Prudence Island Artist in Residence Program
The PI AiR program offers artists across a variety of disciplines the opportunity to spend time and be inspired by the natural beauty of Prudence Island and Narragansett Bay and to learn about the mission and activities of the nature reserve and the history of the island.
Prudence Island is part of the traditional and ancestral lands of Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Pokanoket people past, present and future. The Narragansett name for Prudence Island is Chibachuwese or Chibachuwesset, which has been translated as “Little place separated by a passage” and “the place apart”.
The Residency is based at the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR), South Prudence Island in Portsmouth, RI. The Reserve is a state-federal partnership between NOAA and RI Department of Environmental Management, and comprises 4400 acres on Prudence Island. NBNERR is part of a national network of 30 reserves whose mission is to practice and promote coastal and estuarine stewardship through innovative research and education, using a system of protected areas.
NBNERR facilities include a visitor’s center / laboratory / office building, an education / classroom building and outdoor pavilion, and two dormitory structures that have 3-4 bedrooms, bathrooms, full kitchens, and laundry facilities. Most areas of the NBNERR campus are ADA compliant. There is no dedicated art space and artists-in-residence must bring all materials and supplies needed to generate their work. Access to the island is by ferry only. The Prudence Island ferry leaves from Thames St. in Bristol (schedules vary seasonally).
Find out more by watching this informational video and reading our program description.
Ryan Dean is a multidisciplinary artist born and based in Providence. He received his undergraduate degree in Art & Visual Culture and German Studies from Bates College in 2009, and a master’s degree in Holistic Counseling from Salve Regina. He has been a resident of AS220 since 2014 and a key member of the AS220 Printshop since 2010. Dean is the recipient of many awards, including a Barlow Grant through which he studied design and Spanish language in Havana, Cuba, and most recently the RISCA Make Art grant, for which he wrote and illustrated a children’s book. Several of his prints have been acquired by the RISD Museum and are part of their permanent collection. After working in Istanbul, Turkey for five summers, Dean returned full-time to Rhode Island and began creating under the name LUMUKU, through which he works to make the world a brighter place
Ana Gonzalez, Artist in Residence 2025-2026
Ana González is an award-winning podcast producer and host living in Rhode Island. She is the Senior Producer of Terrestrials, a podcast for kids of all ages from Radiolab and WNYC. She was also the producer of Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows, a collaboration between WNYC and the History Channel about the history of HIV/AIDS in New York City. Currently, she is working on an upcoming podcast with cellist Yo-Yo Ma about the connection between art and nature. Ana got her start teaching middle and high schoolers how to make podcasts through WHYY in Philadelphia and as the producer and host of Mosaic, a show about immigrant experiences from Rhode Island Public Radio. Ana graduated from Brown University in 2015 with a degree in jazz studies, which guides her ear for rhythm, voice, and magic
Jules Kang Sharpe, Artist in Residence 2025-2026
Jules Kang Sharpe is an illustrator and publisher based in Providence, RI, and originally from the Ozark Mountains. They graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2023 with a BFA in Illustration. Jules makes work about their identity as a queer Korean American artist and about their own community in Providence through illustrations, comics, and publishing projects. They’re involved in community organizing and use the risograph to quickly print and distribute work for local political movements. They’re a member of a community print shop in Providence, where they publish their work primarily through risograph and silkscreen printing. In 2024 they started a collaborative DIY publication called The PIT. Each issue covers a different theme, in addition to selecting work submitted from the community. Jules is currently working on a comic exploring themes of community through observing cycles in nature
Questions and inquiries can be sent to: PIArtistResidency@gmail.com
