Led by George Babcock.
Inspiration
Liz Messier started her inspiration with a quote by Tom Brokaw “It is easy to make a buck. It is a lot harder to make a difference.” She went on to say “I am inspired by all that we as our Rotary community do to make a difference. Thank you for doing the hard work to make the world a better place.”
On Zoom
Mary Brewster, Barry Fain, Ben Hadsell, Lew Hassell, Wendy Marcus and Paul Pimental.
Visiting Rotarian
Tammy DeBarros, New Bedford
Guests
Harold Sparks from Providence College (former PC Friar); Brendon Doherty; Moses Fortes from Insperity/HR Solutions; Tyler Peart from Rhode Island FC; and Ralph Gianfrancesco.
Announcements
Board of Directors will meet at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21st at the Marriott.
Contact Sharon Garland if you would like to be on the ballot as a member of the board of directors for a two-year term starting on July 1st. We have a couple of slots left.
Holly Applegate reported that she will be bringing Valentine’s Cards for veterans for us to sign during our lunch meeting on January 21st.
Michaela Hermann and Karen Mueller are in the process of organizing a blood drive to be held in March. We need at least 20 people to sign up to donate blood.
Sign up to attend the night at the Barker Playhouse on March 27th. The show is the musical Into the Woods, and several members from the club are in the show. Tickets are $10 per person. Make checks payable to the Rotary Club of Providence. A reception with hors d’oeuvres will begin at 6:30. RSVP to Kris David if you would like some tickets and contact Michaela Hermann if you can help with appetizers or drinks.
Get Well – Keep Rob Black in your thoughts and prayers as he is recovering from a broken arm.
Happy Bucks
- Bill Applegate was happy that we will be learning more from our speaker today about My HomeCourt.
- Tyler Peart who was visiting from Houston was happy that the new soccer stadium for the new professional soccer club will be ready in the spring.
- Visiting Rotarian Tammy DeBarros was happy to be able to join our meeting to hear the speaker.
- Emily Bernstein was happy to have had an inspirational meeting with a person who is a textile designer.
- Cap Willey was happy that he was able to help arrange for transportation at the wee hours in the morning for a relative landing at the airport in London.
- Anthony Hollingshead was happy to have Tyler Peart visiting the club as Tyler is interested in becoming a member.
- Kris David was happy that her mom celebrated her 98th birthday over the weekend.
- Wendy Marcus was happy to be joining us on zoom from Mt. Pleasant, SC.
- President Pete Brock was happy to see all the tables filled for the last two weeks.
Speaker
Rotarian Pete Peterson introduced our speaker Kate McNamara, executive director of MyHome Court.
Kate is a curator, educator, and author based in Providence. She received her MA at The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a BA with a Curatorial Concentration from Hampshire College.
A former director of the Boston University Art Galleries, she left her position as director of galleries and exhibitions at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles to move to Providence in 2017.
My HomeCourt was founded by a group of Providence College alumni and works closely with the Providence Parks Department. Their mission is to foster community engagement through the revitalization of basketball courts and city parks facilitated by cutting-edge contemporary art. They have been able to collaborate with contemporary artists who have restored courts into colorful works of arts to strengthen communities. Each basketball court is repaired in an unique blend of sports and art.
My HomeCourt started under the umbrella of co-founder, Jamilee Lee Lacy of Providence College Galleries with help from the Providence Parks Department. The first project, in 2018, was Jim Drain’s mural at Fargnoli Park in the Elmhurst neighborhood. His pulsing, geometric design in syncopated rhythms and flashing tones could almost make a basketball bounce on its own.
Additional projects were completed at the Polanco Court at Harriet & Sayles Park in 2019, the Cranston Street Court in 2020, and Davis Park basketball court in the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence.
The Cranston Street Court behind Classical High School includes a mural painted by Brooklyn artist, Andrea Bergart. She known for her work that references African textiles and urban fashion. She specializes in designing basketball handbags and clothes for the WNBA and NBA that have been features in many fashion magazines.
In the Spring of 2023, My HomeCourt refurbished the Ninth Street Courts in Providence’s Mount Hope neighborhood which included a court mural designed by the nationally renowned artist Sanford Biggers.
Funding for past projects have come from the Champlin Foundation, the Endowment of the Arts and private donations. Maintenance is completed every two years on previous projects.
This year, HomeCourt will be refurbishing two more courts in the Silver Lake and Fox Point sections of Providence. They have 25 more courts to refurbish in the years to come.
