Looking for something fun to do this Columbus day weekend? Check out these cool events happening in Rhode Island!
Friday, October 9
Questival Providence: Questival is a 24-hour team social adventure race that takes place across the greater Providence area! There is also an Saturday adventure if you’d rather participate there. Tickets are available for the 24h and Saturday events http://questival.cotopaxi.com/questivals/providence2015/ For more information, visit questival.cotopaxi.com
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular: A nighttime display of 5,000 illuminated jack-o-lanterns all along the beautiful Wetlands Trail, with well over 100 of the pumpkins carved into veritable works of art. Located at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, opens at 6 p.m.
Visiting for this weekend’s full WaterFire? Check out these other events happening in Rhode Island!
Friday, October 2
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular: A nighttime display of 5,000 illuminated jack-o-lanterns all along the beautiful Wetlands Trail, with well over 100 of the pumpkins carved into veritable works of art. Located at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, opens at 6 p.m.
Bo Burnham: Make Happy Tour Fall 2015: Bo’s live shows are a unique blend of stand-up, music, and theatre. He’s currently performing all over North America on his new “MAKE HAPPY TOUR.” Located at the Vets beginning at 8 p.m.
Visiting for this weekend’s full WaterFire? Check out these other events happening in Rhode Island!
Friday, September 25
Wine and Food Festival at the Newport Mansions: At the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, one Grand Tasting admission price allows you to experience a tasting tour around the world with wine and food samples showcasing the finest vintages and cuisine available. Plus, Grand Tasting parking is complimentary at Easton’s Beach on Memorial Boulevard, with free shuttle service to and from Marble House. Ticket sales are non-refundable. All attendees must be 21 or over.
To Search: Investigations of the Virtual and Material Lives of Objects: This two-day conversation highlights the double lives of objects—- their local, intimate, and concrete quality as they reside in museums and their global, ubiquitous, and permeable virtual representations in digital media. It investigates the structures of knowledge and emergent network systems whose architectures and formal characteristics facilitate our encounters with objects. 1 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out these cool events happening in Rhode Island!
Friday, September 18th
Downtown Abbey Cooking Class: You will prepare a 3 course menu of delicious, original recipes from the 1920’s. Menu: Broiled Oysters With Peach and Paprika, Apricot Stuffed Pork Tenderloins, Château Potatoes, Julianne Carrots with Lemon Cream and Floating Islands with Lemon-Scented Custard Sauce and Raspberries. 6:30 p.m. located at 41 Lookout Ave, North Providence, RI 02911. $70 per person.
Chris Distefano at Comedy Connection: Described as a high energy comic, Chris Distefano acts out a variety of characters derived from his life, typically leaving you on the edge of your seat. 8:00 p.m. ;located at Comedy Connection, 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914. Tickets are $15.
Looking for something to kick off your September with? Check out these cool events happening in Rhode Island!
Thursday, September 3
Armory Farmers Market: 3:30 p.m. The market is located at the corner of Parade and Hudson Streets in Providence.
Burnside Music Series: 4:30 p.m. Each and every Thursday, July 9-September 10, the Trinity Beer Garden will open for business at 4:30 pm. Mill about and sip sangria to the melodious sounds of genius DJs from 4:30-6, and enjoy live music from 6-7.
TIGER, TIGER – NewportFILM Outdoors + Green Screen 6:00 p.m. Join us at the Norman Bird Sanctuary for a screening of TIGER, TIGER, a visionary documentary about the survival of a man dedicating his life to saving an endangered species.You may opt to purchase a ticket to the pre-party ($30) or just come for the screening ($5 suggested donation).
Visiting for this weekend’s full WaterFire? Check out these other events happening in Rhode Island!
Wednesday, August 26
Windmill Wednesdays at Prescott Farm: 3:30- 5:30 p.m. Have you always wanted to see the inside of the 1812 Prescott Farm windmill? Now is your chance at this windmill open house! Explore how this amazing machine works and learn about the importance of grist milling on Aquidneck Island. Enjoy a family-friendly evening with johnnycake tasting and hands-on activities for kids.
