artist with a fashion design background specializing in figurative and abstract paintings on different substrates. She is represented by galleries throughout New England and Miami.
Larisa lives and works in Cranston, RI. She also enjoys fitness, yoga, and gardening. To view Larisa's work, please visit her website: www.Larisa-Designs.com
Rosemary Rocchio
Rosemary has been a Providence tour guide for many years. During this time she has given walking tours and bus tours. In the early days of Gallery Night she was a guide on the trolley!
Barbara Zdravesky
Barbara Zdravesky is a professional freelance cellist who has been a docent and tour guide in the past fifteen years with the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Providence Preservation Society, and the Preservation Society of Pawtucket.
Barbara very much enjoys visiting museums of all kinds and is excited to help share Providence’s art world with Gallery Night participants.
Sam Nehila
Sam Nehila is a Providence-based art historian and printmaker, originally from central New Jersey. His love for art has led him across museums and art galleries for the last five years. After experiencing Gallery Night from both the perspective of a guest and as a gallery employee, he is excited to take the reins as a guide! Sam also organizes the Rhode Island-based printmaking community PVDPrintmakers, active on and off Instagram.
Team
Michelle Maynard, Executive Director
Michelle is a Rhode Island native who spent much of her career in the Washington, DC area. Her background includes time at the U.S. State Department and at national non-profit organizations. She served as the Executive Director of Project Knitwell, an Arlington, Virginia based non-profit promoting knitting and creativity as a wellness tool. Not surprisingly, Michelle is an avid knitter. She is excited to return to Providence and re-discover the fabulous art, cultural and food scene.
Sarina Mitchel, Administrative Assistant
Sarina is an artist based in Providence, RI. Fascinated by the intersection of science and art, her current focus is on paintings inspired by cells and biology. She shows work in galleries, does freelance commission, and teacher art one-on-one. She has been attending gallery night for many years and is so excited to be helping out as the Administrative Assistant!
Board
Almamy Kamara, President
Almamy the kid grew up in the city of Providence, Almamy the poet wrote of feelings so intense, Almamy the coach taught kids he represents, Almamy the teacher helps things make sense. Almamy the creative, the influence from his birth in Sierra Leone, his move to Maryland til his raising in Providence. When the world moved he was still with a pencil and pad drawing from his imagination, writing stories of his wildest dreams. Almamy is a community board member. He is a creative writer, middle school educator, and art enthusiast with a passion for helping people and spreading love of art in the Providence community.
Mike Ryan, Vice President
Mike currently publishes Motif, RI's arts and entertainment magazine, where he has also written a film column off and on for 15 years. He spent his early employment years in advertising, first as a writer, then as a designer and ultimately as a creative director at RI-based ad firms. Throughout his career, Mike has maintained a dedication to the arts and their importance to our society.
Jeff Blackmar, Treasurer
Jeff is currently employed with a mid-sized, general, public accounting firm in Foxboro, where he started in 2023. His most previous experience to this adventure was as a Controller and Operations Manager of a construction and property development/management company. Before that he had fifteen years of public accounting experience including with small business entities and individuals. He also dabbled in careers & education of Drafting, and Culinary Arts. Due to his enjoyment of learning and experiencing new things and love of adventure, his free time is generally spent outdoors or gaming of different sorts. He considers himself a rare breed of a geeky/outdoorsman.
Victoria Gao
Director of the Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College. Born in Providence but left for twenty-five years. Excited to be a New Englander once again!
Kyle Machado
Born in 1988, from foster home to ocean state, I was adopted from Honduras, a war-torn country also known for its beaches and coffee. I’ve always been a graphic-illustrator at heart. In 2011, I graduated from the School of Visual Arts, in Manhattan, with a BFA in Illustration. I lived in NY for nine years freelancing. I moved back home to RI around 2016. Currently, I’ve been fortunate enough to keep freelancing while occasionally showing at many wonderful galleries or businesses.
Ray Sirico
Ray’s roots run deep within Providence’s cultural scene. He previously was the President of Rhode Island Pride and currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for Open Door Health, an LGBTQ healthcare organization. Ray has been involved with Gallery Night as a gallery sponsor since the early 2000's. As a successful Realtor® with Domain Properties, who sponsor Galerie le Domaine, Ray continues to help a diverse clientele find their way home to the Ocean State. Having graduated from art school in Boston, Ray is especially honored to assist gallery night position Rhode Island as a creative leader within New England.
Amie Noakes
Amie Noakes is a local painter. She moved to Rhode Island from Long Island in 2018, interested in the art scene of Providence. Amie got her BFA in Painting from Maryland Institute College of Art. She works primarily in oil paint, but also enjoys various other crafts like bookbinding and embroidery. She joined the Gallery Night board upon her arrival in RI and has had a great passion for the organization ever since. She currently serves as Board President, having previously served as Secretary.
Darien Strassfield
Darien is an avid reader and volunteers in the community to help promote the arts and sense of connection within Providence. She is enamored by the history, culture, and walkability of Rhode Island.
Heebe-Tee-Tse Lee
Heebe-Tee-Tse Lee, Hebe for short. Wear many hats, Hebe is an Artist first with a concentration with painting and beadwork. A Librarian, Archivist, and Collection's assistant at the Tomaquag Museum, Professor and Librarian at both CCRI and URI. In joining the Gallery Night Team Hebe wants to be relevant in the artist community in not just Rhode Island, but all of the Northeast.
Deb Clemons
A dedicated Gallery Night board member for many years, Deb supports the organization's grant application processes. She is Assistant Director of Public and Academic Programs at the RISD Museum where she develops opportunities for adult learning, artist engagement, and collegiate exchange that emphasize multiple perspectives, interdisciplinary exploration, and cross-cultural dialogues.
Michelle Lee
As the owner and lead designer for Michelle Lee Designs in Johnston, RI, Michelle has worked on interior design projects for commercial and residential clients across the country. Born in Israel and raised in Cranston RI, Michelle graduated from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and started her interior design company in 2004. Her playful use of color and texture is seen both in her design work and in her paintings. Michelle has explored various styles of painting ranging from mixed media, acrylics, chalk paint, pastels, and collaging. With Michelle’s versatility, she is able to create unique personalized pieces of art for many of her clients. She has also been featured in many galleries throughout Rhode Island.
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS
Paula Martiesian
Paula Martiesian is a painter, a freelance arts writer, visiting critic and the exhibitions curator for the BankRI Galleries. She has curated hundreds of exhibits at area galleries, and has been painting and exhibiting for almost fifty years. She is one of the founding members and former board chairman of Gallery Night Providence. Her paintings can be seen on her website www.paulamartiesian.com.
Steven Pennell
Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Steven has multiple degrees in Theatre History and Theatre Education. He worked for 10 years overseas as a Theatre Director for the US Army, and 45 years as an Arts Administrator. Steven founded the Arts and Culture Program at the University of Rhode Island Providence in 1996 focused on diversity and social justice issues, and the URI Providence Campus Lobby Gallery became a member of Gallery Night in 2001.