Quintín Rivera Toro was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico in 1978. He holds a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Hunter College, New York - 2001; B.A. in Communications and Film Studies, from the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras - 2007; and an M.F.A. in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island - 2013. He is currently working remotely towards his Ph.D. degree in the Universitat Politécnica de Valencia, in Spain.
He has been awarded the German DAAD travel grant; A full fellowship for the Vermont Studio Center, in Johnson, Vermont; A studies grant from the National Academy of Design in New York City; He has been an artist in residence at the Ox Bow School of Art, S.A.I.C., in Saugatuck, Michigan; An intern at the Chinati Museum in Marfa, Texas; Has studied with the Escuela Internacional de Teatro de América Latina y el Caribe (E.I.T.A.L.C.) in Cuernavaca, Mexico; He was awarded an Achievement Scholarship from the Transart Institute in Berlin, Germany. An Individual Artist Grant as well as a New Genres Fellowshipfrom the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts. He received a Sylvia Leslie Young Herman Scholarship Award and Academic Honors from the Rhode Island School of Design. The New York Times has called Quintín's work "Striking Contemporary Art" and was selected for Refinery 29 's "Top 10 list of rising NYC art stars" curated by Casey Fremont.
Quintín is an adjunct Professor in the Art Department of the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, and from 2017-2019 he will be an artist in residence at the University of El Turabo, in Gurabo Puerto Rico.
Quintín Rivera Toro Installation in Dirt Palace Storefront Window
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The ghost of the Dirt Palace haunted me since I moved to Providence in the goddam bitter cold of March 2010. As I scavenged for an art community, learning about AS 220, the RISD Sphere and the the rest of the “real” art world, the allure of a bottom up, exclusive, anarcho-feminist art space triggered my imagination in many real ways. As I rode the bus with my toddler daughter to the Empire branch public library, friends who had belonged to this art space before, told me their stories. Freezing fingers while printmaking. Crazy noise bands. Thunderbolt. It all fed my brain with an unknown world for me, which I then came to understand in some ways, years after leaving Providence. This was the punk scene, punk life, punk history, with its rich tradition of social protestation and anti institutional ways.
The opportunity to connect with the Dirt Palace, reference through this installation the musical feminist traditions, and a even deeper layer, the local spanish speaking community, all became synthesised in these two words: Oh Sombra! (Oh Shadow!), a song performed by the early rock punk feminist band from England, Electrolane. The spanish sung sonnet references the work of Juan Boscán a spaniard poet from the XVI century, who writes in a very romantic and pensive manner on the subject of dreams. Dreams such as the ones that accompanied me during my four years of Providence life, with the idea of belonging, same as many of the immigrants, locals and artists who transit Olneyville in search of art action and night life.
I fell in love with this song since I listened to it. I was introduced to it via a mix tape from a cherished fellow artist, who showed me the ways of punk music, its ethics and most of all its beauty. To this private person, this public piece is dedicated, and am forever influenced for the knowledge this brought to my life.
Finally, a BIG THANK YOU to another fellow artist, Ms. Xander Marro, for visiting Puerto Rico and spending the time to share art worlds, for inviting me to participate in the amazing Dirt Palace, central to Providence history, and for her lead by example style of leadership. Lead on Xander. You are gold punk.
Here is the incredible sonnet:
Como aquel que en soñar gusto recibe,
Su gusto procediendo de locura,
Así el imaginar con su figura vanamente su gozo en mí concibe.
Otro bien en mí, triste, no se escribe,
Si no es aquel que en mi pensar procura;
De cuanto ha sido hecho en mi ventura
Lo sólo imaginado es lo que vive.
Teme mi corazón de ir adelante,
Viendo estar su dolor puesto en celada;
Que así revuelve atrás en un instante a contemplar su gloria ya pasada.
¡Oh sombra de remedio inconstante,
Ser en mí lo mejor lo que no es nada!
SEPTEMBER WINDOW ARTIST: TrY CAPS
TrY CAPS is a community based youth program located in the Olneyville section of Providence that exposes youths to art and culture. TRY CAPS mission is to provide arts experiences to a diverse group of youth, encourage leadership and problem solving skills; through the use of mentors, apprentice and real life experiences.
