Artists MeetUps are held in Central Falls and are informal gatherings for creative exchange and networking. Artists of all genres welcome. No registration required to attend these gatherings.
Gallery Hours
Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
Fridays 9am to 4pm
Southside Cultural Center
393 Broad Street | Providence 02907
Parking: Ample parking in the back lot as you enter via Bridgham Street. Handicap accessible.
Oil on canvas, 18x24
Freedom can be hard to define but here I contemplate on freedom as physical, spiritual and mental. It is my belief that if we hurt others or ourselves, we are not free. If we live in fear or trauma we are not free. When our spirit is free, we love, respect, and we care for others and ourselves.
I think the majority of us are not free and I also wonder if we were ever this free. Using Anders Zorn limited palette of yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, ivory black, and white, I captured a woman having a moment of self reflection about her freedom. The portrait is inviting the viewer to reflect on their freedom whether physical, spiritual and/or mental.
I think the majority of us are not free and I also wonder if we were ever this free. Using Anders Zorn limited palette of yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, ivory black, and white, I captured a woman having a moment of self reflection about her freedom. The portrait is inviting the viewer to reflect on their freedom whether physical, spiritual and/or mental.
Colored pencils & graphite pencils on paper, 5”x5”
In response to the theme “Freedom But for Whom?” I created this illustration. It represents the importance of remaining resilient and continuing to believe in ourselves, standing up for what we love and care about through difficult times. A new chapter has begun in 2026, I’m filling it with wisdom and hope. If there are obstacles, I stay strong and move forward.
My freedom is today; tomorrow is unknown. Therefore, I live freedom today by being myself, expressing myself through my art, my writing and in many other ways. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will be ready to embrace it no matter what.
My freedom is today; tomorrow is unknown. Therefore, I live freedom today by being myself, expressing myself through my art, my writing and in many other ways. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will be ready to embrace it no matter what.
Mixed Media, 24x18
Freedom for me is nature. Clean, fresh air and water. Green trees, blue skies (top right and left). I call it green space and I need it regularly to maintain a sense of freedom and openness inside, as a buff er against the negative, destructive forces currently at work in the present changing world and times of now (bottom right). From adverse weather changes due to increased global temperatures to the increased amount of poverty, hate, greed and emotional imbalance globally.
In the foreground, Yoga strengthens my mind, body, and spirit. Studying the chakras, or energy centers, reminds me that we are spirit embodied and this gives me a sense of freedom. A reminder to not get attached to the gross body but rather transcend with the subtle body.
I am mixed - authentically Guatemalan, Italian, and American. Which shaped me more? An authentically dynamic interplay of me brings me freedom.
In the foreground, Yoga strengthens my mind, body, and spirit. Studying the chakras, or energy centers, reminds me that we are spirit embodied and this gives me a sense of freedom. A reminder to not get attached to the gross body but rather transcend with the subtle body.
I am mixed - authentically Guatemalan, Italian, and American. Which shaped me more? An authentically dynamic interplay of me brings me freedom.
Oil on Canvas, 18x24
Bound by wire, she holds a runner’s pose, striving for a never-ending dream of freedom. Her tears bear ancestral weight, but her vibrant scarf ensures her rooted culture survives the fight. She is the key to breaking through the wars of past and present. She is a warrior who cries her heart out; on her back, she carries everything she believes in, values instilled by her ancestors. The marathon must go on. Though she wants the darkness consuming her to end, the beauty of her culture fuels her. Those tears will flourish into fruits that never die, igniting a beautiful future. Ella es: La Llave, (she is: The Key).
Graphite on canvas mounted on panel, 24x20
This work reflects my working-class upbringing in the U.S. Southwest, shaped by weekends spent doing custodial labor alongside my father and by the multicultural objects and visual language that surrounded me growing up. Those early experiences inform how I understand dignity, survival, and care.
Pastel on paper, 27x19.5
Alongside this history, I’m presenting one of two new pastel drawings made during this current period of personal and political upheaval. The pastel drawings hold the anger and grief I feel watching ongoing ICE deportations, while also showing the hope and courage I draw from widespread solidarity and mutual aid movements standing up across communities in the United States.
Belly of the Beast
Acrylics on canvas, 24x18
Línea de Defensa Migratoria
Acrylics on canvas, 17x12
I immigrated from Guatemalan to the US two years ago and became deeply involved in local struggles. In the richest country in the world, many lack basic rights like health, housing, education and fair work while billions fund endless wars and domestic repression of immigrants and people of color.
Belly of the Beast shows people in motion taking a stand through rallies, speeches, study groups, popular media and people’s journalism.
The second piece focuses on immigrant defense work led by hundreds of volunteers resisting ICE terror.
My art reflects communities fighting oppression and building a real people’s revolution grounded in daily organizing I’ve done as a volunteer, educator, worker, student and organizer. I was told by some of my own people not to get involved because I’m not a citizen, but no one will free us except ourselves.
Sólo el pueblo salva al pueblo.
Belly of the Beast shows people in motion taking a stand through rallies, speeches, study groups, popular media and people’s journalism.
The second piece focuses on immigrant defense work led by hundreds of volunteers resisting ICE terror.
My art reflects communities fighting oppression and building a real people’s revolution grounded in daily organizing I’ve done as a volunteer, educator, worker, student and organizer. I was told by some of my own people not to get involved because I’m not a citizen, but no one will free us except ourselves.
Sólo el pueblo salva al pueblo.
