PROVIDENCE, RI

Scroll to learn more about Providence’s Arts For EveryBody project

Providence, RI

Join artists Vatic Kuumba and Carolina Briones on July 27th as they present artistic projects, co-created with Providence Housing Authority residents, in a daylong celebration of community connection and healing through the arts. Events at Carroll Towers will include a tile mural unveiling, music DJs, domino contests, face painting, food, and more, all celebrating "no place like home." Events at Chad Brown will include multi-media performance, a community meal, and the premiere of a stop motion animation film, commemorating Chad Brown’s past, present, and future. Exact event times to come.

  • The Providence project is a dynamic partnership between the Healthy Communities Office, Providence Housing Authority (PHA) and the Providence Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism. The team has created artist residencies at PHA sites. As part of their residency, participating artists are engaging residents in arts activities and work alongside embedded community health workers (CHWs) to better understand the wellness goals of residents. CHWs will connect residents to available City/community resources, and the artists will co-create with residents and design a culminating artwork or performance at each site. The process is focusing on healing, social connectedness, self-discovery and home.

Meet The Team

  • Joe Wilson Jr.

    Director of Arts, Culture & Tourism

    Joe Wilson, Jr. Director Arts Culture & Tourism, holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, and an MFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre training program. He has worked On and Off Broadway including (2000 Tony Award-nominated production of Jesus Christ Superstar). Joe served as Resident Acting Company and Artistic Staff at Trinity Repertory Company for 18 seasons and Founded of Trinity Rep’s Center for Activism and Performance.

  • Micah Salkind

    Deputy Director of The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture & Tourism

    Dr. Micah Salkind is the Deputy Director of The City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Humanities in the Department of American Studies at Brown University. He manages large grants and strategic artist initiatives for the City, collaborating with the Creative Capital’s largest non-profit cultural institutions cultural institutions and creatives. Salkind is the author of Do You Remember House? Chicago’s Queer of Color Undergrounds (Oxford University Press).

  • Sussy Santana

    Project Lead

    Sussy Santana is a poet, performer and cultural organizer. Her work includes using writing as a tool for healing. Santana has published four poetry books, she is the first Latina recipient of the McColl Johnson Fellowship in writing. Sussy’s work explores the immigrant experience, faith and ritual as survival tools. Her work engages the community in participatory performance. She has worked as a teaching artist and independent consultant for different organizations in Rhode Island.

  • Carolina Briones

    Lead Artist - Carroll Tower

    Carolina Bridges is an Ecuadorian visual artist and community leader with over twenty-five years of experience working with the Latino community in Providence. Briones is deeply inspired by nature and the cycle of life and has facilitated a vast variety of workshops with seniors of different abilities. She has served as the Latino Program Manager at the Providence Community Library for twenty-three years. Briones has received multiple recognitions for her contributions and dedication to the community.

  • Vatic Kayari Kummba

    Lead Artist - Chad Brown

    Vatic Kayari Kummba is a creative artist rooted in words and rhythm whose work is guided by antiracist and environmental justice principles. His work moves from slam poetry into theatre, playwriting, and screenwriting for film. As an artist facilitator, Kuumba worked with One Square World to implement transformation in city government, non-profits, and community organizations. Recipient of the New Genre Merit Fellowship (2018) and the Playwright Merit Fellowship (2017) awarded by Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

  • Amanda DeGrace

    Director of Strategy & Development, ProAidence Housing Authority.

    Amanda DeGrace is the Director of Strategy & Development at the Providence Housing Authority. Prior to her work at the PHA, Amanda was the Director of Real Estate for the City of Providence and a Project Manager at Greystone Management Solutions. Amanda earned her M.S. in Urban Planning & Community Development from UMASS Boston and is part of Adjunct Faculty at College Unbound where she teaches courses in Change Studies and Affordable Housing.

Featured
Q & A with Sussy Santana
Q & A with Sussy Santana

Ocean State Stories, 12.11.23

Sussy Santana discusses her work at the intersection of arts and public health, focusing on community healing through collective performance. Initiatives like "Todas las Fridas" involve community members responding to prompts, fostering healing through shared performances. As Health Literacy Project Manager at the Providence Healthy Communities Office, Sussy conducts interventions at health clinics, promoting health literacy and well-being. She also manages the One Nation/One Project Arts for Every Body initiative, exploring the connection between arts participation and community health. Sussy, a bilingual poet, emphasizes the importance of intentional cultural creation and reflects on her diverse artistic family background.

Stories

Photo Gallery

Partners & Collaborators

City of Providence Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism,

The City of Providence Healthy Communities Office

Providence Housing Authority

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