Synopses & Reviews
Tucked into a corner of New England, Rhode Island is one of the region's best-kept secrets. Out-of-staters think of it as Providence, Newport, and little else. Photographer Richard Benjamin knows better. His Rhode Island is a four-part scenic tour of the state beginning and ending in the capital:
"Providence" focuses on the historic home of Roger Williams and Brown University, from the colonial-era First Baptist Church to the Rhode Island State House, which boasts the second largest unsupported dome in the world after that of St. Peter's in Rome.
"Along the Coast" makes it clear why Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State. Benjamin moves from the Port of Providence through the East Bay area, to Little Compton, and over Newport to the mainland coast.
"Back Roads" is an eye-opener, with scenes that could as easily be found in Vermont or Mainefrom the Hope Valley Pub in Hopkinton to a one-room schoolhouse in Exeter, from the Coventry home of Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Greene to a covered bridge (the state's only), and on to the mill towns north of the capital.
"Renaissance" returns to Providence. Once described by the Wall Street Journal as "a smudge on the road from New York to Cape Cod," the capital has undergone an amazing revival since the early 1990s. Benjamin takes a gondola ride to view the most visible signs of the city's rebirththe Riverwalk, Waterplace Park, and the spectacular WaterFires, which have brought young and old back to Providence and all it has to offer.
The foreword by Phyllis Meras, formerly of the Providence Journal, places Benjamin's images in historic context.
Review
"Richard Benjamin's beautiful photographs reflect perfectly the history and surprising diversity of Rhode Island life."Edward F. Sanderson, Executive Director, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission
Synopsis
Tucked into a corner of New England, Rhode Island is one of the region's best-kept secrets. Out-of-staters think of it as Providence, Newport, and little else. Photographer Richard Benjamin knows better. His Rhode Island is a four-part scenic tour of the state beginning and ending in the capital: Part One focuses on Providence, Part Two moves Along the Coast from the East Bay to Little Compton and over Newport, Part Three travels the Back Roads from the Hope Valley to Hopkinton, and Part Four returns to Providence to discover the city's rebirth.
About the Author
Richard Benjamin is a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In 1960, he left Brown University to join the U.S. Army. For three years he worked in Germany as an army publicity photographer. Back in the States, he was a photojournalist at the Times Union and Democrat &Chronicle newspapers in Rochester, New York, and Newsday on Long Island before joining the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin in 1969. Benjamin took early retirement in 1996 and began a second career as a landscape photographer. His fine art prints are sold exclusively through Picture This Galleries in Providence and Wakefield, Rhode Island. He lives in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.