Please note: this show takes place at WaterFire Arts Center*

Of the Essence: A solo exhibition of artist + curator Willa Van Nostrand
On view in the Gallery at the WaterFire Arts Center
475 Valley Street, Providence, RI 02908

Exhibition Dates: Thursday, June 4 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 4, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
RIFT Elixir Experience: Tuesday, June 9, 5:00 p.m.
MUSCLE MEMORY Live Performance: Thursday, June 11, 7:00 p.m.
Gallery Night Providence | Film Screening: Thursday, June 18, 8:00 p.m

Waterfire Arts Center is pleased to present Of the Essence, a solo exhibition by Willa Van Nostrand. Bringing together a collection of energetic watercolors, large-scale colorfield paintings, ceramic vessels, video, songwriting, and an archival installation of honey, Van Nostrand traces the threshold where memory, embodiment, and material presence coalesce.

Of the Essence is a distillation of Van Nostrand’s multidisciplinary language. Her paintings move with rhythmic intensity, reading as gestural traces that run through her broader practice. Across canvas, writing, ceramics, sound, and botanical material, each medium functions within a shared sensory vocabulary where paint, voice, movement, and taste blur together.

At the center of the exhibition is a collection of watercolors titled Flavorites that chronicle her unique painting style. Divine Feminine vessels and handmade masks appear throughout the exhibition as forms that nod to the ceramic tradition through a gender-expansive lens. The works pull together references to twentieth-century cultural icons and the formal structure of ancient sculpture. The works draw from Van Nostrand’s research at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and from her residencies at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and Stamperia Del Notaio in Sicily. The gallery is further activated through an album of never-before-released songs, documenting two decades of Van Nostrand’s poetry and music.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Thursday until 9:00 p.m.
Admission is free and open to all! Donations are encouraged.

EVENTS & RELATED PROGRAMMING

Artist Reception
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Join us for a special artist reception celebrating Of the Essence. This informal gathering offers an opportunity to experience the exhibition, connect with fellow supporters, and learn more about the works on view.

RIFT Elixir Experience
Tuesday, June 9 | starting at 5:00 p.m.

Join the opening experience of Yuval Gur’s RIFT to enjoy live music while tasting a special Beverage / Elixir Performance designed by Willa Van Nostrand.

MUSCLE MEMORY Live Performance
Thursday, June 11 | starting at 7:00 PM

Share in a live performance rooted in voice, body percussion, and site-responsive movement. Van Nostrand’s new performance piece extends her exhibition’s logic into real time, where repetition, breath, and physical rhythm become structuring materials.

Gallery Night Providence | Film Screening
Thursday, June 18, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.

Jump on a trolley from the WaterFire Arts Center, explore multiple local partner galleries, and then return back to the WFAC to check out Of the Essence and witness a special screening of Van Nostrand’s film creations. Check back for more information about how to secure your spot on the trolley.