Hecho en USA
Acrylics on canvas, 72x60
The Reds
Acrylics on canvas, 50x50
If there is an underlying thread running through all my work, it is a search for identity. As an American born in Latin America, I have grown up with questions of belonging, of assimilation, and of what it means for me to be American. Although abstract in nature, my work contains fragments of dichos (familial sayings), Andean motifs, diaristic drawings, and various symbols that are part of my life now. I take bits of the histories that make up who I am and, through a process of improvisational painting—which for me is like a systemization of the way things naturally become—these histories begin to create their own meanings. Painting becomes a ritual.
I have recently come across the term Rasquachismo, and I resonate with that attitude of making the most, in your own way, with what you have.
My understanding of freedom and the “American Dream” comes from a feeling of displacement. I have witnessed my family’s struggle to provide a better life for all of us, and the hardships they faced that are unique to the immigrant experience. Yet through it all, I come from a home that not only survived, but fought to be recognized and to achieve great things for their community. I am deeply grateful for the example my parents set and the ethics they instilled in me. Today, it feels important that our voices—and our ways of thinking—continue to break through barriers of discrimination and shine.
I have recently come across the term Rasquachismo, and I resonate with that attitude of making the most, in your own way, with what you have.
My understanding of freedom and the “American Dream” comes from a feeling of displacement. I have witnessed my family’s struggle to provide a better life for all of us, and the hardships they faced that are unique to the immigrant experience. Yet through it all, I come from a home that not only survived, but fought to be recognized and to achieve great things for their community. I am deeply grateful for the example my parents set and the ethics they instilled in me. Today, it feels important that our voices—and our ways of thinking—continue to break through barriers of discrimination and shine.
A Cross to Bear by Donovan Elsey
The series of four photographs in this submission, and its accompanying narrative, are about a street portraiture shoot gone wrong, and the mental gymnastics I put myself through afterwards. It's a pretty embarrassing, painfully personal look into how I mentally justified the use of my freedoms - and in doing so, how I dismissed the freedoms of another.
209 Central St. | Central Falls, RI 02863
Gallery Hours: By appointment
393 Broad St. | Providence, RI 02907
The Rhode Island Latino Artists Network is a RILA initiative where we seek to support, promote, and increase public awareness of the richness, beauty, and diversity of Latin American cultures and their roots. We do this by creating networking opportunities to stimulate artistic activities and cultural interaction among Latino artists. First Thursday MeetUps take place at La Galería del Pueblo, RILA's cultural hub in Central Falls and on the opening night as we change each exhibit at La Galería del Barrio | PVD, RILA's new urban gallery located in South Providence.
It's 2026, 250 years after the American Revolution, and many of us are again living through a moment of upheaval, uncertainty, and change.
This Call invites artists, writers, and storytellers to respond from where they stand right now—to reflect on what freedom means (or doesn’t), what feels possible or fragile, and how this moment is shaping them.
This is not about explaining history. It’s about speaking from inside the moment in which we’re living in.
Style & Medium
Size
This Call invites artists, writers, and storytellers to respond from where they stand right now—to reflect on what freedom means (or doesn’t), what feels possible or fragile, and how this moment is shaping them.
This is not about explaining history. It’s about speaking from inside the moment in which we’re living in.
Style & Medium
- You may submit a painting, photography, mixed media, or digital illustration. All work must be original.
- Works should be visually strong and readable from a distance.
- All works must arrive ready to hang with a secure wire and D-rings.
- Photography: must be framed with wire; please remove glass.
- Digital art: if printed on poster board or foam core, it must be rigid, durable, and wired for hanging.
Size
- Painting & Mixed Media: Must be on canvas; minimum 18 x 24 inches and maximum 36 x 36 inches.
- Photography: Printed minimum 18 x 24 inches, matte finish (not glossy).
- Unframed and unwired works will not be accepted.
Submission Requirements
Copyright & Usage
Artists retain full rights to their work. By submitting, you grant Rhode Island Latino Arts permission to photograph and share your piece for exhibition, documentation, publicity, social media, and RI250 educational purposes.
Selection Process
Timeline
- Submit high-resolution files (.jpeg or .png), 300dpi, max 10MB per file.
- Include a brief artist statement (150 words or less) explaining your concept and connection to the theme.
- Include your full name, email, phone number.
- Include title, size and medium. If for sale, include price.
- If selected, works must be hand-delivered to La Galería del Barrio | PVD.
- Works must be labeled on the back with: artist name, title, year, medium, and your phone number. If your piece is for $ale, write the amount on the back.
Copyright & Usage
Artists retain full rights to their work. By submitting, you grant Rhode Island Latino Arts permission to photograph and share your piece for exhibition, documentation, publicity, social media, and RI250 educational purposes.
Selection Process
- Works will be reviewed for creativity, relevance to the theme, visual quality, and originality.
- No entry fee.
Timeline
- DEADLINE EXTENDED: Please contact us
- Exhibition dates: February – April 2026
Graphic on canvas mounted on panel, 24x20
This work reflects my working-class upbringing in the U.S. Southwest, shaped by weekends spent doing custodial labor alongside my father and by the multicultural objects and visual language that surrounded me growing up. Those early experiences inform how I understand dignity, survival, and care.
Pastel on paper, 27x19.5
Alongside this history, I’m presenting one of two new pastel drawings made during this current period of personal and political upheaval. The pastel drawings hold the anger and grief I feel watching ongoing ICE deportations, while also showing the hope and courage I draw from widespread solidarity and mutual aid movements standing up across communities in the United States.
