Outdoor Sculpture of Rhode Island booklet

From introduction: "This booklet reports on a survey of Rhode Island’s outdoor sculpture. The report includes an essay which describes the development of Rhode Island sculpture and a discussion of how communities can preserve outdoor sculpture for the future. Also included is a brief discussion of the ways in which a sculpture may meet the eligibility criteria for listing in the National Register. At the end of the report is an annotated inventory of some of the outdoor sculptures which were recorded in the survey. The survey of Rhode Island’s outdoor sculpture was conducted by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and was funded by Save Outdoor Sculpture! SOS!, a project of the Smithsonian Institution and Heritage Preservation. The survey was conducted from 1993 to 1995. A preliminary list of sculptures was developed by examining previously published surveys of all Rhode Island communities and National Register of Historic Places files. These sources located about sixty sculptures... The survey was designed to locate and record information about substantial three-dimensional sculptures which are permanently located in the outdoors and clearly visible from a public right-of-way. With a few exceptions, the survey did not include sculptures which mark graves; commemorative works such as markers, tablets, rolls of honor, and plaques; architectural embellishments; mass-produced items, such as garden ornaments; commercial signs and shop signs; or museum collections. These categories of resources were not excluded because they lack significance, hut because their numbers are so great that it was not possible to survey them all... The historical significance of each of the sculptures was evaluated in a preliminary fashion by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission staff. Those sculptures which appeared to meet the evaluation criteria for the National Register of Historic Places were examined by the Rhode Island Review Board, as were those already entered in the National Register as components of historic districts. As a final step in the survey process, this report was prepared by Ronald J. Onorato, project manager. It contains an essay which describes the history of Rhode Islands outdoor sculpture and serves as a context for assessing the historical importance of these resources. A brief discussion of sculptures already listed on the National Register and those which may he eligible for listing is included and an inventory of some of the outdoor sculptures included in the survey." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Office and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Outdoor Sculpture of Rhode Island booklet

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