This year the members of the Try Caps 4-H Club decided they wanted to help their community by learning more about homelessness and trying to find a way to help people who are homeless. Their installation in the Dirt Palace window will reflect the past 9 months of their research and work.
*****UPDATES*****
PIPPI ZORNOZA
LISTEN TO RECTRIX, LIVE AT DUSK 06.08.16 MP3
WITH NIEVE CROSS
BLACK MECHA will be performing in the the Montreal Red Bull Music Academy signature event:
Drone Activity in Progress
9/30/2016
Footage of the performance remains installation of The Sound of It Hammering Against the
Skirts at Grace Exhibition Space in New York
Sound of It Hammering Against the Skirts, Performance Remains
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The above poster titled Wallpaper for your Secret Macrame Detective Agency Black-light Room where you will look into the Future with Jodorowsky is a repeat design for the wallpaper show - which is an epic & awesome celebration of the visions of so many amazing Providence Pattern lovers, guided by the generous and very patient hand of Taylor M. Polites - it's at 186 Carpenter - seriously, not to be missed!
In other news, see you at RIPE!!!!...Anyone want to come over and walk around in circles with me tonight (Monday). I'll be collating and drinking beer all night, and by all night I mean ALL night. I'll give you a copy of the new DMNS book Leaving, which I'm still too nervous about finishing (and superstitious) to release details about...but I swear that it's a comp of heavy hitters and you WILL want one!!!
DANIELLA BEN-BASSAT
Daniella will be revealing some breathtaking products at the RIPExpo. Also available will be the recently unavailable Lite Rock 105 double cassettes - featuring many minutes of genuine radio programming with some broadcast-ready covers interspersed throughout. Additionally, the four-piece band that she is in, Wex, will be performing at Puffer's Fest.
O HORVATH
O will be at RIPExpo with some exciting new shi(r)t!!!!
💦💦💦💦 SWEATY SHIRT💦💦💦💦
New from O CORP
available in HOTT NEON SALMON and RASPBERRY GALAXY bleach splatter
available for purchase at O HORVATH WEBSTORE
local? wanna purchase online and pick up? use code "NEIGHBORS" for free shipping!
NINA RUELLE
Nina spent a couple weeks down in NC as a studio assistant at the Penland School of Crafts, where she stitched a funhouse quiltscape with chase williwrm greene
Then she came back to town and had a show at the Wurks Gallery with Trina Powers to mark the completion of The Tenderness Project, a ten month long collaboration between the two that involved over sixty participants from places as close as lil rhody and as far as the Ukraine:
After that she had a solo show at AS220's Reading Room, There are so many holes to fill, which will be up until September 23rd.
ALISON NITKIEWICZ
Al is clinging onto summer as long as possible while also eagerly anticipating the splendor that is Fall in New England. She was the artist for Foo Fest in August, and got to design the poster, promotional materials and photobooth!
She is also starting to work on a new short film.
Her band, Milkmaid II, is attempting to release a split by the end of the month!
SARAH ROSE LEJEUNE
Sarah Rose is still at The Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY, ever so far away from Providence. Right now she is working on a handmade paper production project for WSW, as well as her own works for upcoming shows in October and November. SR has been making metal and paper sculptures, sewing paper envelope quilts, and embroidering "lost socks." ((Look back at her website in the next couple of weeks to see some of these new works.)) The Hudson Valley is treating SR well, but she misses the Dirt Palace dearly!
NIEVE X
Nieve is a performing artist and singer currently learning various forms of vocal expression. She is currently interested in collaborating with musicians with knowledge about experimental jazz music. Her work currently has been focused on transmisogyny, depression/mental illness, and male rape. She is working with other artists currently in Providence RI, where she has played at local venues over the past few years. She also recently sang in a part of a large piece by Pippi Zornoza at the Grace Exhibition Space in Brooklyn, NY.
SOUNDCLOUD.COM/NEVE_X
Bridget is off to Europe for a couple months to play some shows with her pals Sam Slater and Wilted Woman/miss Eel and to work on the Bedroom Community 10 year anniversary show at Iceland Airwaves. She’ll be back home in November.
Her SD card album now also exists on regular old cassette tape ( bridgetferal.bandcamp.com if you want one of either).
MONTHLY PICTORIAL TREAT FROM THE DUSTY SHELVES OF THE DIRT PALACE
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