National Night Out: 5:00-8:00 p.m. Family oriented fun with prizes, rock wall, raffles, food samples, bouncy house for the kids, antique firetrucks, meet and greet with police officers, demonstrations and so much more! National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods a safer, better place to live.
Providence offers many options for buying local and fresh. Check out our recommendations below. For a complete list of farmers markets and more informations about buying local, visit Farm Fresh Food.
Healthy Foods Healthy Families Program
Farm Fresh Food’s Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program has been empowering low-income Rhode Island families with the tools to shop for and cook affordable fresh foods for five years and counting. This works through a series of hands-on activities, offered in English and Spanish, at the farmers market that run from July 6- October 31. Parents go with their children to the market where the Healthy Foods, Healthy Families staff offers free samples, games, recipes, financial incentives, and giveaways. The farmers markets that are currently participating in this program include Armory Park (Providence’s westside), Broad St. (Providence’s southside), Neutaconkanut Park (Providence’s westside), Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Woonsocket markets.
If you’re interested in Theatre or the performing arts, you won’t have to travel far. Rhode Island is home to many different performing arts venues that always have something different to offer. If you’re planning on visiting Providence or Rhode Island soon, you should check out these different venues to see if there is a performance during your visit!
Providence
Providence Performing Arts Center, photo via eventseeker.com
Providence Performing Arts Center – PPAC is the most popular theatre in Rhode Island. This 3,100 seat theatre becomes home to several different touring Broadway shows throughout the year. The beauty of PPAC with its elegant and historic feel makes seeing a show at this theatre feel like you are actually on Broadway!
If you’re in town for this Saturday’s Clear Currents Full WaterFire, check out what else is happening this weekend! There are lots of exciting events happening in RI for the whole family this week.
Wednesday, August 12
Clothing Optional: A Figurative Show: 5:30 pm Opening reception. “Clothing Optional” will feature works by a number of local, national and international artists, including: Jeff Bye, Ted DiLucia, Elizabeth Frank, Ted Gall, Kristy Goggio, Jeff Hall, Daniel Koterbay, Azamat Kuliev, James Paterson, Eleanor Rahim, Jeff Schneider, and David Witbeck.
Origami Workshop with Rod Nice: 6:30 p.m. Rod Nice (aka “Sensei”) is returning to the Providence Public Library to enchant us with his origami teachings…learn how to fold an Origami Rose in this special workshop!
Do you have a shop-a-holic in your group or family? Although Providence has many activities to keep you busy such as art galleries, historic tours, and plenty of beaches, it also offers an abundance of shops and retail stores. Get ready to shop til you drop after you hear our recommendations!
Providence Place Mall
Providence Place Mall, photo via providenceri.com
Providence Place Mall is the biggest shopping mall in Rhode Island, with over 170 stores and restaurants that could keep you busy for an entire day! Book-ended by Nordstroms, JC Penny, and Macy’s, Providence Place offers stores for all kinds of shoppers. If you catch Providence on a rainy day, not to worry! Providence Place is home to an IMAX Movie Theater that contains an additional 16 theaters for you to enjoy! There is also a Dave & Buster’s Arcade that will keep the whole family entertained.
There are a million and one events going on in Providence this weekend! Especially, music events. From the Blithewold Concert Series on Wednesday Night to the Alex and Ani Sunday Jazz Series on Sunday night and ever day in between! Don’t forget to check out the local Farmer’s Markets as well to get local treats!
Wednesday, August 5th
Blithewold’s Summer Concert Series: Music at Sunset – Honkey Tonk Knights: 5:00 p.m. Spread out a blanket and unpack the picnic basket, soak up the warmth of the summer sun, and enjoy the sunset over Narragansett Bay, all while savoring a kaleidoscope of musical performances over the summer.
