VRA 31

Culinary Archives and Museum
315 Harborside Blvd., 401-598-2805
“An educational resource for Johnson & Wales University, the community at-large, food scholars, and the food service industry.” Certified foodies aren’t the only ones who will enjoy this museum — with holdings in advertising, an African collection, molds, commercial kitchens, cookbooks, home kitchen items, menus, packaging, photographs, and art, there is something for just about everyone. Permanent and temporary exhibitions include Dinner at the White House, featuring presidential menus, photographs, and china; and Culinary Beginnings, tracing the culinary heritage of China, Korea, the Silk Road, ancient Egypt, and classical Greece and Rome.

The trip by bus takes just over half an hour from the Providence Biltmore hotel. Check with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority for specifics on routes and fares.

Governor Henry Lippitt House
199 Hope Street, 401-453-0688; David Wrenn, Lippitt House Administrator: dwrenn@preserveri.org. Note that at this time of year, the Lippitt House is only open by advance appointment — see information below.

The Lippitt House is a fascinating window into the lives of an elite nineteenth-century Providence family. Built in 1865, this Renaissance Revival structure was home to merchant Henry Lippitt and his family, and very few changes have been made over the years. “Embellished with elaborate faux finishes from the walls to the ceilings, marble statues, colorful stained glass windows, ornately carved woodwork details and monogrammed dining service the family was ready to entertain in high style.” The house showcases the impressive skills of local craftsmen, and still contains most of the family’s furnishings.

Tours can be scheduled online at the website or by calling the museum office at 401-453-0688. Tours should be scheduled as far in advance as possible (there is no minimum number required).

Governor Stephen Hopkins House
15 Hopkins Street, 401-421-0694
One of two Rhode Island signers of the Declaration of Independence, Stephen Hopkins purchased a house in 1743 that had originally been constructed several decades earlier. To it he added a two-story structure that stands today as one of the oldest extant buildings in the city. George Washington slept here (twice). It is currently owned and operated by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, and is open Saturdays and Sundays, 1:00-4:00pm

Located at the intersection of Hopkins and Benefit, you can see it on your walking tour of Benefit Street.

Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
In Manning Hall on Brown University’s Main Green. 401-863-2065
Brown University’s teaching museum, offering exhibits, public lectures, performances, symposia, festivals, and a broad range of programs and events for all ages. See their schedule of exhibits to see what will be on display in early April.

John Brown House
52 Power Street, 401-273-7507
Another site to see on your Benefit Street tour, the John Brown House Museum is administered by the Rhode Island Historical Society. The first mansion in Providence and one of the grandest of its time, it was completed in 1788 for John Brown, businessman, politician,  statesman, and slave trader who amassed a fortune in the China Trade. Some of the original furniture includes a bookcase and nine-shell desk that are considered to be among the finest remaining examples of American Colonial furniture.

Try to ensure that your visit coincides with one of the available tours, where docents share unflinching anecdotes that help bring to life the house, its colorful inhabitants, and their place in Providence history. Between April 1 and November 30 tours are scheduled for the following days and times: Tuesday-Friday: 1:30pm and 3:00pm; Saturdays: 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm and 3:00pm; closed Mondays and Sundays.

Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
1000 Elmwood Avenue, 401-785-9457
Located in beautiful Roger Williams Park, this small but enjoyable natural history museum opened in 1896 and features collections that are about 85% natural history and 15% cultural materials. With many objects originating in Rhode Island, there are also items from around the world. The cultural collections comprise mainly North American archeological artifacts, but also include ethnographic objects such as baskets, textiles, tools, and carvings with from Oceania and Native North America.

During the time of our conference the Planetarium offers shows lasting about 35 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm.

If you are visiting the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, you may want to check out the Botanical Center, the zoo, and a number of other attractions that are also in the park. We’ll soon be sharing more information on this in a post about parks and cemeteries. Stay tuned.

The trip by bus to Roger Williams Park takes just under half an hour from the Providence Biltmore hotel. Check with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority for specifics on routes and fares.

Roger Williams National Memorial
282 North Main St., 401-521-7266
This is a small park commemorating the life and legacy of Rhode Island’s founder Roger Williams. After being banished for Massachusetts for his religious beliefs, he found Providence in 1636 as a site of religious freedom, where anyone could follow his conscience without the interference of government. The visitor center is also small, but features exhibits with information about Roger Williams and the early colonial history of the area. You might consider visiting in conjunction with your walking tour of Benefit Street.

Slater Mill
67 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket, 401-725-8638, info@slatermill.org. Note that during March and April the museum hours are Sat. & Sun. 11:00am – 3:00pm.
Slater Mill is a fascinating museum complex that brings the American Industrial Revolution to life. Located on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, the Old Slater Mill (1793) was the first successful factory in the US. Dedicated to the production of cotton thread until 1829, it later produced  jewelers’ tools, coffin trimmings, cardboard, and bicycles. Today the complex comprises Old Slater Mill; the Wilkinson Mill, built in 1810; and the Sylvanus Brown House, built in 1758, with archival materials, hand-operated and powered machinery, a theatre, gift shops, a gallery, and a recreational park.

