What do a junkman from Coney Island and a retired dentist on the East Side have to do with Art? Both were integral to the creation of Providence’s newest art locale, The Angell Street Galleries.
Located at 324 Angell Street on Providence’s East Side, in the basement of a multi-story apartment building, the Angell Street Galleries is an inspiring hodge-podge of rooms filled with cutting-edge work by a rotating cadre of Rhode Island artists.
From April 26 through May 31, the space will feature Anna Shapiro, Kathy Hodge, Lev Poplow, Heather Binder, Ian Cozzens, Robert Snowden, and Sarina Mitchel. (Full disclosure: Heather Binder is my wife, and I am totally biased about her amazing ceramic work…)
So, what about the Junkman and the Dentist?
Tom Petrosino, who owns the Cropsey Metals Scrapyard on Coney Island, was visiting Providence to spend time with his daughter, a student at RISD. One day, while having breakfast at NicoBella’s downtown, he asked about the art on the walls and was immediately connected with the owner, Danny Crenca, whose brother is Bert Crenca, the prolific painter and founder of AS220.
The three struck up a deep friendship, and began to talk about everything – including art. “They’re kind of like brothers from other mothers,” Angel Street Galleries’ manager Richard Goulis explained. “It’s a comedy routine every time you see them.”
They floated the idea of creating a gallery that would both contribute to the arts, and make a smart business investment. Danny Crenca is, in addition to being a restaurateur, a general contractor, and Bert Crenca knows just about everybody involved in art in Rhode Island. They don’t just “know a guy,” they are the guys.
Petrosino had recently purchased an apartment building, and in the basement was the former office of the dentist, Dr. Steven Peiser. Demolition and reconstruction ensued.
Moist and Dry Openings
In late 2024, a December deluge followed by a frozen water pipe poured inches of water across the nearly-completed newly-renovated galleries.
“There was still linoleum on the floor,” Goulis said. “I probably bailed out five fifty-gallon drums of water. There were giant humidifiers everywhere.”
Four days later, a dozen young artists, now known as the “Flood Cohort” hung their artwork, and the doors opened on December 28 with a raucous “alpha” show featuring jewelry, paintings, sculpture, video, and a DJ with a leaf blower.
Then, on March 1, 2025, the Galleries hosted a second “official” opening with some of Rhode Island’s top artists, including Sage Barton, Chris Kilduff, Umberto Crenca, and Lindsay Quayle.
You entered to find life-sized wood board sculptures by Richard Goulis, across from Susan Clausen’s fantastical animated animal trophy heads. Another corner featured John Buron’s work, including the heroic robot, “Caucasian Man.” The walls of a former patient’s room were densely covered with Erminio Pinque’s rarely shown paintings, drawings and sketches, including ephemeral work cut from newspapers. Tom Petrosino curated his “Junkman’s Wall,” with paintings inspired by the whaling industry from newcomer Ruby Goldstein.
The energy of this exhibition was palpable. Sometimes gorgeous, sometimes challenging, often valuable, but never “precious.”
A Promising Spring Cohort
At the end of April, the second (or third) set of artists will take over and the Galleries will be transformed again. While the dentist’s chairs and x-ray machines are gone, the original warren-of-rooms layout creates opportunities for different spaces with different experiences.
Sarina Mitchel will share her vibrant multidimensional paintings, created using laser cutters and milling machines. Ian Cozzens will offer a compendium of “repaired” work, some of it custom-built for the space.
“I’ve been on a journey,” said photographer Lev Poplow, “that has impacted how I see things and compelled me to look more closely.” His images shift our eyes toward a new view: “to see that nothing is as it seems.”
Heather Binder’s sculptural ceramics capture fluid moments in time, places that go unnoticed, and the perfectly imperfect patterns found in nature.
Anna Shapiro said she will be “presenting some very fresh and raw kinetic sculptures and wordplay ink drawings.” She envisions a blend of recognizably domestic objects that combine magical thinking, basement tinkering, and cosmic identity with some serious play.
“Trespass,” Kathy Hodge’s series, will focus on the unsettling and imbalanced overlap between the human world and the environments of animals, birds, sea life and insects.
Finally, in addition to bold colored paintings and stark word portraits, Robert Snowden anticipates showing a short film.
The Next Show at the Angell Street Galleries runs from April 26 through May 31.
There will be an opening celebration on April 26 from 5-8pm, and many artist talks are planned. Visit the website for details.
Gallery Hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00-5:00pm, April 19-May 31 and by appointment. Chances are good that one of the artists will be in attendance during open hours.
Angell Street Galleries
324 Angell Street
angellstreetgalleries.com
Mark Binder is an author, storyteller, and nice guy. His latest book, THE COUNCIL OF WISE WOMEN by Izzy Abrahmson, has been nominated for an IBPA Award for Best Fiction Audiobook. Details and more at markbinderbooks.com
