RI Blood Center Seasons Pass Artist Is East Greenwich's Ruth Clegg

It was something of an East Greenwich sweep Thursday morning when the Rhode Island Blood Center introduced the artist and unveiled the Seasons Pass print for this year at T’s Restaurant.

This year’s artist is Ruth Clegg, owner of Angell Fine Arts, of East Greenwich.  Her work follows a painting of Providence’s Waterfire by  artist and T’s owner Anthony Tomaselli. The Seasons Pass program was created by Frank Prosniz, the Blood Banks Manager of Community Development, who lives in Cowesett.  Prosnitz is well known in East Greenwich as the driving force behind the effort to re-open the Odeum.

This is the ninth year for the program, in which prints by some of Rhode Island’s most prominent artists are presented to some 10,000 people who donate blood four times a year.  That’s almost double the amount being donated when the program started.

Clegg’s photo is an early morning view of the Point Judith Lighthouse.  She says it depicts a new day, full of energy and expectations, as it is with blood donors who provide life and hope for blood recipients.

A fine arts graduate from the University of Rhode Island and member of the Providence Art Club, Clegg also teaches photography at Rocky Hill School and is past president of the Rhode Island and New England Professional Photographers Association.

Located at 626 Ives Road, she has been part of the arts world for more than 30 years, exploring various forms of art, including printmaking, drawing and painting.

Four years ago she earned the Master of Professional Photography Degree and Certification as a Professional Photographer, a national designation reserved only for top photographers.

During the press conference Prosnitz  also introduced Kendra Ferreira of Middleown, who is the Seasons’ Pass artist for 2011 – 2012.

A cancer survivor and blood recipient, Kendra sees her participation in the program as a way of supporting other cancer survivors within her own support group.

Her work can been see in galleries from New York to New England and locally is on display in the Spring Bull Gallery in Newport, Bristol Art Gallery and Royal Gallery in Providence.

The Blood Center estimates the Seasons’ Pass program has generated more than 32,000 additional donations. Since each blood donation potentially helps three people, that means the additional donations have helped more than 90,000 individuals and their families.

The Rhode Island Blood Center, founded in 1979, collects some 280 units of blood every day, distributing blood products primarily to patients in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Information about blood drives, donor centers and blood facts is available at the Blood Center’s web site www.ribc.org.