International Support Elevates Sandplay Exhibition at Providence College Galleries
Providence College Galleries (PCG) was honored to receive a 17,000 EUR International Presentation Grant from the Mondriaan Fund based in the Netherlands, as well as an additional $5,000 award as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. This support enabled PCG to organize and present the exhibition Sandplay at the Reilly Gallery in Smith Center for the Arts.
This remarkable project is flourishing thanks to the Mondriaan Fund and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. The depth and breadth of our engagement with Berentsen and La Roche’s transformative practices will surely resonate well beyond the exhibition.
— Carol Stakenas, Director and Chief Curator
Sandplay is an ongoing collaboration between artist/writer Mirthe Berentsen and artist Martín La Roche that explores the transformative power of storytelling and the memories embedded in tangible objects. The collaboration originated from their shared experience at the Beautiful Distress artist-in-residence program at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition featured a large sandbox and collections of toys, ceramics, natural materials, and everyday trinkets. Visitors were encouraged to use these items to create and share their own stories, inspired by the therapeutic methods of Jungian psychoanalyst Dora Kalff. This interactive approach invited participants to reflect on how personal objects shape our lives and connect us to others.
The generous support from the Mondriaan Fund and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York has been transformative for Sandplay. This funding allowed us to bring our collaborative practice across borders and create meaningful connections between Dutch and American communities. This support reflects the Netherlands’ commitment to cultural diplomacy as a means of building bridges and fostering international understanding. The funding enabled us not just to exhibit our work, but to facilitate genuine cultural and artistic exchange through participatory storytelling and create tools for collective storytelling that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries—something that wouldn’t have been possible without their investment in art as a catalyst for social connection.
— Mirthe Berentsen & Martín La Roche
Both artists committed to visit Providence twice to deepen engagement with their respective artistic practices. This past April, La Roche presented Musée Légitime: Museum in a Hat, a traveling museum of miniature works tucked inside a hat worn by the artist. Sharing the stories behind each piece, he created an intimate encounter that brought people together in celebration of art and imagination. Berentsen’s second trip coincided with the exhibition’s final week. Alongside the Closing Celebration this past September, she led a sand-play session with students from the Rhode Island School for the Deaf and a Patchwork Family Textile Workshop at Knight Memorial Library, where participants brought fabrics of family significance and exchanged stories, underscoring her commitment to art as a shared and participatory experience.
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York is a proud supporter of the Sandplay exhibition at Providence College Galleries by Mirthe Berentsen & Martín La Roche. We are particularly happy with this project, as it pertains a site-responsive project that involves audience participation and community engagement. We are keen on supporting socially engaged projects that involve collaboration and co-creation, and that make an effort to involve new audiences. As such, this project was a perfect fit for our cultural program in the USA!
—Robert Kloos, Deputy Head for Culture, Consulate General of the Netherlands
Thanks to the support and generosity from the Mondriaan Fund and the Consulate General of the Netherlands, Sandplay brought together artists, students, and the Providence community to celebrate creativity, connection, and care. The exhibition not only highlighted the value of memories and storytelling but also reinforced Providence College Galleries’ commitment to fostering inclusive, community-centered art experiences.
