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.
Susan Clausen was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1958 and is known for her contribution to visual art in addition to being one of the founders of AS220. After graduating from high school, Susan attended the University of Illinois where she received a B.F.A. in Light Metals from the Fine Arts Department. She then lived in North Carolina and Philadelphia, where she worked with glass and metals. In 1982, she moved to Providence. In 1983, she met Bert Crenca and together in 1985 they founded AS220, an egalitarian and exploratory unjuried art space in downtown Providence. Most recently, Susan has been working at the Charles Fort School. She continues to reside in Providence.
© 2005