Patron Of The Arts 2021

Описание: New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! (NBAM) is recognizing those who truly impact the arts community with the Patrons of the Arts Award today, Friday, December 31, 2021. In an area so highly populated by artists and creatives, the Art Museum feels it is fitting to recognize these patrons’ contributions which have greatly impacted and elevated the Southcoast and beyond.

This year NBAM has chosen to honor Gayle and Roger Mandle and the New Bedford Historical Society. Both have long outstanding histories of advocacy for the visual arts and uplifting voices, building creative opportunities for communities and cultural organizations through programming, meaningful leadership roles, and a passion for education.

Roger Mandle passed away in November 2020, co-founded, and was Board Chair of the Design, Art, Technology Institute of MA (DATMA) with his wife Gayle in 2016. He had over 40 years of experience in building museums around the world, was an academic leader, art historian, and a major contributor of the STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education initiative, championed by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), which he had served as its 15th President. Gayle Mandle is an accomplished designer and artist, practicing since 1970 and earning an MFA in Painting and Printmaking at RISD in 1997. Over the years, Gayle and Roger Mandle devoted their lives to the arts, culture, and humanities education, as well as helped steer the art and design agenda in this country and internationally.

The honorees received specially commissioned awards handmade by local artist Kim Barry, who is a painter, production potter, art educator, and owner of Clay Trout Pottery. Barry has lived on the MA Southcoast for most of her life and maintains a studio at Hatch Street in New Bedford.

The NB Historical Society members have preserved a multicultural history that was in danger of being lost through neglect and marginalization. Using the tools of historic preservation, public art, and education that complements and broadens the city’s historical identity, the Society has created important visualizations of our city’s multicultural history through public art. Over the past 10 years, NBAM has worked with the Society on several major exhibits including the Ruth Carter, Barack Obama, Social Justice Posters, and the Icons of Civil Rights Movement each of which explored social justice themes and broadened the civil rights perspective of our audience.

The Society has had a catalytic role in highlighting the important history of people of color in New Bedford through public art. They have been responsible for the design, funding, and creation of several public art memorials that raise the visibility of the role of African Americans and Cape Verdeans in the city’s history. These memorials include a life-size statue of African American blacksmith, abolitionist, and inventor Lewis Temple on the lawn of the New Bedford Free Public Library; a mural and memorial park commemorating the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the first military unit of black soldiers to be raised in the North during the Civil War; and a base relief tablet in front of City Hall recognizing Frederick Douglass’s residency in New Bedford. This summer, a Jazz Mural honoring the legacy of our Black musicians was added to the City’s murals. The Society will soon add a new memorial with the development of Abolition Row Park and a statue of Frederick Douglass.


About the Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA)

The Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA) was founded to enhance the evolving dynamic cultural and economic life of Southcoast Massachusetts. DATMA is committed to bringing world-renowned art, design, and technology exhibitions, programs, and initiatives to the visitors and citizens of New Bedford and the region, identified as one of the Commonwealth’s most creative economies by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. As an exhibitor of public art, DATMA collaborates with the business and education sectors of the region to expand public awareness, bringing new cultural assets into the mix.


About the New Bedford Historical Society

Founded in 1996, the New Bedford Historical Society is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that has been a leading advocate for racial and ethnic inclusion to the historical narrative of the City of New Bedford. The Society preserves the history, historic structures, artifacts, and records related to the African American, Cape Verdean, and Native American communities. For twenty-five years, the organization has developed and presented educational programs that highlight the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century contributions of these communities to the whaling industry, the maritime trades, and the Underground Railroad. The Society has created a visual presence of public art throughout the city that is a testament to their mission.