A year-long professional development program for young artists under 30
WaterFire Accelerate is a year-long professional development program for emerging artists under 30 that is specifically designed to provide access to resources that will further participants’ artistic careers. WaterFire Accelerate engages young artists in areas outside the traditional art school experience through a series of meetings, workshops, site visits, and discussions. Professionals in the field share their experiences and learnings in open discussions where topics involving best practices, self-representation, marketing, finance and taxes, and technology surrounding art are explored. Each cohort represents the Providence community and is diverse in both the makeup of participants and their chosen mediums.
WaterFire Accelerate artists receive a stipend that helps them produce new works during the program and aligns with WaterFire Providence’s overall mission of supporting artists and recognizing the value of their craft. Aside from the group show, WaterFire Providence provides various opportunities for WaterFire Accelerate artists to showcase and sell their work throughout the program at WaterFire ArtMarts, downtown lighting events, as well as inclusion of their artworks and merchandise at the WaterFire Arts Center store.
WaterFire Providence Announces the 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort
The 2024-2025 cohort was selected by a WaterFire Accelerate Selection Committee that included local leaders in the arts: Melaine Ferdinand-King, independent Curator, Creative Producer, Writer, and Cultural Researcher; Gabrielle Walker, Curator at the RISD Museum; Andrea Pascual, 2023-24 Accelerate Artist and owner of Make Me Feel Better; Peter Mello, Managing Director + coCEO of WaterFire Providence; and Grechel Rosado, Programs Coordinator at WaterFire Providence.
Anyone interested in donating or supporting WaterFire Accelerate should contact Grechel Rosado, programs coordinator ([email protected] | (401) 443-0124.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Ariel Tavares is a multi-hyphenate funky storyteller born and raised from Providence, RI.
She is a poet, photographer, host, model, creative director, visual artist, and most importantly a fierce learner – constantly trying new mediums to just express what she feels inspired to create. She believes in the power of words, the power of people, and the power of art to bring people together. Her work aims to make people feel seen, feel less alone, and feel beautiful – she aims to capture that same beauty from everyday life, mining magic from the mundane.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Ariel Tavares is a multi-hyphenate funky storyteller born and raised from Providence, RI.
She is a poet, photographer, host, model, creative director, visual artist, and most importantly a fierce learner – constantly trying new mediums to just express what she feels inspired to create. She believes in the power of words, the power of people, and the power of art to bring people together. Her work aims to make people feel seen, feel less alone, and feel beautiful – she aims to capture that same beauty from everyday life, mining magic from the mundane.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Elizabeth Alice-Isam Jweinat (Lizzy Sour) is a Providence-born artist with Jordanian roots, whose work transforms public spaces into vibrant, abstract canvases. Her distinctive style, developed from a lifelong love of freehand drawing, blends shape, color, and typography into a unique visual language. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate, community organizer, and mentor, Lizzy is dedicated to supporting marginalized artists and fostering creative expression in the next generation. Through her murals, sculptures, and diverse artistic mediums, she weaves together her Middle Eastern heritage and the dynamic spirit of her city.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Elizabeth Alice-Isam Jweinat (Lizzy Sour) is a Providence-born artist with Jordanian roots, whose work transforms public spaces into vibrant, abstract canvases. Her distinctive style, developed from a lifelong love of freehand drawing, blends shape, color, and typography into a unique visual language. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate, community organizer, and mentor, Lizzy is dedicated to supporting marginalized artists and fostering creative expression in the next generation. Through her murals, sculptures, and diverse artistic mediums, she weaves together her Middle Eastern heritage and the dynamic spirit of her city.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Sissy Rosso is a mixed media artist and designer from the Bronx, New York, and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. Their work delves into the intricate connections between space and memory, using collage, printmaking, and painting to evoke a sense of place and personal history.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Sissy Rosso is a mixed media artist and designer from the Bronx, New York, and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. Their work delves into the intricate connections between space and memory, using collage, printmaking, and painting to evoke a sense of place and personal history.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Catarina Maina is a Providence-based artist engaging in fine art projects with a focus on portraiture and environmental photography. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2020 with a BFA in Photography and a minor in Sustainability. Caterina works primarily with a 4×5 Large Format View Camera. Her photographs range from examining the close relationships between her family and friends to exploring the natural world and the connection one has to it through landscape and portraiture work.
Meet our 2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort ❤️🔥
Catarina Maina is a Providence-based artist engaging in fine art projects with a focus on portraiture and environmental photography. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2020 with a BFA in Photography and a minor in Sustainability. Caterina works primarily with a 4×5 Large Format View Camera. Her photographs range from examining the close relationships between her family and friends to exploring the natural world and the connection one has to it through landscape and portraiture work.
2024-2025 WaterFire Accelerate Cohort
- Elizabeth Alice-Isam Jweinat (Lizzy Sour)
- Janelle Geraldine Castillo
- Dorian Epps
- Catarina Maina
- Sissy Rosso
- Ariel Tavares
