AS220 facts for kids
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| Nonprofit | |
| Industry | Arts |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Umberto Crenca |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Key people
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Umberto Crenca, Susan Clausen |
AS220 is a special non-profit arts center. It's located in Downtown Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. AS220 is a place where artists can create and share their work. It has many different spaces for art.
You can find artist studios, galleries, and performance stages here. There's also a print shop and a digital media lab. They even have a youth program. AS220 is open to everyone, no matter their age. Artists can show their work without being judged or censored.
Contents
History of AS220
AS220 was started in 1985. Umberto Crenca, Susan Clausen, and Scott Seabolt founded it. They wanted a place where artists could show their art freely. Many artists felt it was hard to get their work seen. This was especially true if they weren't from the Rhode Island School of Design.
So, they created AS220. Their goal was to be open and welcoming to all artists. The name AS220 comes from its first unofficial home. It was at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence. This first space grew to include studios, a gallery, and a stage.
In 1992, AS220 bought its own building. It was a large 21,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) space on Empire Street. They fixed it up to make a big arts center. This new center had places for artists to live and work. It also had performance spaces and galleries. This development helped create a new arts district in Providence. In 2015, Umberto Crenca stepped down. Shey Rivera Ríos took over as artistic director.
Growing Bigger
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AS220 kept growing over the years. In 2000, they started the Broad Street Studio. This studio focused on helping young artists. They also raised money to improve their Empire Street building. This included adding the AS220 Bar and Restaurant.
In 2005, AS220 bought another building. It was the Dreyfus Hotel. After fixing it up, it opened in 2007. This building now has residential studios for artists. It also has work studios and AS220's main offices. You can also find the Project Space art gallery here.
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In 2011, AS220 opened the Mercantile Block building. They had bought it in 2008. This building is home to AS220 Industries. This includes the Printshop, Labs, and Media Arts. It also has more artist studios and offices. AS220 helps make the city a better place for art. They offer affordable spaces for artists. The National Endowment of the Arts says AS220 helps shape the city. They do this by focusing on arts and culture.
What AS220 Offers
AS220 has many programs and facilities. They offer different ways for people to get involved in art.
Performance Stages
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The Main Stage at Empire Street is very busy. It hosts many events each week. It's known for music, but also has poetry and dance. AS220 was founded on being open to everyone. This means they have an open booking policy. Any local artist can perform there. They especially support performers from Rhode Island.
AS220 also has a "no covers" policy. This means they focus on original music. They don't usually host bands that only play other artists' songs. Besides the main stage, there's a black box theater. This is for experimental performances. There's also a dance studio.
Art Galleries
AS220 has six different gallery spaces. The Empire Street building has three: the Youth Gallery, Open Window, and the Main Gallery. The Project Space gallery is in the Dreyfus building. The Residents' Gallery and THE MOTE are in the Mercantile building. These galleries show a variety of art.
AS220 Youth Program
AS220 Youth offers free art classes. It's for young people aged 14 to 21. They especially help youth who are in state care. The program offers workshops every week. These include creative writing, dance, and music. They also teach visual arts and photography. Each year, they host a hip-hop performance series called FutureWorlds.
AS220 Industries
AS220 Industries has a community printshop. It also has a fabrication lab and media arts facilities. These are available for artists and learners. You can take classes or reserve time to use the equipment. It's a great place to learn new skills.
Darkroom for Photography
The Paul Krot Darkroom was set up in 1994. It's a place where people can develop photos. They also offer photography classes. These classes later grew to include other media arts.
Other Media Projects
In the 1990s, AS220 had its own TV show. It was called TV 220. In 1992, they released a music album. It featured songs recorded at AS220. This helped raise money for the organization.
More recently, AS220 started a radio station. It's called WFOO-LP. It shares a frequency with other community radio stations.
Foo Fest
Every summer, AS220 throws a big party. It's called "Foo Fest." It's a 12-hour event with lots of fun. You can hear live music from many bands. There are also interactive art displays. Local artists sell their work. Other arts groups join in too. Famous performers like Andrew W.K. and Big Freedia have played there.
See Also
- Umberto Crenca
- Shey Rivera Ríos