The trip by bus takes just under half an hour from the Providence Biltmore hotel. Check with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority for specifics on routes and fares.

The “Creative Capital” of Providence has a thriving art scene, and there are many museums and galleries to take in. While Gallery Night will not be happening during the week of our conference (it’s the third Thursday of each month), you can see a list of participating galleries on their Web site. Also consult Visit Rhode Island’s Art Galleries section for another list of galleries in the area. Some highlights:

Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design
224 Benefit Street, 401-454-6500.
Just a few blocks from the conference hotel, the RISD Museum is Rhode Island’s leading museum of fine and decorative art, with a collection of over 80,000 objects of international significance. “From the outset, works of art served as models for instruction, first in classrooms and, as the collection grew, in a separate museum structure. Today, as throughout its history, the RISD Museum is an integral part of Rhode Island School of Design and the principal art museum for the city, state and southeastern New England.”

As a VRA attendee you will have free access to the RISD Museum with your conference badge.

This year’s Tansey event will be held at risd|works, a shop located in the RISD Museum lobby. With a 20% discount on the unique items created by RISD alumni and faculty, light refreshments, door prizes, and the company of VRA colleagues, this is sure to be a wonderful experience, but please note that the museum itself will not be open during the event (see their hours here). Your conference badge will also get you a 10% discount on any purchases you make at risd|works outside of the Tansey event.

AS220
111-113 Empire Street, 401-831-9327
Six blocks or so from the Biltmore to the southwest. There is always something interesting happening at the avant-garde AS220, whether exhibitions in the galleries, live performances, or good food. “AS220 is a non-profit community arts space in downtown Providence. Its mission is to provide an unjuried and uncensored forum for the arts. If you live in the state of Rhode Island, you will get an opportunity to exhibit or perform at AS220. AS220 is part Incubator and part Bazaar. Its 3 buildings house galleries, a performance space, a print shop, residential lofts, restaurants, and more.”

Providence Art Club
11 Thomas St., 401-331-1114
“Along Thomas Street, in the shadow of the First Baptist Church, stands a picturesque procession of historic houses, home to the studios, galleries and clubhouse of the Providence Art Club. Said to be the oldest art club in the nation after the Salmagundi Club in New York, our distinguished Providence institution has been here so long that no one can remember a time when Thomas Street was not synonymous with the Providence Art Club.”

Exhibitions in the galleries are free and open to the public. The art shown in this beautiful and traditional leans toward the conservative end of the spectrum. If you can sweet talk your way into the historic clubhouse it’s said to be well worth a look.

Brown University, located on College Hill on the east side of the river, is a beautiful campus to stroll through and simply absorb the Ivy League atmosphere. While you are there you may want to check out the following points of interest (campus map available here; be sure to note the hours of each location).

David Winton Bell Gallery
List Art Center, 64 College St., 401-863-2932
Brown University’s contemporary art gallery. “Broadly concerned with the exhibition of exemplary work by artists living today, the gallery takes pride in showing artwork irrespective of media, content or subject and makes special efforts to support and show the work of emerging or under-recognized practitioners locally, nationally and internationally.” Two exhibitions will be on during the conference, with both scheduled to open April 3. One is Daniel Heyman’s I am Sorry It is Difficult to Start and the other is Wafaa Bilal’s The Ashes Series. Each represents the artist’s response to the war in Iraq.

John Hay Library
20 Prospect St., 401-863-3723, hay@brown.edu
The John Hay Library offers particularly strong collections in American literature and history, popular culture, military history and iconography, history of science, and the art and history of the book. It is known for, among other things, the toy soldiers on display in the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, the Audubon Double Elephant folio, the Abraham Lincoln collection, and its artists’ books collection. It is open to the general public; any researcher presenting a valid personal identification card with photo is welcome to use the collections. A virtual orientation with images is available for first-time users. Tours of the Library may be arranged by calling or e-mailing ahead.

John Carter Brown Library
On the Main Green near the intersection of Brown and George streets. 401-863-2725, JCBL_Information@Brown.edu
The John Carter Brown Library, is an “independently administered and funded center for advanced research in history and the humanities, founded in 1846 and located at Brown University since 1901. The library collects primary historical sources pertaining to North and South America before ca. 1825.” Visitors may enter the Reading Room to look at its exhibition cases. Only registered researchers may use the tables in the Reading Room. See their calendar of exhibitions to find out what’s on display when you visit.

Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
In Manning Hall on the Main Green. 401-863-2065.
Brown University’s teaching museum, offering exhibits, public lectures, performances, symposia, festivals, and a broad range of programs and events for all ages. See their schedule of exhibits to see what will be on display in early April.

Annmary Brown Memorial
21 Brown Street, 401-863-2942 (note that the building hours are 1:00 to 5:00 pm, M-F)
Large tomb built by Rush Hawkins as a tribute to his beloved wife Annmary Brown, who died in 1903. Three of the four rooms feature selections from his collection of art and other items (the rare books that were originally included have subsequently been moved to the John Hay Library), while the fourth room provides the final resting place for both Annmary and Rush.