Today’s Guest Curator is Xander from AS220, a non-profit, grassroots community arts space located in downtown Providence, RI. Their mission is to provide an uninjured and uncensored forum for local art. This post is part of our continuing Artistic Endeavors series.
Unlike traditional for-profit galleries, AS220 makes no qualitative judgments about a person’s art, and nothing is ever rejected (sort of like Etsy!). If you live in the state of Rhode Island and ask, you will get an opportunity to exhibit or perform at AS220, period. If you are a creative person who is not “in the loop enough to know how to ask,” we will attempt to find you though one of the many spies in our outreach network, and offer you an opportunity to show your work or to perform.
As an artist, my roots are most definitely in craft. In early childhood, my mother would dress me up in 
colonial dresses that matched hers to help her sell handmade sachets and wreaths at local craft fairs in suburban Long Island. (*Note to moms, while I survived this experience, I would not generally recommend subjecting children to the practice of making them wear clothes from historical periods, especially if they match yours.)
While not totally traumatized by getting carted around to craft fairs looking like I had stepped out of a diorama at Colonial Williamsburg, I was fairly traumatized by moving to (and for the most part growing up on) Long Island. I loved art, puppet shows and music, but there was a real sense on Long Island that the only important art or culture happened in “The City,” and that everything else was second rate. AS220′s egalitarian approach to the arts stands in stark opposition to that idea. We believe that all people ought to have the opportunity to share creativity.
I moved to Providence in 1993, and shortly after discovered AS220. Over the years my involvement with AS220 has twisted and turned. I started out going to punk shows, and then began to use the free computer in the gallery, taught a class in the early days of the youth program, and last year became the managing director. This means that currently I spend a lot of time looking at budgets and meeting with accountants. It’s not totally my true love, but I’m happy to do it because it gives me the opportunity to be part of the team. My job is to make sure that this valuable community resource is impeccably managed and to envision its future.
Here are some of my Etsy favorites, for your perusal.
DAME DARCY Limited Edition B and W Print Bats hand numbered and SIGNED
Dame Darcy didn’t live in Providence for very long; my faulty memory would place it somewhere between a few months and a year, circa 1994. I’m pretty sure that it was in a bin at either Newspeak Books or Fast Forward records that I found a zip-lock bag containing a copy of MeatCake #1, a lock of hair and a napkin with a cross on it. Aside from the beauty and perfection of the drawings, the idea of packaging a comic with a variety of intimate garbage blew my fragile 19-year-old brain. By damedarcy99, $20.
Wynter Rose… A charm necklace in reds
Decadence overload! Why wear one piece of costume jewelry when you can wear twenty pieces at once? Providence was, at one point, the home to the world’s largest junk jewelry industry, and while most of the manufacturing has moved overseas, there are still precious storehouses of these gems. It seems like this artist has tapped into them! By bendywho, $178.
Madame Talbot’s Victorian Lowbrow Vampire’s Garden Mercy Brown Poster
“I met this girl in Exeter, she sleeps days/ She is the dead of night, she’ll never die/ they made her bed tight, but she turns inside/ I met this friend in Providence covered in wheat paste/ she said the show’s tonight, donation means free” - The Narragansett Night Life by The Holy Childhood (a song about Mercy Brown and the Providence underground)
Even in Rhode Island, knowledge of the lore of Mercy Brown (the Rhode Island vampire) is sadly limited. However, lust beyond death and neck-biting vampires are a bit irresistible. The work of Madame Talbot drew me in at once, and when I started to peruse her pages and found this piece about Mercy Brown, my eyeballs almost popped from my head! (17×22 is a nice sized print, too!) By VictorianLowbrow, $13.95.
A compositionally strange and elegant print. The colors of Layne’s palate drag us into our Puritan past. By naomilayne, $13.
Marlene Dietrich Signed Art Print from Original Sketch – Free Shipping
All of silentsandtalkies‘ pieces are fan art in its best form (and what a fan of fan art I am!). It was really hard to choose just one piece. I downloaded Marlene Dietrich singing and knew that the world needed more Marlene! The composition of this piece is really stunning, too… so much dark, crisp black. I wish that I had a long, stark, narrow hall to line with every silentsandtalkies piece, where they could all be together. By silentsandtalkies, $10.
With 122 items for sale, Christina Lyon should dang well be considered prolific! I absolutely love Pining Away #1. It’s sort of Peter Max of the 1960′s (before he started to go on QVC!), but also quiet, strange and spooky. By studiolyon, $14.50.
A radio documentary with rad hand printed cover art by Jean Cozzens: journalism meets the quandary of city planning before the bubble burst. I haven’t listened to this piece in quite a while, but I’m a sucker for storytelling and the intersection of digital media and handmade tactile packaging. By robinsamer, $12.
Pure curiosity takes me here! Glad to see that DIY graf zines still exist. By LowerThanDirt, $5.
Some people just need to be reminded that when puss is oozing and worms are crawling out of your hand – it’s probably time to get beyond the garlic cure-all. Great illustration style! By carolinepaquita, $6.
