2022 Biennial: Passages

An Outdoor Arts Experience

This Exhibition has Concluded. The JAC Biennial will return in 2024.

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” 

-Marcel Proust

The concept for Passages was inspired by the Town of Jamestown on Conanicut Island, itself literally and physically defined by Narragansett Bay: the East Passage featuring the Newport Bridge leading to Aquidneck Island, and the West Passage with the Jamestown Bridge spanning towards Plum Point and the Rhode Island mainland. Metaphorically, Jamestown’s passages refer to its evolving communities: first by native Americans, next by European settlers and colonial farmers, followed by immigrants from diverse backgrounds, families with vacation homes, and now, year-round residents. 

The exhibition is the result of a nation-wide call for artists proposals. Artworks were selected in a blind jury process by a panel consisting of arts professionals including Nick Capasso, Ph.D., a curator of note in the field of public art and the current Director of the Fitchburg Art Museum, and Jamestown community members.

In crafting this island-wide exhibition, the JAC has partnered with the Town of Jamestown, RI DEM State Parks, BankNewport, the Jamestown Historical Society, the Conanicut Island Land Trust, Lower Shoreby Hill Association and others to host artworks at their sites.

Generous support from sponsors and individuals to the 2022 Biennial have made this exhibition and related programming possible.