Join us as we dive into fiction that doesn’t just portray the art world — it questions it.

Each month, we’ll explore the complex dynamics between artists and their patrons, the often fraught or inspiring relationships between artists themselves, and how artists connect with the communities around them. In our discussion, we’ll also dive into themes of class and wealth, considering how these forces shape and are shaped by the art world. Along the way, we’ll touch on the culture of art schools and the experiences of art students as they navigate ambition, critique, and identity. From a painting academy in Belgium to the gritty lofts of contemporary New York, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to our very own College Hill, we’ll explore the rich intersection of art and storytelling within these landscapes.

Our focus will be on stories by women writers and those that center female characters. We already know the male perspective — this is an opportunity to hear from voices that have too often been sidelined in both literature and art. These books offer sharp, layered views of the art world, asking us to think about who gets to make art, who gets to define it, and at what cost.

Whether discussing the tortured genius of a historical master or the quiet resilience of an overlooked talent, the group celebrates books that reveal how art shapes—and is shaped by—the human experience. What are we really seeing when we look at art — and who gets to decide what it means? Together, we’ll look beyond the surface, exploring how fiction can expose the deeper relationships between art, identity, and power — and how we, as viewers and readers, are always part of the frame. Open to artists, art lovers, and curious minds alike.

This group will meet on the 1st Tuesday on the month in the Bound at the Athenæum, 5:30-7pm.

Tues, September 2
Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Xóchitl González, 2024

Tues, October 7
The Blazing World, Siri Hustvedt, 2014

Tues, November 4
The Art of Losing, Alice Zeniter, 2021

Tues, December 2
Luster, Raven Leilani, 2020

Tues, January 6
The Art Forger, Barbara A. Shapiro, 2012

Tues, February 3
How to be Both, Ali Smith, 2014

Tues, March 3
Painting Time, Maylis de Kerangal, 2021

Tues, April 7
Optic Nerve, Maria Gainza, 2020

Tues, May 5
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, 2022

Diana Champa is the Director of Literary Engagement and Outreach at School One where she oversees literary arts programming and community engagement. She received her MFA from Queens University Belfast and has volunteered with the International Women Writers Guild and served as a Public Humanities Fellow at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. Diana spends her days inspiring and mentoring writers and learners, both young and old. She is a native Rhode Islander who, despite ridicule, believes in astrology.