Posted on 2 Comments

Recent Best Sellers on the WaterFire Online Store

In March, shutdowns and stay at home orders came quickly in the effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19; communities just as quickly sprung into action to support the most vulnerable, our essential workers, those out of work, and small businesses and nonprofits. WaterFire events downtown were on hold as well as the closure of the WaterFire Arts Center, store, gallery, and events.

Since that time, the WaterFire staff and interns have been hard at work to continue engaging the community through online platforms, including our online store! As a nonprofit arts organization, WaterFire relies on community support to operate, selling merchandise is one small and fun way for fans to support the work. All proceeds from the WaterFire Store go directly to support WaterFire as well as the local companies and artists that make the products.

Have you shopped the store yet? Now’s your chance to show your support! Here’s what fans like you have bought in the past few months of online sales.

#1 Volunteer-Made WaterFire Face Mask

These masks were handmade by a few incredible WaterFire volunteers and are emblazoned with the WaterFire brazier iron-on patch! Stay safe and support WaterFire by purchasing one of these breathable, stylish, and form-fitting masks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 Dream Orb (Three-way tie for #2!)

Miss going to WaterFire events? We miss doing them! The Dream Orbs are an interactive part of the WaterFire events downtown and are now for purchase to take home! This little light can be set to glow a variety of different colors and even has a setting that fades from color to color. Each orb is powered by two cr2032 batteries. Great as night lights or some backyard fun!

 

#2 Providence Weird Since 1636 Tee (Three-way tie for #2!)

Providence was founded in 1636, and this t-shirt commemorates that and all of course all its weirdness! Designed by the talented Jenna Goldberg, The weird shirt was my first design. I always loved the Providence power building, and I drove past it every day on my way home from the studio. I decided to put Cthulhu coming over the building as [a] nod to H.P. Lovecraft. I don’t think I need to explain the weird part. Providence IS weird and we like it that way.” Show your Providence pride with one of these popular tees! 

 

#2 Classic Flame Tee (Three-way tie for #2!)

The intricate design of the original WaterFire logo is by WaterFire’s founder, Barnaby Evansinspiration of its graphic style coming from Japanese woodblock prints. The Classic Flame Tee is one of the store’s most popular products, featuring the original logo on the back. Get one today and show your WaterFire support!

 

#3 Amazing WaterFire Tee 

Another favorite is designed by Jenna Goldberg, this WaterFire graphic is a spin on an old circus ticket. “It just had such a ‘step right up’ vibe and I felt like it was very WaterFire,” says designer Jenna Goldberg. Wearing this tee is a great way to show your love and support for WaterFire! 

Shop these best sellers and many more products on the online store. Products ranging from artist-made glass blown ornaments, ceramic pottery to Symposium Books and journals are available in the online store, with more in-store at the WaterFire Arts Center. 

Take a look at all the places throughout the country where we have shipped our products too!

 

FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Posted on 2 Comments

Symposium Books at the WaterFire Arts Store

New Store & New Books

You can now shop at the WaterFire Store all year round! Find us at the WaterFire Arts Center, 475 Valley Street, now open from 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. 

The WaterFire Store is proud to partner with Symposium Books to offer a curated collection of Art Books at an affordable price. Come check out the selection and explore our new space!

     

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the design for the WaterFire Arts Center was inspired by modernist painter, Piet Mondrian’s completed work “Composition No. III, with Red, Blue, Yellow, and Black”! Both the WaterFire building and Mondrian’s work were created in 1929. The geometric patterns in the painting are mimicked in the extensive floor-to-ceiling windows and the bold primary colors in the large contemporary fixtures throughout the building

Part of the Mondrian basic art series, Mondrian by Susan Deicer explores the pioneering works of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), an extraordinary painter and leading art theoretician whose influence resonates to this day.

FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Posted on Leave a comment

Product Picks: Summer 2016 Intern Edition!

Amazing WaterFire Unisex

So much new merchandise has been added to the WaterFire shop this summer that we just couldn’t resist doing a photoshoot to show off our favorites!  We asked summer interns from various departments for their thoughts and recommendations, and today we’re sharing it all with you!

Greg Miller, Video Intern: I modeled the Amazing WaterFire Tee, and I felt that’s just what it was! I loved how it fit and it was the most comfortable cotton shirt. It brings a nostalgic, carnival-like feeling to WaterFire, and it was totally breathable in the humid New England summer.

Raglan and Embroidered Hat

Melissa Bassett, Special Events and Operations Intern: One of the products I modeled was the new Raglan and that was my favorite! It’s so cute and comfy… I know what I’m asking for for Christmas! I think it works for both males and females, and I was super excited that I got to be the one to model it!  Other WaterFire products that I really like are the black hats, especially the one with the brazier and flame on the front and WaterFire’s name on the back. 

Sarah Daebler, Video Intern: I modeled the Raglan Tee too and I liked how it was so comfortable and I also loved the colors that it used, I thought it made the shirt so cute! Other WaterFire products that I like are the Clear Currents Tees because they are so unique, and the hats because they are so cute.

Navy Mesh Hat

Eva Gabrielson, Graphic Design Intern: My favorite product is the trucker hats, OBVIOUSLY. There is no contest. They make you feel like a baller… Plus the colors are limitless! Well, three colors is almost limitless…

Marissa Pesak, Special Events and Operations Intern: I am head over heels in love with the baseball cap with the fire embroidery. It is so lovely and simple. Would 10/10 come in handy on event days. I absolutely loved the Donna Lee bracelet I modeled. It is so subtly WaterFire, but also wearable for everyday.

Horace Robinson, Management Intern: I personally like the colors of the products (like the 2016 Clear Currents and Amazing WaterFire tees). I often do not wear bright colors but these products really pop with the color contrast, the material is quite soft also.

