The subjects interviewed for Underground Rhode Island were selected, among many possibilities, for several reasons. The eldest were likely to have been part or the "hip" scene around jazz and the Celebrity Club of the 1950s. More than a few had a connection with AS220 and its circle, at some time in the past. And the youngest members have been active in the Rhode Island arts scene, in one way or another, during the last twenty years or so. Not all are either "lost" or "unknown"; some of them have long been prominent. And yet they represent a self-consciously offbeat take on the mainstream culture of Middle America. They are "underground" even when "overground," part of a world more recognizable to Allen Ginsberg (or Bruce Springsteen) than the people in the White House or Wall Street. And they were intriguing to the students who chose to interview them.
You may expect to find a photo--not necessarily from the recent past--a short biography, a recording of the subject's own voice, a verbatim transcript of the interview, and links to related materials. Not all these are present for each interview--some are still being gathered (or recovered)--but they definitely represent a sense of a life and creative work within that life.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, Cathy Bert is best known as the director and owner of the Bert Gallery, an art gallery located in downtown Providence. Growing up as a military child, Cathy lived in various parts of the world, including Okinawa, Vietnam, Germany, and the Midwest. At the age of thirteen, Cathy's family settled down in Rhode Island, where both of her parents are originally from. During the seventies, Cathy attended Providence College, where she studied Psychology, and received an MA from the University of Connecticut in Developmental Psychology. In 1985, Cathy Bert opened up the Bert Gallery, a gallery devoted to documenting art from local Rhode Island artists. Cathy continues to serve as the gallery's director and owner.
© 2005