State Arts Council Officers Elected, New Member Appointed to Board
Providence, RI – July 12, 2019
At a recent meeting of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) board, Elizabeth (Libby) Slader of Narragansett was reelected as its chairman. Slader’s reelection continues her role as leader of the thirteen-member governing board of RISCA, the state agency responsible for support of the arts in communities throughout the state.
Also reelected as officers were Kate Blacklock of Providence as Vice Chairman and Kara Milner, of Bristol, as Secretary.
In addition to the election of officers, the State Arts Council announced the addition of Lawrence Purtill of Narragansett to the RISCA board, following his appointment by Governor Gina Raimondo and confirmation by the Rhode Island State Senate.
Election of Officers
In acknowledging her reelection, Slader remarked that, “The work that RISCA does is so important to the quality of life for all Rhode Islanders. I am honored to be re-elected as Chairman and in this role I will do what I can to further advance arts and culture in the state”.
Also commenting on her reelection, Kate Blacklock said that she was “pleased to be reelected as Vice Chair for the Council. It’s been a wonderful—and highly rewarding—experience, and I look forward to what we’ll accomplish in the year to come.”
Kara Milner remarked that she was also pleased to be reelected to her position as Secretary, remarking that “RISCA has been doing important work in the arts and arts education throughout our state, and the Arts Council has helped to grow and strengthen the role of the arts in our state.”
Addition of Lawrence Purtill to the RISCA board
RISCA’s recent Council meeting was the first meeting to include Lawrence Purtill, who was confirmed to serve on the Arts Council board by the State Senate in early June.
During his tenure as president of National Education Association Rhode Island, Larry Purtill has held numerous positions of leadership on statewide boards and commissions, in both the labor and education communities. He currently is secretary treasurer of the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, chair of the Certification Advisory Committee, and is on the board of directors of the Working Rhode Island coalition.
Purtill is a member of the Executive Committee Rhode Island AFL-CIO. He taught history in Exeter-West Greenwich for 22 years prior to taking office in 1999.
About Libby Slader
Libby Slader is an award-winning designer who began her career as a designer in 1988. Since then she has worked and lived in Boston, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, California, New York, New York and Providence, Rhode Island. In 2010, Libby began her own namesake firm which specializes in hospitality and collaborative office interiors.
From 2006-2012, Libby was an instructor in the Continuing Education department of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a Co-Founder of DesignxRI, an initiative that galvanizes the design community in Rhode Island and is a past Board president. Libby earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design (Interiors) from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University-Syracuse, NY. She has her certification in interior design from the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and is a Professional Member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). In 2015, Libby was also named “Industry Leader in Creative Services” for the Providence Business News “Women in Business” awards, and received the 2018 Producer’s Circle Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival/Flickrs.
About Kate Blacklock
Kate Blacklock is a Providence-based artist who received her undergraduate degree from University of California at Santa Cruz and her MFA from The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rhode Island College and for nine years co-chaired the Ceramics Department at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where she was Associate Professor. She has been teaching in the Industrial Design Department at RISD since 2002. Blacklock’s studio work has moved from sculptural and functional ceramics to photography and painting. She has had solo exhibitions around the country including in New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence and Ann Arbor. Her photographic imagery has been used in many large-scale commercial projects including hotels in Florida, New York City, San Diego and recently in the country of Bahrain. In 1996 she was an artist-in-residence at the Manufacture National de Sèvres, outside of Paris. Her works are in many private and public collections.
About Kara Milner
Kara Kelly Milner is a passionate education advocate committed to local, state, and national equity and advancement efforts. She is a member of the Teach for America – Rhode Island Advisory Board, and was a founding Advisory Board member for the Rhode Island Campaign for Achievement Now, serving as RI-CAN’s board chairperson in 2016. In her home community, Kara helped found the Bristol-Warren Education Foundation, serving as Board Chairperson for the organization’s first four years. She has been a Trustee of the Moses Brown School since 2014.
Kara holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the University of Virginia. She and her husband David Milner live in Bristol with their three children.
About Lawrence Purtill
During his tenure as president of National Education Association Rhode Island, Larry Purtill has held numerous positions of leadership on statewide boards and commissions, in both the labor and education communities. He currently is secretary treasurer of the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, and is on the board of directors of the Working Rhode Island coalition and the Providence Performing Arts Center.
Purtill is a member of the Executive Committee Rhode Island AFL-CIO. He taught history in Exeter-West Greenwich for 22 years prior to taking office in 1999.
About RISCA
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency, supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. RISCA provides grants, technical assistance and staff support to arts organizations and artists, schools, community centers, social service organizations and local governments to bring the arts into the lives of Rhode Islanders.