WaterFire is a sculpture by Barnaby Evans presented on the rivers of downtown Providence, RI. It was first created by Evans in 1994 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of First Night Providence, and has since become a free public art installation. [1]
WaterFire evenings consist of eighty-six burning braziers (each with approximately 33 pieces of wood); some float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through Waterplace Park (the Woonasquatucket River) and the middle of downtown Providence (the Moshassuck and Providence rivers; others are mounted on the piers of former bridges.) Average attendance is 40,000 a night, [2] ranging from 10,000 to 100,000.
WaterFire is held May through November, with lightings typically on Saturday evenings once or twice a month. The rivers are tidal, so events are normally scheduled to take place when sunset coincides with an incoming high tide. [3]
WaterFire Providence is the independent 501(C)(3) non-profit arts organization responsible for presenting WaterFire. [4] WaterFire Providence consists of about 15 staff members and relies heavily upon volunteers for the production of WaterFire. On a given night, up to 160 volunteers assist with production.
Evans created the first WaterFire, named First Fire on New Year's Eve 1994 as part of the tenth annual of First Night Providence. First Fire consisted of 11 braziers on steel tripods stretching from WaterPlace Basin to Steeple Street. In June 1996, Barnaby created Second Fire for the Convergence Art Festival and the International Sculpture Conference. [5]
Through the support of volunteers, WaterFire returned as a seasonal event. WaterFire gained regional attention and a coordinated effort to fund the project began. In 1997, WaterFire expanded to 42 braziers, and had an estimated attendance of 350,000 people over the entire season. Evans received The Renaissance Award for his effort to revitalize downtown Providence, and WaterFire became the symbol of the city's renaissance.
For the 1998 installation, WaterFire expanded to include 81 fires, with extensions up the Moshassuck River and into the basin at Waterplace Park. WaterFire now enjoys national and international renown, thanks in part to exposure on the part of PBS, of the Washington Post, and much earlier of a Style piece in The New York Times.[ citation needed ][ dubious ] Likely as among both the causes and effects of the event's broadening reputation, Rome and Singapore have been overseas scenes, joining others in different U.S. cities, of Evans-created programs that were rooted in WaterFire.
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, and 171 miles (275 km) northeast of New York City.
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.
Barnaby Evans is an American artist who works in many media including site-specific sculpture installations, photography, film, garden design, architectural projects, writing and conceptual works. Evans is known for WaterFire, a sculpture that he installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering 147 square miles (380 km2), 120.5 square miles (312 km2) of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Small parts of the bay extend into Massachusetts.
An urban oasis is a public open space, park, or plaza which is located in between buildings or formed by surrounding buildings in an urban setting. It can exist in any kind of culture. There are various sizes of urban oases. Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted's park in New York City, can be considered as a very large urban oasis. The Los Angeles Central Library’s plaza can be considered to be a small scaled oasis.
Route 114 is a 45.7-mile-long (73.5 km) numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It connects the city of Newport to the city of Woonsocket. Route 114 was a major north–south artery for its entire length until the arrival of the Interstate Highway System. It is still a major commercial corridor on Aquidneck Island and in northern Rhode Island.
The Moshassuck River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows 8.9 miles (14.3 km) from the town of Lincoln to the city of Providence. There are six dams along the river's length.
The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks and canals during the early 19th century. Construction was started in 1825, and the canal opened three years later. Following the opening of the Boston and Providence Railroad in 1835, the canal struggled for business. It was ultimately replaced by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, which completed a parallel line in 1847. The canal shut down in 1848. Several segments of the canal are preserved, with the canal alignment and remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Woonasquatucket River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 15.8 miles (25.4 km) and drains a watershed of 130 km2 (50 sq mi).
Smith Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. Its traditional bounds are the Woonasquatucket River, the Chad Brown public housing complex, Interstate 95 and West River.
Kennedy Plaza, formerly Exchange Place, Exchange Terrace, or City Hall Park, is a rectangular public square that occupies a central portion of Downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Since the mid 19th century, the plaza has served as a civic and transportation hub.
The East Side is a collection of neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It officially comprises the neighborhoods of Blackstone, Hope, Mount Hope, College Hill, Wayland, and Fox Point.
Downtown is the central economic, political, and cultural district of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is bounded on the east by Canal Street and the Providence River, to the north by Smith Street, to the west by Interstate 95, and to the south by Henderson Street. The highway serves as a physical barrier between the city's commercial core and neighborhoods of Federal Hill, West End, and Upper South Providence. Most of the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Downtown Providence Historic District.
The Rhode Island Convention Center is an exposition center in downtown Providence, RI. Opened in 1993, it is the largest convention center in Rhode Island, with about 130,000 square feet (12,000 m2) of exhibition space, including a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) exhibit hall. It is connected by skybridges to the Amica Mutual Pavilion, and the adjacent Omni Hotels Omni Providence Hotel. The ground level features a main exhibition hall with 100,000 square feet, and the upper level has a ballroom and meeting halls. The building has a five-story glass front with a large space outside the meeting rooms and exhibit halls where visitors can gather and mingle. The center is operated by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which also operates the Amica Mutual Pavilion and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port, as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Gary Glassman is a documentary filmmaker based in Rhode Island. His company, Providence Pictures, produces films for NOVA, Discovery Channel, History Channel, BBC, and other television networks and programs.
Rhode Island Pride is an LGBT organization that serves the Rhode Island LGBTQ community, most notably holding its annual PrideFest in June. The organization traces its roots to the 1976 march, in which 75 individuals protested the city's refusal of a permit to host an official march. Today, Rhode Island Pride is one of the largest and most active LGBTQ organizations in Rhode Island, hosting community events and offering resources to Rhode Island's LGBTQ population.
This is a list of protests in Rhode Island related to the murder of George Floyd.