Show posters are one of my favorite things ever! I am constantly collecting them, making them and looking them up on the internet. This one is for Devendra Banhart and Bunny Brains. While I’ve never gone to a Devendra Banhart show, I have gone to many Bunny Brains shows, some of which they actually showed up for and others where they actually wore clothes! Maya Hayuk is an artist who’s work I’ve admired for quite a while. (Check out Etsy’s Handmade Portrait of Maya!) By mayahayuk, $40.
Make sure to visit AS220 next time you’re in Providence. Is there an art organization like this in your town? Post in the comments!
Looking for past Guest Curators? Check out our archive.
Art Category | More Art Related Posts | Artistic Endeavors series
73 comments
Sign in to add your ownetaletc says:
providence ppl. nice.
3 years ago
OffTheHooks says:
wow AS220 sounds like such a refreshing art space to me. these are great picks, thanks for sharing!
3 years ago
anda says:
Awesome picks.
3 years ago
LaveMeSoapCo says:
ditto on that awesome!
3 years ago
makemesmile says:
I love galleries that are about the art and not about the money. Love the selection, esp the Banhart poster. =^x^=
3 years ago
FancifulForm says:
The water droplet soaps are sooo cute!
3 years ago
Krystyna81 says:
this is such a great article - I love hearing your background, enjoyed your honesty, and really LOOKED at the pieces because you gave such in-depth and thoughtful background to your choices. Thank you for all of the great effort in this article! (and I love the Salem Witches!)
3 years ago
1AEON says:
nice!! love the ghost!
3 years ago
sean11 says:
Great picks. Making me miss Providence/Fort Thunder/Dirt Palace/Redrum/Olneyville.
3 years ago
TheCottageCheese says:
Super unique picks. I really like Pining Away and Reconstructing Providence.
3 years ago
glamasaurus says:
The picks are great!
3 years ago
Xenotees says:
Hey Xander! How's Providence these days? Sounds like you & AS220 are doing well! Cool curation- Love the studiolyon & Salem Witch picks the most!
3 years ago
LazyTcrochet says:
Love it....beer is an antibiotic sounds familiar around here.
3 years ago
shopgoldmine says:
wow, my fav guest curator yet! very quirky picks, i seriously love them all! i'd love to get up to Providence, RI for a visit...maybe a spring road trip?
3 years ago
principessaemicranie says:
uahahahah devendra hairy fairy and the punk medical myths will haunt my mind simply foreva! i'm in love. you know i'm your #1 fan, alison :)
3 years ago
StudioAMF says:
Wow, amazing choices!
3 years ago
tangerined says:
Ha, I would have been allll about dressing in period historical costumes as a child (and still want to today). I guess mom-matching, in public no less, would probably have killed it for me too though. I'll stop making excuses and actually make it to as220 soon.
3 years ago
gloilocksandbody says:
Perfect effing picks, for serious.
3 years ago
TeenAngster says:
I've yet to make it to Providence, but you've totally sold me on the city. I'll definitely be stopping by AS220. Plus, anything having to do with historical vampires is right up my alley. (Hello, Mercy Brown!) Punk Medical Myths is also a favorite!
3 years ago
juliebcreative says:
COME TO RHODE ISLAND!!! ARts in RI is the best street team EVER!!!!
3 years ago
moop says:
I love AS220.
3 years ago
juliebcreative says:
i actually had a show at AS220 like 6 years ago
3 years ago
TheHauntedHollowTree says:
Very awesome collection!
3 years ago
CwButcher says:
awesome prints nice picks
3 years ago
belaluna says:
This was so wonderful to see, I spent my teens going to AS220 when it was above 'the Rocket/Club Babyhead'. Those were good days, lots of fantastic shows! It makes me miss Providence. Great collection too!
3 years ago
crearting says:
Art for brains...
3 years ago
salmonbarn says:
Halloween in March! Love the soaps.
3 years ago
waltersbeads says:
great picks.
3 years ago
waltersbeads says:
great picks
3 years ago
designsbywendyt says:
Providence is THE place!!! All of RI for that matter! Arts in RI should do a show at AS220! Really nice picks!
3 years ago
MariesVintage says:
I LOVE these picks!!
3 years ago
odiliafu says:
Awesome!!
3 years ago
bunnyboutique says:
OK beer might not be an antibiotic, but it has vitamins B, Double E and R in it...
3 years ago
Glamourpuss says:
YAY Providence!! I grew up 15 mins away, lived there for 4 years and met my hubby who was born and raised there! It has ALWAYS been a hotbed of creativity and hopefully always will be.
3 years ago
LeftHandHats says:
Great choices and what a great outlet for artists! I would love and support an organization like that in my area!!!
3 years ago
MeadowbelleMarket says:
I'm so glad to know about this gallery. I live in the midwest, but visited RI last year and will hopefully be visiting this summer. Thanks for the in-roads to this awesome gallery -- it will definitely be on the list of places to vist!
