Sometimes, just sometimes, you ask the universe a question and you get a response. With pretty quick turn around time, too. That seems to be what happened this week when, after posting a quick blog asking what might we do with all the new public space being built in DownCity, the Providence Journal provided an answer. It seems the Providence department of Planning and Urban Development has been running a very modest program delivering grants to local artists who want to create temporary art in public spaces around the city. Currently, Westminster Street is hosting a pop-up gallery where a pair of local artists are inviting the public to capture Polaroid selfies and other Providence-centric pics.
[M]ost of the action will take place at 235 Westminster St., where [artists, Devan Durante] and [Brandon] Lane will operate a small “pop-up” gallery through Aug. 22. During that time, anyone who wants to can stop in and have their portrait taken using a 1970s-era Polaroid Big Shot camera...Visitors will also be able to borrow a number of older Polaroid cameras from the gallery — provided they leave a driver’s license or other form of identification for security. Durante says the goal is to document both the city’s obvious landmarks and its hidden nooks and crannies.
And this isn’t the only project that is getting funded this year. There will be a project to teach kids the best way to build a fort, a farmers’ market mini-golf course and other projects. Check out the article for more, and keep your eyes peeled for more things to pop up this summer and fall.
SOURCE: http://www.providencejournal.com/features/entertainment/art/20140713-pop-up-projects-capture-collective-portrait-of-providence-unite-artists-and-community.ece
In case you’re wondering what in god’s name is happening at Kennedy Plaza this week, here is a link from the department of planning and development detailing the changes to come (note that it’s in PDF format, so be ready). It’s an interesting plan, and one that I’ve been following for some time. As you’ll see in the diagram, there are many new public spaces that are going up around DownCity. This is mostly a positive development, however, public space is not always a good thing in and of itself. What matters more is how it is used.
Currently, Kennedy Plaza is heavily trafficked for its public transit access. But take away that function and what will become of it? Providence has numerous plazas and parks dotting DownCity already, many of which sit empty or else are being used for purposes other than their original intent. This isn’t to say that we don’t need public spaces, but rather that we need to be more active in how we use them. Programs like the weekend beer garden in Burnside Park, or Shakespeare in the Park by the Roger Williams memorial are great examples of what can be done to inject life into a public space. I haven’t heard one way or the other what designs civic groups might have on this new public space, but I hope the city will be more proactive about working with them to make this the kind of public space we will actually want to spend time in.
