Our Next Gallery Night is 11/19
From our tour guides and event team to our board of directors, each plays a vital role in creating memorable experiences and supporting Providence’s vibrant arts community.
Danielle Wolfrum 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 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 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 is an 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 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 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.
Larisa Martino is 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.
Mike Camera is a brand and web designer, with a background in fine art. He graduated from Rhode Island College with a BFA, and did post-graduate studies at the Creative Circus in Atlanta. Mike has been working with creative agencies and studios across New England for 16 years, helping to make brands look bigger. In addition to being a graphic designer he also paints and draws, and is a member of Art in the Atrium First U in Providence.
For the last several years, Bradly has served as a valuable member of the Gallery Night team — leading tours and offering his expertise and energy in support of Gallery Night initiatives. Bradly’s love of all things Providence started when he first came to Providence as a student of hospitality at Johnson & Wales University in 2012. Since then, he has worked across a myriad of sectors: working for two years in AmeriCorps programs across the United States, founding the Providence Tour Company in 2018, and enlisting in the Rhode Island Army National Guard in 2021. Bradly holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University as well as a Master’s in Public Administration from Roger Williams University. He continues to lead Providence Tour Company, and is an active board member of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association in Providence. Bradly sees the opportunity to lead Gallery Night as the perfect confluence of his passions for the arts in Providence, tourism, and community building.
Gabrielle Patrone is an artist, writer, art historian, and a proud Rhode Island native. Throughout her life, Gabrielle has embraced the Ocean State’s rich and diverse arts community, exhibiting in local galleries, collaborating on art historical research projects in Providence, and spending long days at the RISD Museum. She is excited to serve as Gallery Night’s Coordinator and Administrative Assistant, seeing it as an opportunity to give back and share her passion for art with the community! Gabrielle also works as a Gallery Assistant at Warwick Center For the Arts.
Darien Strassfield 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.
Deb Clemons is 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.
Heebe-Tee-Tse Lee wears many hats. Hebe is an Artist first with a concentration in 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.
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.
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.
Laura Lee Brady is an artist and educator based in Providence. She holds a BFA in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a Master’s Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Wheelock College. She exhibits her work in galleries around New England and teaches at the RISD Museum. After teaching in schools for many years, Laura Lee joined Gallery Night as a volunteer while a stay at home mom and has been dedicated to supporting this special event that showcases the vibrant arts community in Providence ever since!
Almamy Kamara 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.
Melaine Ferdinand-King is a cultural researcher and curator from New Jersey, currently residing in Providence, Rhode Island. Through public speaking and previous exhibitions at WaterFire Art Center, RISD Museum, and Brown University, her work communicates the relationship between theory and the arts. She holds a B.A. from Spelman College and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University. A storymaker of the Black Studies tradition, she can be found writing poetry, essays, and listening to jazz and soul music.
Shannon Davis is a graphic designer, artist, corporate educator, and small business owner. She adores Providence with all her heart: the beautiful architecture, brilliant food scene, and most importantly, its people. Outside of her full-time job as a presentation designer, she spends her time bringing people together and is a fierce advocate for cultivating community. Between all her roles of planning and hosting events, organizing and designing systems, and crafting over-the-top event stationery, she is always expanding. When she’s not “doing”, you can find her under the orange umbrellas on Atwells Avenue drinking a spritz, foraging in the woods, attending a renaissance faire, or video-gaming with friends online.
Sam Nehila wears many hats in the art world of Providence, RI, and is a self-described “museum person.” He is an artist, educator, and independent curator. He received a BA in Art History and a minor in Printmaking from Rhode Island College and an MA in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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.
Paula Martiesian is a painter, a freelance arts writer and visiting critic. 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.
