Critique and Conversation

Local curators, artists, and art educators facilitate conversation centered upon works of art in the Museum's collection followed by focused, critical dialogue about ideas relevant to contemporary creative practice. Join creative colleagues for dynamic discussion and generative workshopping of concepts.
In this session of Critique and Conversation, join Adrienne Gagnon and Manuel Cordero Alvarado of DownCity Design to discuss the creation of work for public spaces. Topics for consideration include processes for addressing the site and surrounding context of installations, and engaging people who will encounter and interact with the work in a constructive dialogue that may inform the creative process. For designers, artists, and activists alike, this dynamic discussion will inspire, energize, and provide tools for leading dialogue.
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Artist Bios:
Adrienne Gagnon, Executive Director and Founder of DownCity Design, was named a 2013 RI Innovation Fellow for her work with the organization. DownCity Design helps people design solutions for their communities, and has worked with over 900 youth since 2009 to design and build more than 40 structures for public spaces in Providence and beyond. In addition to her work with DownCity Design, Adrienne has served as an adjunct faculty member in RISD's Department of Architecture, where she taught a course on socially engaged design.
Manuel Cordero Alvarado, President and Founder of DownCity Design, is a licensed architect in Rhode Island with a focus on educational and community planning projects. Manuel works as school construction planner at the School Building Authority at RIDE. He has taught design to students of all ages, including middle and high school students, and undergraduate and master's students as adjunct faculty in the Architecture Department of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Critique and Conversation is supported, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and by Dr. Joseph A. Chazan. To find out more about how NEA grants impact individuals and communities, visit arts.gov.