Mayor Taveras, Senator Whitehouse Kick Off Season of Programming in Greater Kennedy Plaza

Mayor Angel Taveras joined with US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, arts and cultural leaders, artists and business partners in the Greater Kennedy Plaza initiative at The Rhode Island Foundation on Wednesday, April 4 to announce the activities that will occur in Kennedy Plaza this year through Providence's National Endowment for the Arts "Our Town" initiative.

"This project has the potential to affect every citizen in Rhode Island as it turns an underappreciated urban center into the capital city's thriving, heart and soul," said Mayor Taveras. "Providence, Rhode Island is the nexus of creative place-making."

In July, Mayor Taveras announced Providence, FirstWorks and the Greater Kennedy Plaza Coalition had been awarded a $200,000 Our Town grant from the NEA. One of only 51 Our Town grants awarded nationwide, the NEA award is being used to create high-quality arts programming at Greater Kennedy Plaza and bring together major stakeholders to create a detailed master plan design for the space.

Joining Mayor Taveras and Senator Whitehouse for the kick-off of this year's Greater Kennedy Plaza activities were Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks; Cliff Wood, Executive Director, Greater Kennedy Plaza Coalition; Lynne McCormack, Director of Art, Culture & Tourism; Jen Smith, Kennedy Plaza Programming Project Manager; Dan Baudoin, Providence Foundation; Mark Therien, RIPTA.