KidInfo Story Time + Art in the Park: 10:30 a.m. Join us for STORYTIME in Burnside Park while local authors, illustrators, storytellers and performers bring stories and books to life!
2015 Burnside Music Series: 4:30 p.m. Join us every Thursday this summer for beautiful times in Burnside Park, replete with delightful bevs by Trinity Brewhouse, delicious food by Rhode Island’s greatest food trucks, casual jams by celebrity DJs, and, of course, the finest tunes Rhode Island has to offer.
Concert Under the Elms Concert Series: 6:30 p.m. Join us for the Concerts under the Elms, an annual outdoor summer concert series held Thursdays under the canopy of elms at the John Brown House Museum.
Family Fun Friday: 11:00 a.m. Bring a picnic, a blanket to sit on, and enjoy the show! Each week, dance and sing along with the kids to a variety of educational and interactive musical performances.
KidEye International Film Festival: 10.00 a.m. Films by and for kids are showcased in this special Red Carpet Premiere program at The Metcalf Auditorium at the RISD Museum.
AS 220 Foo Fest 2015: 1:00 p.m. FOO FEST is AS220’s annual summer block party, held outdoors and inside, on Empire Street in Providence, that highlights the incredible arts, music, creative, and cultural scene brewing right here in Providence, Rhode Island.
Manton Avenue Project Plays: The Manton Avenue Project (MAP) is proud to announce that plays from their most recent festival, “This Land is Our Land: the public park plays,” will be presented in a summer series as part of the 50th anniversary of the Roger Williams National Memorial.
Sunday, August 9th
The Providence Flea: 10:00 a.m. Featuring all the cool vendors from last summer’s Flea plus a slate of new vendors for even more one-of-a-kind Flea finds! Shop Local this season at the Flea.
Alex and Ani Sunday Jazz Series: 1:00 p.m. Attention jazz fans! Get ready to make your Sundays a little more musical with The Alex and Ani Sunday Jazz Series at Carolyn’s Sakonnet Vineyard.
Providence is known as the “Creative Capital,” and for good reason. The city is home to many art galleries and museums that display artwork from all over the world. And if you’re visiting at the end of the month, Gallery Night is not to be missed. Every third Thursday of the month, from March to November, galleries across Providence open their doors. This free event, which celebrates art ranging from contemporary multi-media installations to one-of-a-kind functional artworks, is called Gallery Night Providence.
Founded in 2011, Yellow Peril Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located at The Plant, a historic mill complex in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The Gallery fosters modern art critiques on popular culture and society from emerging, mid-career and established artists in the United States and abroad. Their inventory comprises of works of art from critically-acclaimed artists who have been featured in biennials and museum exhibitions, participated in top tier art fairs and acquired by private collectors worldwide. Artists represented share their commitment to social responsibility, and 10% from the sale of all artwork is donated to a charitable organization of the Artists’ choice.
Thursday and Friday: 3 p.m.- 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Founded in 1880 to stimulate the appreciation of art in the community, the Club has long been a place for artists and art patrons to congregate, create, display and circulate works of art. Located along Thomas Street, in the shadow of the First Baptist Church, the Providence Art Club is a picturesque procession of historic houses, home to studios, galleries and the clubhouse. Through its public programs, its art instruction classes for members and its active exhibition schedule, the Providence Art Club continues a tradition of sponsoring and supporting the visual arts in Providence and throughout Rhode Island.
Monday- Friday 12:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
RISD Museum
RISD Museum, photo via mhcari.org
The RISD Museum acquires, preserves, exhibits, and interprets works of art and design representing diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. Distinguished by its relationship to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the Museum educates and inspires artists, designers, students, scholars, and the general public through exhibitions, programs, and publications. The RISD Museum houses more than 91,000 works of art, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman sculpture to contemporary art in every medium, including textiles, ceramics, glass and furniture. Part of the Rhode Island School of Design, the museum offers a full schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, tours, concerts and other programs.
