The Agenda

featuring Zane Claverie and Quinn Corey

On Thursday, June 22, Firehouse 13 opened its doors to the public for the first time. Previously home to cadets in training for the Providence Fire Department, the building at 41 Central Street has been unused for many years now. The newly renovated three-story firehouse, purchased five years ago by owner Nicholas Bauta, is nearly ready for occupancy. The open house was a chance for the Firehouse 13 folks to show off the new facilities and some local talent.

Zane Claverie’s colorful collages spanned the length of the available wallspace in the experimental gallery. Every piece delves into a different theme and subject matter, each meticulously laid out in a chaotic jumble of imagery and found trash. The amount of imagery is staggering: from Tootsie pops, religious iconography, and instruction manuals, all the way to hardcore porn and back again, Claverie’s work is refreshingly honest. No inside jokes or artistic self-reflections here, only an artist working with what the world has left behind in its dumpsters.