Clear Currents Tee

Ali Fortier, Branding and Merchandise Intern: Honestly, the hardest part about working with Merchandise is resisting the urge to buy it all!  I don’t think I could pick just one favorite!  I love all of the shirts that the other interns have been mentioning, but I’ve also been obsessed with all of our ScreenCraft products – from jewelry and wine charms, to marble magnets! 

Thank you to all of the interns who participated in the photoshoot and shared their thoughts on the merchandise!  We hope all the WaterFire fans out there are just as excited as we are about these new products!

FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail
Posted on Leave a comment

Partner Spotlight: ScreenCraft Tileworks

“Any factory can make stuff, we make gifts that celebrate your town or favorite place.”Tanya Bernard

ScreenCraft EmployeesShopping local has played a big role in the partnerships WaterFire has fostered, ScreenCraft Tileworks being one of them.  As a community-based organization, supporting other local businesses is at the core of who we are, and we’re proud to work with these partners to create WaterFire souvenirs for our many national and international visitors.  The WaterFire-ScreenCraft partnership began at the end of 2014 with the launch of the marble magnets, and since then, ScreenCraft has supplied WaterFire with 620 magnets, 461 bracelets, and various other products like the new Wine Charms!

What makes ScreenCraft especially unique is the fact that each item gets made one at a time from real, authentic marble as opposed to resin molds which many other companies opt for.  The tile is all unique, with each piece different from the last.  “Everything is created and assembled here,” says Tanya, starting with the marble prep process in which each tile is hand-cleaned and quality-checked.  Even picking the perfect marble has become a crucial part of the process.  In fact, ScreenCraft has created relationships with the families in Italy and Turkey who run the marble quarries.  For ScreenCraft, a company with many long term employees, these personal relationships with other family-run companies are so important.  

ScreenCraft Tileworks didn’t always go by that name, and it wasn’t always focused on tiles!  The Champagne family-run, third generation business actually found its initial success in custom signage and photography, which influenced the customizable nature of its current tile business. Nowadays, Tanya explains that the company is “very much about place and making finer souvenirs people keep,” and even people’s pride in place, which is at the heart of what WaterFire does.  

Making CharmsScreenCraft equally enjoys its partnership with WaterFire, explaining: “I love that you’re a Rhode Island event and organization, and I love that our product is Rhode Island made, and I think that’s the epitome of shopping local…it’s a very arts-oriented state.”  Both ScreenCraft and WaterFire agree that it’s great to support other local businesses as well as the Rhode Island community through events like WaterFire, where every ounce of the proceeds is going back to support the event itself.  Being able to bring pride to the state of Rhode Island and the city of Providence is such a special experience.

“When I think of WaterFire, I think of how it celebrates Providence…there’s nothing like it, it’s very, very special” -Tanya Bernard

Click here to shop the entire WaterFire line of ScreenCraft products.

All Marble Magnets

Thank you to the ScreenCraft team for giving us a behind the scenes look at how these fantastic products are made.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Posted on Leave a comment

Partner Spotlight: Gather Glass

“Similar to WaterFire, at the root of Gather Glass there is a passion for art, community, and of course fire.” – Benjamin Giguere, artist at Gather Glass

At WaterFire we proudly collaborate with local artists to create unique pieces for our store and spread our passion for art and culture. One of our partners is Providence glassblowing business Gather Glass, who became one of our vendors shortly after forming in 2010. There have been countless hours spent conceptualizing, designing, creating, packaging, and producing a variety of products from jewelry to glassware all inspired by the water and flames of WaterFire.

The artists at Gather Glass are very passionate about community, and WaterFire is an ideal setting for sharing their work on-site during the fires and connecting the audience with their process. They joined us by the river over six years ago to show the city the art of glassblowing and have been working alongside our store every lighting since.

Merch 019 

“From the very first lighting we attended, we felt something very special was happening.  Between the crackling of the river fires, the sound of the flame from our torch and the meditative music in the air, we began to seamlessly melt into the backdrop of a city transformed into an art scape. We immediately felt at home.”

 

“Each time you look into your glass pendant or earring, we hope you remember the smell of wood burning or feel the heat of the fires against your skin. It is these sensations that inspired our work; we hope they inspire you in the same way. We feel honored and inspired to be part of this evolving art event and look forward to all the creative possibilities that lie ahead.”

Gather Glass WaterFire tumblers

Click here to see all of the Gather Glass WaterFire products

Thank you Matt Stone and Benjamin Giguere for your dedication in creatively transforming the city.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Posted on 2 Comments

Showing Off Our WaterFire Style

This past Friday, Sarah and I posed in the WaterFire merchandise to get updated photographs for the store website. In the two photographs, we are sporting the cozier options since the Winter weather is (unfortunately) fast approaching. Believe it or not, this is Sarah’s and my first modeling gig. I know, I know, we look like professionals, but we owe it all to the WaterFire merchandise, and our awesome supervisor/photographer Laura for making us look great! 🙂

SARAHS
Sarah to the left is wearing the black embroidered WaterFire hoodie in size small, while Sarah to the right is wearing the NEW navy brazier crew neck sweatshirt in medium.

It wasn’t hard to find some great backdrops for the pictures. We simply walked out of WaterFire’s new temporary storage building here in Providence, The Plant, just minutes away from the future WaterFire Arts Center at 475 Valley Street. There is a beautiful courtyard surrounded by old brick walls, plants, and benches, which added depth to our photographs. Keep your eyes out for more shots of us and purchase WaterFire merchandise for your friends, family, loved ones and yourself this holiday season!

SARAHS2
From right to left: Sarah is wearing the Orange Long sleeve RI tee in a medium size, while the other Sarah is sporting the WaterFire Zip Hoodie in a small.
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail