I am so thrilled to be guest blogging here on Design*Sponge, so I want to start by thanking Grace for this opportunity! My name is Christine Chitnis and I am a freelance writer and blogger living in Providence, RI. You may have seen my radiator and house featured here on D*S! My husband and I moved here only three months ago, but I have made it my business to get to know the town and make as many connections as possible to the local art and design scene. Providence often gets overlooked in favor of Boston or even Newport as desirable places to visit, but it is my personal opinion that Providence should be at the top of any East Coast visitors list, especially if that visitor happens to be a design lover.

I thought I would start my guest blog with a bang and feature some of the incredible collections currently on display at the RISD Museum. I had the pleasure of a private tour of the museum (thanks Matt and Jamie!) and the collections that absolutely blew me away were the Twentieth Century collection, Beth Lipman’s installation and The Asian Textile Exhibit. I have to say, funny enough, that one of my favorite things about the museum was the wallpaper in the bathroom (see above)- now that is some attention to detail on the museums part!

The Twentieth Century exhibit is unique in that it combines so many mediums; clothing, paintings, furniture and textiles. Of course, I was drawn to the furniture…amazing chairs and in such perfect condition! It was also fun to see some of the clothing, especially the Pucci dress!

Beth Lipman is an artist known for her hand-sculted and blown glass works that call to mind historical still-life paintings. Her installation, After Your Gone, explores the themes of decay and excess. The glass wallpaper was exquisite and by far my favorite piece of the installation.

This incredible exhibit features Asian textiles and current student work inspired by the ancient pieces in a well curated display of old versus new. I found the Japanese fabric stencil (above) fascinating, as it dated back to the early 19th century, yet the design was in line with current textile trends.

Here are some exciting upcoming events at the RISD Museum: the opening of the Chase Center, a new addition to the museum, September 27, 2008 and its inaugural exhibition, Chihuly at RISD, running September 27, 2008-January 2009.