09/14/2026
Artist in Residence Charles Usadi joins us to teach a workshop in conjunction with the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.
"From Field to Frame: The Art of Herbarium Specimens, 18+" will take place October 7th - 8th. More information can be found here: https://www.nantucketarts.org/classes/from-field-to-frame-the-art-of-herbarium-specimens-18
Usadi's studio practice synthesizes various art-making techniques—photography, pressed and mounted plant matter, collection, print-making, labeling, graphite gridding to examine how we make sense of the natural world. His studio practice is concerned with our relationship to the more-than-human world in the creation of his mixed media pieces. He has exhibited at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts in Providence, RISD’s Memorial Hall, and The Pawtucket Arts Collaborative. Read on to learn more about Charlie's practice!
AAN: What is your day like? How much do you sleep, and what’s your work schedule? How many hours of creative work do you think you do in a day?
CU: These days it varies day-to-day! I work a flex position at the RISD museum desk. So if I’m working I’ll make breakfast and bike to work, typically ~8-9am. At the desk I’m able to read or work on grant, residency, and job applications if it’s not too busy. After work I’ll go shopping, stop by my community garden, cook dinner, and work at home. Creative work really varies, too! I have some weeks where I don’t touch my supplies and weekends where I’m creating 10 hours a day. I’m usually in bed around 11pm.
AAN: What’s the first piece of art you ever made?
CU: Hard to pinpoint, though my mom kept some macaroni art from preschool which is pretty much the best thing I’ve ever created. I was in middle school when I really fell in love with the studio, shoutout Mrs. Downs for fostering my creativity early on ❤️
AAN: What’s the most interesting studio you’ve ever had?
CU: In undergrad I worked in Brown’s research greenhouses and they let me use the space to grow my own turf for my thesis exhibition. I consider myself the unofficial first (and so far only) Brown Greenhouse Artist-in-Residence.
AAN: What’s the first work you ever sold?
CU: Beyond selling and trading art with peers in undergrad and selling work to family, the first sale that felt “official” was to the Department Manager of Environmental Studies at Brown.
AAN: When you start a new piece, where do you begin? How do you know when you’re done?
CU: Most of my work starts with an idea rather than, say, a sketch. I’ll see something inspiring on a walk, while visiting a museum, or I’ll read something which sparks my imagination. I generally first flesh out pieces in my head before testing them physically. I’m not sure if a work is ever done, or if it has to be, I like to think of my pieces as living objects with a lifecycle. Given that I work with plants and organic material, these pieces will age with time. It’s exciting to think that the work keeps working without me.
AAN: Do you listen to music or podcasts when you’re making art?
CU: Yes! I love a podcast: The Daily, Up First, The Journal, or This American Life are go-tos. I listen to a wide variety of music, though Wednesday is probably my favorite band.
AAN: When did you first feel comfortable saying you’re a professional artist?
CU: Still working on it!
AAN: Is there a meal you eat on repeat when you’re working?
CU: I love oatmeal, cold cereal, or a pb&j. Anything quick and comforting. I’m a big tea drinker in the studio, especially in the fall and winter.
AAN: What’s the last thing that made you change your mind?
CU: I recently learned that there are specific “indexers” hired in the publication process. I didn’t realize how specialized and rigorous the task of indexing is, so I have a newfound appreciation of a part of books I’d previously ignored.
AAN: What do you usually wear when you work?
CU: I try to wear my pre-paint-stained clothes. I also keep an extra hoodie in the studio in case I get chilly and don’t want to leave.
AAN: What last inspired you?
CU: I spent the summer working on Yale’s campus, and the ornamentation on their buildings was fascinating. I’ve been thinking a lot about Louis Sullivan and organic forms in the built environment.
AAN: What are you reading?
CU: I’m halfway through Republic of Shade: New England and the American Elm, and I just started The Beaver Manifesto: Conservation, Conflict, and the Future of Wetlands.
AAN: What’s your favorite artwork by someone else?
CU: Denes’ Westfield is top of my list, and Doris Salcedo’s A Flor de Piel has resonated deeply since I saw it in the Guggenheim when I was probably 12.
AAN: Why do you come to Nantucket?
CU: Beyond my interest in island ecology and localized species, I’m really excited to look into the environmental history of Nantucket! If anyone has recommendations on readings on the whaling history on Nantucket, indigenous history, or on the wooden shingling so prevalent- please share them!
