Angell Street Galleries in Providence, Rhode Island is a concept driven exhibition venue recently opened as an incubator-stylepresentation space. A quirk of its existence is that it was formerly a dentist’s office, now re-contextualized into a flowing array of micro-galleries. There is a casual vibe to the transformation, a feeling of open plan. Painter Marjorie Hellman, whose works are included in its “Summer Exhibition,” mentioned this had been her periodontist’s office. The complete list of artists showing in the show includes Kathryn Parker Almanas, S.W. Dinge, Vienna Gambol, Marjorie Hellman, Rebecca Jenness, Kendel Joseph, James Powers and John Trainor.
Tom Petrosino purchased the Angell Street building three years ago with the intention of opening a gallery there. He also purchased a building on Westminster Street in Providence that he is turning into artist studios with a dedicated gallery for its artists on premises. He is manifesting the facility as a legacy project for artists and his children that he expects will blossom in the long term as self-sustaining.
Petrosino’s daughter is currently a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). His son is a writer who is developing a library project at Angell Street Galleries for which he writes book reviews.
The Brooklyn-born Petrosino fell in love with Providence when he dropped his daughter off at RISD and said that this is the city where he’ll eventually retire. In the meantime, he has hired Richard Goulis as the acting director of Angell Street Galleries.
Goulis documented the art, artists and art processes behind the late Dr. Joseph A. Chazan’s huge art collection and that became the “Networks” video series. Hellman described Goulis as a “rainmaker,” meaning that he can make things happen. In a separate conversation, Petrosino concurred with that description. Among other things, Goulis has focused on branding Angell Street Galleries to align with Petrosino’s vision for an energized and unpretentious identity. To that end, every weekend, Angell Street Galleries’ door is typically propped open to welcome visitors.