Rhode Island may be small, but it is full of culture, has excellent schools, and a rich economy. If you are planning to move to Rhode Island, and want to live in a city that focuses on the arts, there are several cities that you should consider.
Providence
Woonsocket
Warwick
Pawtucket
Cranston
Providence is Rhode Island's capital, and is the state's most populous city. It is also the third largest city in New England, after Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts. Providence is a city full of art and culture. In order to rebrand itself as a city for educational resources and the arts community, city officials changed the city's nickname from “Beehive of Industry” to “Creative Capital” in 2009. Providence is known for its schools who offer excellent art programs.
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): RISD was founded in 1877, and is one of the most well known colleges of art and design in the United States. The school offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in 19 architecture, design, and fine arts and art education majors.
Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (TAPA): TAPA is a Providence, Rhode Island public charter school. The school is for students in grades 7 though 12, and culture and the performing arts are art of the rigorous academic program.
Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education: This school offers hundreds of year round, non-credit courses, lectures, and workshops in architecture, design, and fine arts.
There are a variety of places to visit in Providence for lovers of the arts.
Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC): This is a popular Providence venue for concerts, and traveling and local shows.
Trinity Repertory Company: This is a Tony Award winning theater company, who puts on a variety of shows in their own personal venue, Trinity Repertory Theater.
RISD Museum: This museum acquires, preserves, exhibits, and interprets works of art and design from diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. It is meant to educate and inspire artists, designers, students, scholars, and the general public.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is the sixth largest state in Rhode Island, and was once an industrial city, mostly populated by French immigrants. Today, Woonsocket is also known as “A City on the Move”, and has a very diverse population.
There are a few schools in Woonsocket, where students can study the arts.
Beacon Charter High School for the Arts: Beacon Charter won a Bronze award in 2015 from U.S. News and World Report. Along with their regular curriculum, students who attend Beacon can also take Culinary Arts courses, Visual Arts courses, or Theater Arts.
Lyrics in Motion: This is a dance studio, who teaches individuals of all ages a variety of types of dance, including tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, acro, musical theater, jazz funk, and lyrical.
There are a few places that Woonsocket art lovers can enjoy. Many travel from all over Rhode Island and Massachusetts to visit these places.
Stadium Theater: The Stadium Theater was built in 1926, and remains one of the few examples of the majestic Vaudeville Theater era in operation today. The Stadium was fully restored in 2001, and has hosted a variety of shows and high caliber celebrities, including Liza Minnelli, Cher, and George Winston, to name a few.
St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center: This cultural center is home of the largest collection of Fresco paintings in North America. St Ann's is open for tours from April through December every year.
Warwick is the second largest city in the State of Rhode Island. It is made up a variety of small villages, and is home to T.F. Green Airport, which is a reliever for Boston's Logan Airport. It is also a great place to live for art lovers. Warwick has a couple of schools for students who want to take classes in the arts.
Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI): CCRI has a campus in Warwick, Rhode Island, and has an excellent art program. There are a variety of courses to study, including art history, drawing, digital art, photography, and much more. They also have an excellent music and performing arts program.
Fred Astaire Franchised Dance Studio: Fred Astaire teaches students a variety of rhythm and smooth dances. They are considered Rhode Island's premier ballroom and Latin dance studio.
Art lovers can visit a couple places in Warwick, or they can travel 12 miles, 21 minutes to nearby Providence to enjoy the art scene.
Warwick Museum of Art: This museum has a variety of exhibits, educational programs, and cultural activities. They take pride in creating enriching experiences and contributing to the quality of life of residents in the State of Rhode Island.
Heritage Art Gallery and Glass Studio: This gallery has been sharing their art for over four generations. They produce and share unique works of personal art with art lovers, collectors, and patrons.
Eunoia Art Gallery: This gallery offers an exquisitely curated collection of fine arts from locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed artists. The gallery has been open since May 2014, and features select works that art lovers and collectors will enjoy.
Pawtucket is a small Rhode Island city, with a total area of just 9 square miles. The city borders both Providence and Massachusetts. It is a great place for art lovers to live, as they can study their craft in the city as well as enjoy taking it all in. There are a couple art schools and schools for the performing arts. If art lovers cannot find a school that meets their needs, they can take a quick 5.7 mile ride, or 11 minutes to Providence to attend one of the art schools there.
Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing Arts (JMW Arts High School): This is a comprehensive, college preparatory high school with a focus on the arts. Students will take regular high school courses, while concentrating their studies in a chosen arts discipline, including visual arts, dance, music, or theater. In order to fit in all of the required academics as well as an intensive study in their chosen discipline, students attend an extended school day.
Paint & Vino: This is a painting class for people ages 14 and up. It is a very laid back class, who serves alcohol to adults 21 and over. Classes are typically between 2 ½ to 3 hours long, and they provide step by step painting instruction.
With Providence just minutes away, and all of the art and culture that the city provides, many Pawtucket, art loving residents, don't know how many things there are to do right in their own city.
Epic Theatre Company: This is a Pawtucket based theater, who puts on shows and plays all year long.
The Gamm Theatre: This is a non-profit organization and theater company who has been producing classic and modern plays in a historic building for over 30 years.
Mixed Magic Theater: This is a non-profit organization and theater, which was founded in 2000. They bring diverse stories and images to the stage through prose and song.
Blue Door Art Studio: This is an art school for students of all ages. They have been in business for over 10 years, and offer drawing and painting classes for artists at all levels.
Carolyn Duta Dance Studio: This dance studio has been in business for over 42 years. They teach many types of dance, including tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, acrobatics, contemporary, and more.
Jeff Allen Dance Lessons: This is a ballroom and Latin dance studio, for dancers looking for a less traditional dance class.
Cranston residents can travel 5.3 miles, or 11 minutes to Providence to get their fill of art. If they want to stay local, there are a few places that they can visit.
Ocean State Theatre: This is a performing arts center, who specializes in local musical theater in an intimate setting.
The Artist's Exchange: This is a non-profit arts collaborative whose mission is to create an atmosphere in which creativity, learning and discovery coverage and individuality is celebrated. It is home to multiple art studios, a gallery, an art boutique, and a cafe.
Park Theatre: This is a one-time film and vaudeville house, which was built in 1924. Today it is a performing arts center, with dining options.
