Nancy Gaucher-Thomas has served as president of the Providence Art Club the last three years. She is also founder and president emerita for the Art League of Rhode Island, and an arts consultant for Hope Hospice RI, Women & Infants Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center.
Gaucher-Thomas is stepping down as Providence Art Club’s president. She spoke with Providence Business News about her time as president and what her plans are moving forward.
PBN: What will you miss most about no longer being president of the Providence Art Club?
GAUCHER-THOMAS: The staff. The Providence Art Club is really one big family. Beyond the professionalism they bring to the job, I consider them all to be good friends. They made my job easy and were of great support to me during my tenure as president.
I will also miss the exchange of new and creative ideas by committees regarding new programs, exhibits and social events that are provided to the members that make this club so exciting to be a part of.
PBN: What new endeavors are you looking forward to?
GAUCHER-THOMAS: Although I am looking forward to having more studio time, creating my own work and working on other opportunities outside of the art club, I will not be too far away from PAC, as I still chair the Arts Qualifications committee and serve on the development committee.
I am also working on a project that I am very excited about. Without giving too much away, the Providence Art Club was recently gifted a sculpture of founder and painter Edward Mitchell Bannister. The story of Bannister, a man of color, and his wife, Christiana Carteaux, a woman of color and Native American, who in her own right was an important figure in R.I. history, is beautiful. They made a significant impact on the city of Providence. You may have heard that recently an E.M. Bannister went for a record $277,000 at Sotheby’s auction in May.
The art club is delighted to see this artist get the recognition he deserves. With that said, I’ll be working with others on another Bannister sculpture, which I hope will find it’s home in a location close to the art club. There is never a shortage of exciting projects that seem to come my way. We’ll see what comes next.
PBN: How did the art club remain active during the pandemic?
GAUCHER-THOMAS: With so many creatives at the art club, it was not that difficult to come up with new and exciting ways to keep our members engaged. Zoom is a platform that everyone became comfortable with. We took advantage and continued to offer our art classes, programs and lectures virtually.
With limited-capacity restrictions in our buildings and with over 600 members, we had to rethink and create new ways to keep the kitchen and dining facilities functioning. The Art of Take-Out was launched for lunches and special dinners. It was an enormous success and still continues. We also took advantage of our beautiful exterior courtyard and initiated events that included artist demonstrations, as well as entertainment. With a very supportive membership, members were eager to be out with friends even if it meant wearing masks and social distancing. We all missed the art club and the camaraderie of the members.
The art club also created an exhibit that was inspired by the masks mandate – a traveling exhibit titled “Conceal/Reveal.” Over 70 art club members got inspired and made masks that expressed everything from funny to political messages. The project caught on and was exhibited at the R.I. Department of Health and the R.I. State Archives. The mask project is currently on exhibit at R.I. State Council on the Arts’ atrium gallery and will move to the Statehouse in August. Additional masks were added along the way by school age children and employees of a few of the state agencies.
PBN: Were there any new programs that were created in response to the pandemic? If so, what were they?
GAUCHER-THOMAS: As mentioned earlier, Zoom meetings became a big part of everyone’s life during the pandemic and we knew it was going to be an important part of how we, as a club, engaged with our members. All meetings were conductive via Zoom.
Lectures and programs were tailored to meet the needs of our audience. It was a way for members and guests to participate with the outside world. This, too, caught on and programs were offered free of charge to members and the public. Most often there were upwards of 50-100 people in attendance.
Also mentioned, long-distance learning, which meant we, as a club, had to learn the new technology and the equipment that came along with it. Teaching artists became knowledgeable in how to set up the equipment and became adept at holding classes without being hands-on. The membership embraced it and Zoom classes are now part of our class programming.
PBN: What are your hopes for the art club moving forward?
GAUCHER-THOMAS: In its 140th year, my hope is that there are many more people that enter “the big green door” on Thomas Street to engage and learn about what the Providence Art Club has to offer. We are a community of artists and art patrons that make art and who continue the magnificent history of the club.
My hope is that the art club continues and encourages community participation with new and exciting exhibits and programs that include artists and others who may not be familiar with our club. It is truly a very special place, and it doesn’t take too long, once inside the big green door, to be charmed by the history and taken by the warmth and welcoming atmosphere of the club and its members. It has been a pleasure and honor to serve as its 47th president.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
