by Kerry Torpey on February 8, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by Catherine Goldberg ’20
A&E Staff
Time Magazine has named Providence the number six “top city for hipsters.” As the home of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence is in “the Ivy League of hipsterdom.” Time names Providence’s artsy college students and residents “Wayfarered nerds,” constantly getting “creative and theatrical” in the city.
These ‘nerds’ have brought many exciting new ideas, places, and things to the world of arts and entertainment. Right off of College Hill rests a tiny art boutique called The Lore Collection.
Lore is a collection of art and design objects centered on the creative vision of two Providence residents and designers, Margaret Hinge and Jayna Aronovitch. These women share a strong desire to expose talented artists, creators, and designers whose work “excels.”
They strive to support independent artists and designers based in New England and give them a space to share their innovative, contemporary, and individualized art. On show now at the Lore Collection are 18 New England artists with talents in fashion, jewlery making, and household items.
When wandering the small boutique, coming across endless trinkets and beautiful paisley scarves, one artist’s work will truly draw your attention. Jon-Michael Frank’s numerous pieces of art rested on the shelf, but the 8 x 10 cartoon designs truly came to life. His works consists of simple cartoons of everyday life, yet portray dark, yet comical, meme-like messages along the bottoms.
Frank’s comics scattered along the artsy boutique comment on life’s fundamental difficulties. The childlike drawings are very simple, yet the messages are very dark. However, the accuracy of most his statements are so on-point that it almost becomes comical.
One of his piece’s pictures a woman casually lounging in a bathing suit, blowing bubbles. A seemingly happy and relaxed woman, however, the quote along the bottom reveals something arguably very relevant to us Providence College students: “One of these days I will do something special and important with my life but not today not today.”
With so many places just like Lore in the area, PC students have tons of opportunities to break out of the PC bubble and explore downtown Providence. From the exhibits of the Rhode Island School of Design to the wide range of pieces at the Providence Athenaeum, the art scene in Providence is booming.
The Lore Collection is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. If you are interested in signing up for Lore’s email subscription to receive updates on their collections, go to lorecollection.com.