KINGSTON, R.I. — November 2, 2000 — It’s a good thing for Rhode Islanders that Fidelity Investments knows the value of art. The company has 200 contemporary works of original art by Rhode Island artists at its offices in Smithfield. Fidelity’s latest foray into the art world is the sponsorship of the 2000-2001 Fine Arts Center galleries at the University of Rhode Island. It’s a great investment. Each year, more than 20,000 Rhode Islanders visit URI’s galleries to view works by regional, national, and international artists. “It’s a confluence of events,” said John Muggeridge, vice president for communications for Fidelity Investments. “Fidelity has an interest in the arts. It has an interest in education. And it has an interest in deepening a relationship with the University of Rhode Island. We hire many URI graduates. There are roughly 200 alumni working for Fidelity nationally, many in Smithfield.” This season there will be 17 exhibitions at URI — five in the Main Gallery, four in the Photography Gallery and eight in the Corridor Gallery. Main and Photography Galleries exhibition draw from an international palette of contemporary artists. The Corridor Gallery is dedicated to exhibitions by URI Department of Art faculty as well as invited regional artists. “Fidelity has an expertise in the visual art field. It gives us great pride to be recognized by the company for what we are accomplishing here,” said gallery director Judith Tolnick. She noted that the recently closed Eva Yeh: Sculpture in Paper drew more 2400 art patrons to URI’s Fine Arts Center. Although Yeh had been widely exhibited in Europe, the show marked the first time she was presented in this country. The Fidelity gift also includes exclusive sponsorship of URI’s annual juried student exhibition. “This is particularly heartening as Fidelity is anticipating the next generation of artists,” Tolnick said. The Fidelity gift is the first major corporate supporter of an entire art exhibition season at URI. Winifred Brownell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, noted: “Fidelity Investments is an impressive organization associated with quality, responsible investments in business, and a dedication to community outreach and support of education and the arts. With their generous commitment to the URI Fine Arts Center Galleries, we will be able to enhance our exhibition programs featuring works of art by renowned artists for the Rhode Island community. Fidelity’s exclusive support for the URI student exhibition demonstrates an exemplary commitment to arts education and emerging talent.” For Information: Jan Sawyer, 874-2116