My State House Community Mapping

My State House is a participatory design project that invites Rhode Islanders to re-imagine the Rhode Island State House and its abundant green space in ways that make it more welcoming and accessible to the community. Participants draw or write their Big Ideas on maps of the building and the grounds. These maps will be collected and used in the next phase of the project this fall, an open call for design proposals. We provide the maps and markers — you provide the ideas! This is a project for all ages and all abilities and is accessible to non-English speakers. Follow us on Instagram to learn more about the project and its sponsors!

Masks may be required inside of the library.

Field Day

Join us for this PVDFest Happening: Field Day, a DdBE Production, for an event with DJs, live music, sports, art, games & more!

Providence Landmark Public Art: Meet the Artists!

Meet the five Finalists of the Landmark Public Art competition in a moderated conversation on Thursday, August 19, from 5:30-7:30 PM.

Mayor Elorza, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, the Art in City Life Commission and community partners invite you to meet the finalists of the inaugural Landmark Public Artwork competition!

We will be hosting a moderated conversation with all five Finalists on Thursday, August 19th, from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. The event will be moderated by Art in City Life Commissioner Dominic Molon, the current Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art at the RISD Museum of Art. There will be unlimited virtual attendance via Zoom and Facebook Live.

The Landmark Public Artwork will be an iconic work of public art to be sited in the Providence Innovation District Park near the Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge. This inaugural, large-scale, signature, permanent work of art will be the first of its kind in the City and is the first activation of Providence’s Art in City Life Ordinance, also known as a percent for art allocation.

ACT released a nation-wide call to artists and received over two hundred applications. A jury of experts selected five artists and artist teams. You can learn more about the call here.

Public art can enhance civic space, allow us to develop a deeper appreciation for the art site, and create endless possibilities for shared experience. Every interaction with public art is a unique opportunity for individual and community engagement. With that in mind, we encourage Providence community members to attend this meeting to engage with the project and the Finalists.

As an added bonus, prior to the meeting we will announce our five Finalists to those who RSVP. So make sure to register!

And save the date for our virtual follow-up event on Thursday, August 26th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. During this event, Finalists will share initial ideas and emerging inspirations for the site, engaging in a dialogue with the Providence community before getting to work on their final concept.

We hope you will join us!

Register here for this virtual event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/providence-landmark-public-art-meet-the-artists-tickets-166831257783

African Alliance Pop-Up Farmers Market with DJ Darrell

This pop-up farmers market provides access to fresh locally grown vegetables and artists vendors in the community. This event is presented by the African Alliance of Rhode Island with funding support from the Kresge Foundation, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Foundation, Haymarket, and the Rhode Island Department of Health. For more information and the full schedule of the markets, please visit http://africanallianceri.org/

There will also be music provided by DJ Darrell.

PVDFest in the Park: Jake Hunsinger & The Rock Bottom Band and the Droplets

Join us for these two exciting performances!

Performers: Jake Hunsinger, Andrew Donnelly, Zack Wedge, Jamie Doyle

Jake Hunsinger & The Rock Bottom Band is a highly-entertaining 4-piece Powerhouse Americana act with rollicking American music, danceable grooves, and tight hillbilly harmonies.

Performers: Droplets and Special Guest TBA

Come join Droplets for an evening of new wave and psychedelic dreampop, featuring: Din – synthesizers, Coco – bass & Cayce! – vocals.

PVDFest in the Park: Radio Honey and Atwater-Donnelly, Traditional American & Celtic Folk Music and Dance

Join us for these two exciting PVDFest performances tonight!

Radio Honey

Radio Honey is a professional cover band performing “sweet sounds from the 70s through today”. Radio Honey serves up a fun mix of classic and modern rock favorites from Adele to Zeppelin, and upbeat radio favorites for all ages. Their four piece lineup includes drums, bass and two guitarist/vocalists.

Atwater-Donnelly, Traditional American and Celtic Folk Music and Dance

Performers: Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly

Award-winning duo Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly blend gorgeous harmonies with guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, Irish whistle, harmonica, banjo, limberjacks, and other surprises, including freestyle clogging. Their performance is appealing to all-ages, incorporating humor and group participation, Aubrey and Elwood explain song origins to add depth to the material. Married since 1989, Aubrey and Elwood perform across the US and beyond with their thirteen recordings receiving international airplay.

PVDFest in the Park: Afrika Nyaga

This festival, in its 9th year, showcases the incredible music and dance of Africa and the diaspora. This is a FREE, family-friendly event. There will also be refreshing drinks served at the Trinity Beer Garden all day!

Sidy Maiga is an award-winning Malian musician, performer, teacher and recipient of the MacColl Johnson Fellowship in Music Composition. The festival will be headlined by world-renowned Malian guitarist and singer Vieux Farka Touré, PVDFest headliners Sidy Maiga & Afrimanding, and wildly popular local band Chachi Carvalho & the International Players.

Musical performances by:

Vieux Farka Touré, Sidy Maiga & Afrimanding, Chachi Carvalho & the International Players, Jesús Andujar y Grupo Sazón, Natural Element, Luna, Satta Jallah, Dance with Haus of Glitter, Open Drum Circle, Kids’ Activities with Lady J Brown

PVDFest Old School Dance Party

In collaboration with PVDFest, Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune is kicking it old school with a family-friendly neighborhood dance party at Billy Taylor Park!

This event will be emceed by legendary DJ Buck. A member of the The Magical Four, he was the go-to Rhode Island producer in the 80s and 90s, from Providence to Pawtucket, and beyond. Now, as the Program Director of Hot 93.7, Connecticut’s hip-hop and R&B radio station, Buck is sure to bring the party back to Providence.

For more information, go to the Facebook event page.

PVDFest in the Park: American A Cappella

Performers: Narragansett Bay Chorus and Quartets

The Narragansett Bay Chorus is a 15-time champion of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Northeastern District. It has over 75 years of history performing the Barbershop style of a cappella music to people of all ages. This performance will include sets from the chorus, as well as several quartets from the area.

Pageant for Providence

The Pageant for Providence is a free, COVID-safe artistic experience in Providence on August 13th, 14th and 15th!

The Pageant for Providence celebrates the Providence community, provides space to reflect and reckon with the past year, and offers an opportunity for healing and catharsis as we dream into what post-pandemic life will look like. It is a piece made by and for the people of Providence, Rhode Island.

The Pageant begins as an “artistic audio walking tour” of the city, and concludes with a short communal ceremony and performance at the Providence Rink at Kennedy Plaza. You may choose one of six possible tours, and each tour has its own unique audio experience. Each tour concludes at the Providence Rink.

For more information on this project visit the website: https://pageantforprovidence.com/ or the Facebook event page.