A New Feminist Cultural Center Takes Shape in Providence
The Alcove’s gallery hosts a Portrait Gallery focused on women and gender expansive people. Photo by Michael Rose.
By Michael Rose
Organizations that blur expected boundaries are crucial to a vital arts community and novel venues are welcome additions to the region. In Providence, a new space that blends art gallery, library, and community space has opened on the city’s West End. Focused on celebrating the stories of women and gender expansive people, The Alcove is a novel feminist cultural center promising to offer engaging programs that will add to the local scene.
The Alcove’s clubhouse was constructed by heavily renovating a former religious goods store. Although the new building keeps the footprint of the old, it adds a second story. Over 200 community members attended a celebratory opening for the venue, illustrating the hunger for third spaces and especially ones that center their work on cultural pursuits. On the first floor, visitors are welcomed into the Club via a polished and publicly accessible gallery space. Fitted out for exhibitions as well as programs, the gallery is at the heart of The Alcove’s public-facing work.
The inaugural exhibition focuses on a Portrait Gallery that highlights the achievements of women and gender expansive people in a series of artworks that span styles and media. The voices of the artists mirror the breadth of the individuals their artworks document. There are familiar figures as well as people whose contributions are less well known, making for a show that is both a celebration and an educational opportunity. Didactic labels add insights that allow the artworks to be a jumping off point for conversation and research.
