THE BIG O + LITTLE T: The Apartment at the Mall

I want to expand on the last entry where I mentioned Providence Art Windows. Providence Art Windows is a non-profit that takes local artists' works and displays it in empty storefronts rather than leaving them in a more depressing state. I love this concept and think it is such a nice use of the space. Because downtown Providence is just recently becoming revitalized, there are quite a few of these empty storefronts allowing Providence Art Windows to make a walking gallery of sorts, which they change out every few months. To see what I mean and get a little more information on the most recent installation, click HERE.

This latest group of artists was a little controversial because of one of the installations. Some of you might have heard about the New England man who was caught living in the mall. Well, Michael Townsend is a local artist, who actually comes in to my studio quite often. When the Providence Place Mall was being built about seven years ago, he saw this empty space in the core of the building that wasn't being used. He decided to make it into an apartment. He built walls out of cinderblocks and moved furniture in. He lived there off and on for almost four years before getting caught. This received national attention and he now lectures on the meaning behind his "work" there. For Providence Art Windows he recreated the "Apartment at the Mall" and had it open to the public. We went to the opening party, which was after our Giving Tree event. He also borrowed a couple of items from Design Within Reach to finish his space. Below are some pics of the recreation and a couple of links to his websites and information.