3 years ago
studiolyon says:
Great article! Thanks so much for featuring my work!
3 years ago
SteamBoatAnnie says:
heres to rocking art with no pretension and no judgement. keep it alive xander!
3 years ago
niTeBecOmEsdAy says:
love the salem witches painting. it's eerily beautiful...
3 years ago
carvelcountrysoaps says:
Love these picks!
3 years ago
LOOKAjewelry says:
AWWW Yeah! I was so excited to come across Xander's picks! I share an amazing studio with Ashley (from FilamenasHouse.etsy.com) and we love our space at AS220!!!!! yay AS220 and thanks Xander for spreading the word on Providence too :)
3 years ago
makye77 says:
rockin' picks! I would have to say that this is the best curator yet featured in the Etsy blog... when is she going to pick again?
3 years ago
discomedusa says:
awesome! i remember AS220 fondly from my time in providence- glad to hear it is thriving!
3 years ago
sleepingdogstudio says:
hey!!! what a delight to see my little corner of the world getting some good publicity. it doesn't always go that way. as22o is where i started baking for coffee houses around providence. it was a wonderful way to spend a decade. now that i have switched over to jewelry making, it is even better. thanks for including my wild red collection in a necklace aka "wynter rose" from my sister shop, bendywho.etsy.com. it was a great pleasure and surprise. thanks xander.
3 years ago
ChocolateBeachFlower says:
i really like the pining away picture...really creative:)
3 years ago
CutieDynamite says:
Awesome picks!!
3 years ago
LoopApparel says:
ON a U.S. tour with my husband, we stopped at as220 to play a show. It's great to see an all ages space flourishing. I just remembered the parking ticket i owe in providence. Apparently everyone moves their car after 1 am. Whoops! The pining away pic is awesome.
3 years ago
vantiani says:
Oh this is such a cool post! I love it! And that Xander lady also rocks:) Vantiani.
3 years ago
Lundberg says:
oo nice to see some darker stuff....
3 years ago
ourfrontyard says:
The tear soaps are adorable. The Dietric pic is gorgeous. All are distinct and original! Unshackled Open minds are exactly what this world needs.
3 years ago
ModernMetalJewelry says:
Fabulous eclectic choices!
3 years ago
DevilMakesWork says:
Yea! I'm so happy to know that Dame Darcy has an etsy. I thought she was rather incognito as of late.
3 years ago
BluCille says:
Nice necklace.
3 years ago
thestapeliacompany says:
I love all of these pieces! Such great picks and I found a couple of new favorite artists.
3 years ago
annamatrona says:
whoa whoa whoa providence nostalgia overload. your picks capture the spookiness that still fills the city like an hp lovecraft story.
3 years ago
soule says:
Love it!
3 years ago
EpicBones says:
oh providence, how i miss you! love the Dame Darcy
3 years ago
desertnana says:
i want to move to providence!
3 years ago
ZoeFletcherGallery says:
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
3 years ago
Vanessa says:
Someday I will return to my homeland of Providence, so full of weirdness and art.
3 years ago
jodieflowers says:
Love all the neat stuff in here! Great picks!
3 years ago
JesseMosher says:
More great Art - love it ,glad to see it !
3 years ago
secretdoor says:
xander! it's a really top-notch selection! one thing though: the cover packaging & interior art for Robin Amer's cd documentary are *not* hand-printed... they *are* based on hand-printed art that I made, but they are professionally cd-printed, in a clear jewel case, as represented accurately in the photos at Robin's etsy store. However! The packaging looks great (if I can say that myself), and it's an amazing documentary which would be fascinating to anyone interested in cities, gentrification, urban (re)development, interaction between artists and neighborhoods... etc. and yeah, everybody, come visit Providence, it's awesome!
3 years ago
Rhiannon228 says:
I'm from Warwick RI, 15 minutes outside of Providence. Your pictures are great. I'm gonna check out AS220. Unrelated question, is that a newborn in the background? My eyes are not good.
3 years ago
rainydayparade says:
I love the AS220!! best fish tacos ever!!!!!!
3 years ago
kunklebaby says:
Awesome choices! Very fun!
3 years ago
Blubeary says:
Agreed!
3 years ago
silentsandtalkies says:
thanks so much for featuring my Marlene Dietrich print!! I am giddy with excitement :)
3 years ago
sarahparrott825 says:
So awesome to see some Providence love! And to see Xander who is a super amazing artist herself!!
3 years ago
summerground says:
The collection is mean-looking AND I like.
3 years ago
damedarcy99 says:
Wow Xander I am super impressed and flattered to be grouped in with these amazing artists. Mercy Brown is mind-blowing and I love the simplicity and originality of Marlene. The necklace is my favorite genre-"Hillbilly Rococo". And the fun-ctionality of the happy little soap to wash your tears away is so cute and intrinsically gothic. Lets do a show together sometime! BTW, the hair and cross was a spell to capture your heart. Love n' Bats damedarcy@damedarcy.com
2 years ago