
[email protected] is a year-long, paid internship and mentorship program for BIPOC male high school students to develop professional skills in the arts and culture industry. Led by Program Coordinator, Grechel Rosado and Peter Mello, Managing Director + coCEO, the program officially launched in January of 2023 in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Providence.
The 5 [email protected] Fellows chosen for the pilot program are Anthony Cordova, Jose Gutierrez, Derick Lemon, Vladimir Rodriguez, and Calvin Sangster Jr. All 5 fellows are students at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School.
The current cohort of ArtLab Fellows are participating in a pilot program that will end in September, with a new cohort being onboarded in the Fall of 2023 to be completed in the Fall of 2024. During the internship program, Fellows will be working at the WaterFire Arts Center gaining experience installing and uninstalling exhibitions, working as gallery docents, gaining retail and merchandise experience, as well as participating in the WaterFire event downtown. Each student will also be exposed to a range of different subjects through workshops, field trips, and activities like financial literacy and how to apply for student aid for college. In the coming months, WaterFire is recruiting BIPOC community leaders in Rhode Island to serve as mentors to each ArtLab fellow.
Derick was fortunate to visit Scott in his studio a few weeks ago and had these thoughts to share: “Going to Scott’s place was an amazing experience. The second I walked in, I saw all his artwork, and was immediately filled with emotions. The second I laid eyes on the artwork I felt how powerful his message was, truly unforgettable." ❤️🔥

Derick was fortunate to visit Scott in his studio a few weeks ago and had these thoughts to share: “Going to Scott’s place was an amazing experience. The second I walked in, I saw all his artwork, and was immediately filled with emotions. The second I laid eyes on the artwork I felt how powerful his message was, truly unforgettable." ❤️🔥
Derick, one of our extraordinary ArtLab Fellows is here with a very important announcement! 📣
Tonight you have the opportunity to join us @waterfireartscenter gallery for an artist talk on Scott Lapham’s Vigilance exhibit at 6:30pm 🌟🖼
Come out and support Scott Lapham ( @slapham64 ) as he discusses his sculpture work currently on display. Derick’s favorite piece in the show is “Fire Arms” and he hopes that you’ll find your favorite piece too!
The show closes this weekend March 26th so you don’t want to miss out!!! ❤️🔥

Derick, one of our extraordinary ArtLab Fellows is here with a very important announcement! 📣
Tonight you have the opportunity to join us @waterfireartscenter gallery for an artist talk on Scott Lapham’s Vigilance exhibit at 6:30pm 🌟🖼
Come out and support Scott Lapham ( @slapham64 ) as he discusses his sculpture work currently on display. Derick’s favorite piece in the show is “Fire Arms” and he hopes that you’ll find your favorite piece too!
The show closes this weekend March 26th so you don’t want to miss out!!! ❤️🔥
On Sunday the ArtLab Fellows were lucky enough to spend their day at @gather.farm learning about mindful meditation, foraging + our connection to the earth. Our April Gallery will feature @gatherglass + @gather.farm with the ArtLab Fellows assisting in the Install process along with helping to create art that will be highlighted in the space🪴🎨🌏

On Sunday the ArtLab Fellows were lucky enough to spend their day at @gather.farm learning about mindful meditation, foraging + our connection to the earth. Our April Gallery will feature @gatherglass + @gather.farm with the ArtLab Fellows assisting in the Install process along with helping to create art that will be highlighted in the space🪴🎨🌏
ArtLab cooking up some 🔥 in the kitchen.
The group all got together this past Tuesday to test out their kitchen skills, learn about food safety/etiquette, and create a full dish from scratch!
We got to enjoy ourselves and even got to feed the @bgcprov staff some well deserved dinner!
🍝👨🍳🍽🥗🍤

ArtLab cooking up some 🔥 in the kitchen.
The group all got together this past Tuesday to test out their kitchen skills, learn about food safety/etiquette, and create a full dish from scratch!
We got to enjoy ourselves and even got to feed the @bgcprov staff some well deserved dinner!
🍝👨🍳🍽🥗🍤