Tuesdays- Sundays 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
ArtProv Gallery
ArtProv is a gallery of contemporary art that displays an evocative collection of works centered around color, texture and expression by local, national and international artists. Constructed in a converted loft space in the Jewelry District’s historic Doran Building, ArtProv’s inspired location features three viewing spaces open for private showings.
Wednesday – Friday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The Chazan Gallery
Chazan Gallery, photo via chazangallery.org
Chazan Gallery @ Wheeler is a nonprofit artists’ space which exhibits a wide range of contemporary work by artists living or working in the area. Providence is a city with a very large community of artists, and the gallery provides an excellent space for these artists to exhibit their work. Through an open jury process, the gallery shows work from among the strongest artists in the area in a series of varied and intresting exhibitions each year. Bill Van Siclen, the Providence Journal’s art editor, has called the gallery “a model of quality and consistency. The artists have been among the best the state has to offer.” Located on the East Side of Providence near Brown University and RISD, the gallery is totally supported by Wheeler School, a gift to the Providence arts community from the school.
GRIN is a contemporary art gallery located at The Plant in the historic Olneyville District of Providence, Rhode Island. Directed by Corey Oberlander and Lindsey Stapleton, GRIN was founded in 2013 as a space for artists to develop and exhibit their work, with a steady curatorial hand.
The David Winton Bell Gallery is Brown University’s contemporary art gallery and home to an important part of the university’s permanent art collection. The gallery hosts four to five major exhibitions each year, as well as annual exhibitions of student artwork and a triennial exhibition of artwork by Brown faculty members.
The Dryden Gallery at Providence Picture Frame stands as the city’s largest and most versatile space of its kind. It is comprised of two distinctly structured, equally appealing venues. The ground floor Red Gallery is an intimate setting ideal for showcasing individual artists, while the Grand Gallery encompasses the cavernous third floor of one of Providence’s most celebrated restored mill buildings. Providence Picture Frame, in continuous operation since 1889, is the oldest and largest frame store in New England. Dryden Gallery manifests its commitment to support, provide common ground for, and indeed celebrate local visual artists and their peers from all points of the compass.
Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m. -6:30 p.m.
Gallery Z
The Atwells Ave. location currently displays an extensive and diverse selection of small-to-medium-sized original Fine Art works (paintings, photographs, drawings, glass, sculptures, collages, assemblages) from Gallery Z‘s deep stable of Fine Artists: locally, nationally or internationally renowned, along with a selection of jewelry, pottery and unusual specialty handicrafts from Armenia and around the world.
The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology is Brown University’s teaching museum. A resource across the university, we inspire creative and critical thinking about culture by fostering interdisciplinary understanding of the material world. The museum offers exhibits, public lectures, performances, symposia, festivals, and a broad range of programs and events for all ages.
Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Peter Miller Fine Art Photography Gallery
Peter Miller Fine Art (PMFA) photography gallery opened in March 2015 in Providence, Rhode Island. The gallery is the only venue dedicated exclusively to fine art photography in Providence and Southern New England.
Visit by appointment
AS220
AS220 offers artists opportunities to live, work, exhibit and/or perform in its facilities, which include several rotating gallery spaces, a performance stage, a black-box theater, a print shop, a darkroom and media arts lab, a fabrication and electronics lab, a dance studio, a youth program focusing on youth under state care and in the juvenile detention facilities, four dozen affordable live/work studios for artists, and a bar and restaurant.
Main Gallery: 115 Empire St. Performance Space
Youth Gallery: 115 Empire Street (Second Floor)
Open Window: 115 Empire Street
Project Space (and Reading Room): 93 Mathewson St. (Dreyfus building)
Resident Gallery: 131 Washington (First floor of the Mercantile building)
Open the first Saturday of the month from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
For a full list of Art Galleries in Providence and the entire State of Rhode Island, please visit the Discover Rhode Island website.
