Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, Lynne McCormack, Director, and the Department of Public Parks, Robert F. McMahon, Superintendent, are pleased to announce the Celebrate Providence! 2008 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative. This program brings music, dance and theatre into neighborhood parks throughout the city. All events are free and open to the public.

This week's events
Jump! Dance Company, August 7, 12pm, Steps of City Hall

Friends of Elmhurst Presents Napua O Polynesia Dancers, RESCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 21, 6pm, Fargnoli Park

Jump! Dance Company, August 8, 12pm, Burnside Park

Jewish Community Center Presents Fishel Bresler's 5 Piece Klezmer Ensemble And The Klezphonics, August 13, 5pm - 8pm, Sessions Street Park

Friends of Elmhurst Presents Kim Lamonthe, August 14, 6pm, Fargnoli Park

For more information about all of the events please click here.

August 7 - 11, Various Locations Downtown, Free And Open To The Public. Non-stop live musical entertainment will run from opening until closing each day of the festival. While all the live entertainment has an Italian connection, there is a wide variety of approaches, including classical opera and arias, hard-driving swing, jazz accordion and many others. Vendors of food, beverage and souvenir goods will be set up along the river, and in park spaces surrounding the stages. For more information please click here.

August 7, 5:30pm - 7pm, American Locomotive Works, 555 Valley Street, Free And Open To The Public. American Locomotive Works (ALCO) is pleased to present Thursday Nights Live at ALCO. This concert series will bring together bands with local, national and international roots. This week's featured artist is Balla Tounkara. For more information please click here.

August 7 - 17, Thursdays - Saturdays @ 8pm, Sundays @ 3pm, Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Tickets Are $10. An experimental theatre extravaganza bringing new works from local and not so local artists and different performing art genres together. Experience performances from Fledgling Festival curator Peter Deffet, artists Nancy Hoffman, Angela Conte, Philip Goldman, Khym Carmichael, Kellie Lynch, Slipperyfish Dance, Angela Colford, Kevin Delaney, Leigh Hendrix plus much more. For more information please click here.

August 15 - 22, Firehouse 13, 41 Central Street, Admission Is $4 Per Night Or $10 For A Full Pass. Featuring a wide-ranging collection of visual art that defies immediate categorization and covers the walls of Firehouse no. 13. In addition, RHD will present four evenings of hosted, live entertainment the likes of which will amaze, amuse, and confound...those will include an awesome eve of RHD video presentations and three spellbinding nights of music (and interpretive dance and puppetry) by celebrated local and international artists. For more information please click here.

August 16, 7:44pm, Sponsored By Fidelity Investments & Commonwealth Ventures, LLC. WaterFire Providence, the award-winning sculpture by Barnaby Evans, installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence, has been praised by Rhode Island residents and international visitors alike as a powerful work of art and a moving symbol of Providence's renaissance. For more information please click here.

RiverWalk: Providence Walking Tour
Evenings Of Full WaterFire Lightings, 5:30pm, Departs From John Brown House Museum, 52 Power Street, Tickets Are $10. This walk shares the stories of the Providence waterfront and its early development while introducing the phenomenon known as WaterFire. For more information please click here.

August 14 - 16 @ 7pm, August 17 @ 3pm, Production Workshop At Brown, 7 Orchard Avenue, Free And Open To The Public, Reservation Encouraged. Brand spankin' new creations from their Dialogue program written and acted by kid/adult duos (based on ideas conceived by the kids)! With the Dialogue Program, an adult actor and child work together to create a short play, each writing the lines for one of the two characters before acting in the play together. For more information please click here.

Greater Kennedy Plaza is being transformed into a lively public square, rich with activity. The area includes Burnside Park, Kennedy Plaza, the Skating Center and Biltmore Park. Stay tuned here each week to find out what's going on!

Week of August 7 - 13, 2008:

EVENTS
Thursday August 7, Market Bazaar, 11am - 6pm
Check out tasty barbecue from Amos House's Not Just a Meal, along with lovely antiques, art and more. Join us each week this summer as Market Thursday grows! Location: on the sidewalk along the Washington Street side of Burnside Park.

Thursday August 7, Italian Festival, 6pm - 12am
For more information please click here.

Friday August 8, Farmers' Market, 11am - 2pm
Shop for tasty harvests from RI farms here along the sidewalk at Burnside Park. Choose from a selection of foods fresh from the fields and meet the people who grow your meal.

Friday August 8, Jump! Dance Performance, 12pm
Part of Mayor David N. Cicilline's Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative. For more information please click here.

Friday August 8, Italian Festival, 6pm - 12am
For more information please click here.

Saturday August 9, Italian Festival, 12pm - 12am
For more information please click here.

Sunday August 10, Italian Festival, 12pm - 12am
For more information please click here.

