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).
Since COVID-19 hit in 2020, we moved to a new location. Public has temporarily transformed into a shared art studio space, mini shop & gallery, and community space. We hope to open a larger location in 2022.
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 publicpvd@gmail.com
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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.