The 'art' of opening the doors of trade

Posted 12/12/17

An exhibit of 25 paintings by artist Yvonne King of Galway, Ireland at the Warwick Public Central Library may seem like a stretch to opening doors to trade and boosting the local economy. That's not the way Mayor Scott Avedisian see it. At a recent visit

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The 'art' of opening the doors of trade

Posted

An exhibit of 25 paintings by artist Yvonne King of Galway, Ireland at the Warwick Public Central Library may seem like a stretch to opening doors to trade and boosting the local economy.

That’s not the way Mayor Scott Avedisian see it.

At a recent visit to the library with Randall Rosenbaum, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Avedisian talked about his trade mission trip to Ireland in September. He said art is an important part of the economy and he sees it augmenting the city’s overall efforts to bring business to Rhode Island and specifically Warwick City Centre spurred by development of new flights and carriers at Green Airport. Norwegian Airlines is now providing direct flights to four cities in Ireland as well as to Edinburgh, Scotland and Bergen, Norway.

“The trade mission’s purpose was to strengthen economic development, tourism and cultural opportunities between Ireland and Rhode Island. Yvonne King’s exhibit at the Warwick Public Central Library is a direct result of that effort,” Avedisian said in a statement. Lines of communication with thoughts of developing trade opportunities with Ireland were opened in 2014 by Gov. Lincoln Chafee and have grown since then.

Yvonne King, from Galway, Ireland, studied painting and drawing in the studio of Douglas Anderson, Royal Painter. She has taken classes in traditional Chinese Brush Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hong Kong, and has a diploma in painting and drawing from the prestigious London Art School. King has been a longstanding member of both the Society of All Artists and Visual Artists Ireland. King’s favored genres are landscapes and seascapes, inspired, according to the artist, “by the beauty of the west of Ireland landscape.”

“I am delighted to have my art available for public viewing at Warwick’s Central Public Library,” King said in a statement. “I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Warwick on several occasions and have been inspired by its coastline, coves and historic charm.”

"Celebrating the arts and culture of different countries is the first step toward relationship building, and with relationships come the exchanges that culturally and economically benefit both people. I'm proud that the City of Warwick is participating in such an exchange, and I look forward to the benefits that come from such a collaboration," Rosenbaum said.

Galway is one of six counties affiliated with the Ireland West International Trade Centre that officially opened in Providence at 177 North Main Street in May 2017. The others are Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Clare.

King’s work has previously been on display at Providence City Hall, the Rhode Island Department of Administration and the Warwick Center for the Arts. Her paintings may be found in collections in countries around the world including the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, the UK, Germany, France and Sweden.

“King’s paintings are available for sale. Interested parties may inquire at the Information Desk located in the library or by contacting John Pagliarini at jpagliarini@fabianipinto.com.

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