The Bristol Art Museum (BAM) announces its 2025 National Juried Exhibition, Rock, Paper, Scissors, which celebrates the transformative potential of materials and artistic processes that evoke strength, fragility, and creativity. Featuring works by artists from across the country, the exhibition is a testament to innovation and exploration, uniting diverse styles ranging from non-objective art to abstract realism.

Associate Professor and Director of the Studio Art Program at Clark University and Providence-based artist Toby Sisson served as juror for the exhibit. The exhibit is made possible through the generous support of The Brito Family Foundation and Blick Art Materials.

The exhibition will be on view from Thursday, Feb. 13, through Friday, April 4,, at the museum. All are invited to an Artists’ Reception on Sunday, Feb. 16, from 2 to 5 p.m. Awards for the exhibit will be announced at 3 p.m. 

“Rock, Paper, Scissors invites viewers to experience the interplay of strength and delicacy through paper as a medium and subject,” said Mary Dondero, Curator and Museum Board member. “This national exhibition features artists from more than 25 states, offering a rich tapestry of perspectives and styles. The Museum is grateful to the juror, Toby Sisson, The Brito Family Foundation and Blick Art Materials for their generous support of this unique exhibit that invited artists to explore materials and artistic processes that reflect the hard, the composite, and the delicate.”

Rock, Paper, Scissors features an installation by Rhode Island’s Lisa Abbatomarco, an interdisciplinary artist celebrated for her innovative use of handmade paper in larger-than-life sculptural puppets. Abbatomarco’s work transforms paper into a medium of storytelling and wonder, embodying the themes of resilience and transformation at the heart of the exhibition.

Rhode Island artists whose artwork was chosen from the national call for art include Sally Barker, Wendyll Brown, Jerold Ehrlich, Milisa Galazzi, Maria Hall, Michele Hoben, Haley Mackeil, Beverly Silva, Jennifer Tappero, Felicia Touhey and Barbara Williams Larned.