RISD’s First Black Graduate, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, Examined through Three Exciting Programs
“Cutting Stone: The Art and Life of Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, RI Black Sculptress,” examines Rhode Island School of Design’s first Black graduate in a series of three events.
Sunday, April 13, 2:00pm, RISD Museum, 20 North Main Street, Providence. Prominent actress Sylvia Ann Soares portrays Prophet sharing entries from her stunning 1920s Paris diaries. “Calm Assurance and Savage Pleasure” is a unique window into a Black female expatriate’s life in France during the Roaring Twenties. Followed by a gallery talk on RISD Museum’s three Prophet sculptures.
Thursday, April 17, 5:00pm, John Brown House, 52 Power Street, Providence. Opening reception: “Delicious Sensations of Rightness: Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, RI Black Artist.” The landmark interactive exhibit showcases never-before-seen art, photographs and memorabilia belonging to Prophet.
Friday, April 18, 5:00pm, Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street, Providence. Well-known Providence art dealer Catherine Little Bert discusses Prophet’s sculptures in the market place, their rarity and desirability for private collectors, galleries and museums.
All events are free and open to the public, funded by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and sponsored by Opera Providence.
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890-1960) was born in Warwick, RI. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design as its first student of color in 1918. Moving to Paris in 1922, where she remained for a decade, she studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts perfecting her artistry as a sculptress. Returning to the US, she exhibited at the Newport Art Museum, where she won best in show in 1932, and at Providence Public Library in 1945. An active participant in the Harlem Renaissance, she was an influential educator at Spelman College, a historically Black college in Atlanta. Few of her sculptures survive: three at the RISD Museum, two at the RI Black Heritage Society, and one at the Whitney Museum. According to project director Ray Rickman, “Prophet is one of those great Rhode Island icons that time and historians have mostly forgotten. This project reintroduces her to the public in new and
exciting ways.”
Contact: Ray Rickman, Project Director: (401) 421-0606; rickman@rickmangroup.com