Monday August 11, Italian Festival, 12pm - 12am
For more information please click here.

Tuesday August 12, Public Square Tuesday, 11am - 3:30pm
Come on down to find out what volunteer opportunities local non-profit agencies have to offer and grab a Del's lemonade while you're there! This week: Family Service of Rhode Island, United Methodist Elder Care, Center For Hispanic Policy And Advocacy, American Friends Service Committee, Street Sights, RI Crisis Assistance Center, Blackstone Valley Community Action Program, Boys Town New England, Meals on Wheels of RI, Big Sisters of RI, RI Foster Parents Association, RI Patient Advocacy Coalition--Fellowship Health Resources, AIDS Care Ocean State.

Wednesday August 13, Community Stage Performance, 12pm
Bring your lunch and listen to the Jazzy sounds of Electrio!

Wednesday August 13, Emergency Management Agency Recruitment, 11am - 2pm

For more information on all the great things happening in Greater Kennedy Plaza please click here.

Savor Providence: A Benefit For Trinity Rep

August 23, 12pm - 4pm, Various Locations Downtown, Tickets Are $37 For 10 Tastes. A new twist on the usual "taste" event will take place in Providence this summer on Saturday, August 23rd from 12-4pm. For just $37, you will receive a book of 10 Tastes to redeem at participating restaurants in Providence. No tents, no standing in lines - with our handy restaurant map, Savor Providence will lead people right to the doorsteps of many of the hottest restaurants in and around the city. For more information please click here.

Call To Galleries And Fine Art Stores. The City of Providence's Department of Art, Culture + Tourism is in the process of revamping their web site. One of the key new features is the addition of an interactive Gallery/Fine Art guide. If you have a gallery, fine art store, art supply store, etc that is not currently listed on their web site, please click here to email Michael Christofaro with the name, location, contact info, brief description and high resolution photograph (300dpi) of your business.

Call To Vendors And Artists - Market Thursdays Through August, 11am - 7pm, Kennedy Plaza, No Fee - Kennedy Plaza is undergoing a facelift full of vibrant activity and we want you to be a part of it! Please join us for Market Thursdays on the sidewalk along Burnside Park for a great opportunity to reach new customers - free of charge! Food, antiques, books, records, art, merchandise and fun! To download an application please click here. For more information please contact Deb Dormody via email at ddormody@providenceri.com.

RISCA Call For Art. The Rhode Island State Council On the Arts is pleased to announce a new call for public art for all visual artists at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in downtown Providence. The deadline for entries is September 26. Interested parties may learn more about the project by clicking here and scrolling down to Dunkin Donuts Center.

Call To Artists For Knight Gallery Exhibition. The object of this event is to display good quality, low cost art to the public by a variety of artists. The dimensions of each entry MUST add up to 100 inches total. The deadline for entries is Auaugt 25. For more information please click here.

PPSRI Walking Tour Leaders Needed. The Providence Preservation Society is looking for individuals interested in leading walking tours for elementary and middle school students. Upon completing a 2.5 day training provided by PPS, docents are asked to make a one-year commitment to the program. This year's training will take place September 23-25 and will concentrate on the College Hill and Fox Point neighborhoods. For more information please contact Kathleen McAreavey at 401-831-440 X 103 or click here.

RI Civic Chorale and Orchestra Auditions, September 3 @ 7:30pm & September 6 @ 10:30am, Rhode Island College, Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Room 198. All those interested in singing with this critically acclaimed chorus are encouraged to contact the RI Civic Chorale and Orchestra either via phone at 521-5670 or via email at info@ricco.org.

Trinity Rep's Young Actors Studio Now Enrolling. The Young Actors Studio Fall Session runs for 9 weeks from September 23 - November 20 and is for young actors in grades 4 - 12. The classes will work and rehearse in the new state-of-the-art Pell Chafee Performance Center. For more information please call 521.1100 x 230 or click here.

RICH Grant Information Workshop, August 8, 12pm, AS220, 115 Empire Street, Free. The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) is transitioning from a paper grant application to an electronic one. Presenters will introduce RICH's new online grant application process and offer helpful tools and tips to potential grantees. A general overview on RICH grants will be included in the discussion, so new applicants are encouraged to attend. For more information please click here.

RISD Museum Seeks Visitor Services Manager. Part of the job description includes promoting and ensuring positive visitor and program experiences by coordinating front desk activities, supporting efforts to improve visitor access and recommending and implementing enhancements and/or changes based on feedback. For a full list of qualifications, a detailed job description and to submit a resume and cover letter, please click here. No phone calls please.

RISD Fall Continuing Education Classes. RISD offers a rich variety of classes, lectures, workshops, gallery talks and other events designed to engage young artists and adults. Registration begins July 28th. For more information please click here.