Tom McAleer Parade & Exhibit
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 is officially Tom McAleer Day in Jamestown!
Parade: Meet at 5:30pm at Town Hall!
Opening Reception: 6:00 – 8:00pm at the Jamestown Arts Center
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, May 7 – 23, 10am – 2pm :: Special Gallery Hours on Memorial Day (May 25): 11:00am – 1:00pm
Tom McAleer, legendary local plein air painter and champion for social justice, passed away suddenly on August 12, 2014, leaving behind hundreds of paintings and a world that misses his larger-than-life personality sorely. Founder of Top Drawer Art At The Brass, an art studio and gallery for adults with developmental disabilities, Tom spread the message of the universal nature of art to unite as easily as he spread his paintings around Rhode Island, often giving them away or leaving them in the spot where he painted them.
In the generous spirit of Tom who gave so much to the culture of Rhode Island and beyond, May 6, 2015 will officially be made Tom McAleer Day in Jamestown, RI. Join us at The Jamestown Arts Center to celebrate Tom McAleer Day with a retrospective exhibition, which will include an honorary installation by Top Drawer artist Emmet Estrada as part of the Top Drawer Tenth Anniversary Exhibition at Top Drawer Art at the Brass. www.topdrawer.squarespace.com
Knowing how many Rhode Islanders own a painting by Tom, everyone is invited to post their “Tom McAleer” on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #TomMcAleer, leading up to and throughout the exhibition display dates. In addition to the exhibition, we will kick off the evening with a parade beginning at 5:30pm at the Jamestown Town Hall at 93 Narragansett Ave., and ending at the Jamestown Arts Center with an officiating ceremony. Participants are invited to bring images of their Tom McAleer artwork to parade through the town.
Select proceeds from the exhibition will go to fund the Thomas McAleer Visual Arts Endowed Scholarship, which is aimed at sending Block Island students and alumni, ages 14-25 years old, to RISD for a year of art and design study.