about
We are both Providence natives and residents. Casandra writes poetry and short stories, and has dabbled in painting, photography, and illustration. Spocka is a musician and performer, event curator, and creates visual art. Growing up, we benefited from local creative opportunities.
And so we felt a need to bring more of those opportunities to our community. The idea of opening this public, art-centered space together floated around for about three years. Our goal was to build a creative hub for art and music but also a place to host events, meetings, workshops, and classes. On September 7th, 2019 - we opened Public.
Since then, we've had 85 makers in our shop, 50 artists in our gallery, 12 muralists, and 8 local authors in our book corner. We've hosted regular open mics, a dinner in the gallery series, a secret comedy show, a film screening, a self-care pop-up, 4 artist-curated events, a collage night, dance night, a panel discussion, and vintage pop-up (as of March 2020).
Public: a space that welcomes all members of the community
to experience and interact with art.
If you'd like to contact us, please email
Photo By Jared Winslow
Interview with The Public's Radio
12/4/2019
Click here to find the story on The Public's Radio website.
Interview with Providence Monthly
1/30/2020
"In a typical week, Public may host an art opening, vendor market, movie screening, open mic, poetry slam, collage night, and dinner prepared by a local chef. Driving past the little second-store gallery on Aleppo Street, you might never suspect such a busy schedule."
To read the full article, click here.
Interview with Motif Magazine
2/5/2020
"The route to the Public Gallery winds through a pretty rough neighborhood – the streets of Olneyville are lined with pawnbrokers, flea markets and head shops; an old woman waves down cars near a stop light, peddling flowers. But along with the obvious signs of poverty, there are signs of strength. A poster on a hardware store reads: “Community is stronger than hate.” There is truth to be found here, and a beauty that is born of the struggle. A new art scene is growing, and Public Gallery is one of the primary incubators."
To read the full article, click here on Motif's site.