Connecting Lives with Art
About Us
Our
History
AC-RI was inspired by a true artist. In 1995, Fay Chandler was to be featured in a major retrospective exhibit of her work at the Boston Center for the Arts. Of the many works in the show, Fay thought, surely not everything will sell, and there's no point in bringing the remaining pieces back to sit in storage at the studio. Why not donate whatever is left at the end of the show to groups in the community who couldn't otherwise afford to buy art, so it can be seen and enjoyed?​
Letters went out, and nonprofit agencies came during the last week of the exhibit to select a piece of art. And from that simple act, the Art Connection's placement program was born.
The idea behind the Art Connection is still simple. Making art accessible to everyone lends power to inspire, challenge, heal, communicate, and transform.
​
"I was making art to go out in the world, not to be in storage"- Fay Chandler
Wendy Ingram (AC-RI Founder), Fay Chandler, Peter Hacunda (former AC-RI Board Chair)
Meet the Team
Michael Phelan
Program Manager
Michael comes to us through Empower Success Corps, which provides a range of consulting services to non-profit organizations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
He has worked with nonprofits organizations including AARP and www.healthevillages.org,.
He is focused on fund raising, marketing and operations.
Michael has worked at several New England firms including Reebok, Polaroid and Staples
Michael founded a consulting business Go-to-Market Pros.
Email: mphelan@artconnectionri.org
​
Board of Directors
James Scott
Chair
James Scott is a Practitioner Faculty in Marketing at Providence College and the Principal of JES Packaging Consulting. Jim was instrumental in reviving the Gallery Committee at Central Church in 2007 and served on the committee since then, including four years as its chairman. Jim joined the board of Art Connection - RI in 2008 serving as the head of the Art Committee. He is now the Vice-Chair of AC-RI. Jim believes that AC-RI is the only organization in RI that helps both artists put their art to work in the community and non-profits in need of original art for their clients and staff.
James Cullen
Secretary
James joined the AC-RI board in December 2017. He was born and raised in Northern Ireland. After graduating from Trinity College Dublin School of Law, James went on to pursue a Masters of Law at the University of Chicago, graduating in 2010. Following the completion of his Masters of Law, James moved to Rhode Island with his wife. James is a Shareholder at Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce, where he practices civil litigation primarily focusing on medical malpractice defense and employment law. In his spare time, James enjoys spending time with his wife and son, volunteering with various community organizations, food, history, cooking, and travel.
Robert Malley
Development Manager
Bob comes to us through Empower Success Corps, which provides a range of consulting services to non-profit organizations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
He has served as a trustee of the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly for 13 years where he currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees' Development Committee.
After a 32-year career as a corporate and banking lawyer in New York City and Boston, Bob changed careers to work for Colgate University on its development staff, responsible for soliciting major gifts and planned gifts from prospects in the New England states, New York City and the Baltimore/ Washington.
Email: rjmalley@artconnectionri.org
​
Herman Brewster
Co-Chair
Herman is a photographer who has donated photographs to the Art Connection since 2015. He holds a BA degree in Psychology from Southern University and MAT in English from Brown University. He was a counselor at the Department of Corrections and an English teacher in the Providence School Department before he retired in 2014. One of his photographs was chosen for publication in 2017 by Cardthartic Cards. He takes great pleasure in having his photographs chosen by nonprofits. Sharing art with the community is very important to him.
Wendy Ingram
Founder and Board Member
Wendy, an exhibiting artist in New England, began her career in a studio at the Boston Center for the Arts. As a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Wendy continues to create artworks, specializing in pastels and handmade paper. After moving to Providence in 2008, she became the Co-founder and Director of Art Connection-RI. To date, 11 of her original artworks have been generously donated to community service organizations throughout the state. As an active member and volunteer in Rhode Island, Wendy contributes her time to the Providence Art Club, Athenaeum, South-side Community Land Trust, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Association and the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Rhode Island Chapter.