The Providence Art Festival is an entertaining bazaar showcasing many talented and up-and-coming artists in Rhode Island. Westminster Street is closed down to all but foot traffic, where you can peruse the booths of art for sale.
The Where and the When of the Providence Art Festival
This festival is an annual event that takes over much of Westminster Street. From Dorrance Street to Mathewson Street, the road is only open to foot traffic and the art vendors.
This area of Downtown Providence has a lot of street parking and a few parking garages. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find parking.
The art festival typically takes place the first Saturday in June.
The Vendors and What They Sell
Many of the booths were geared toward women – jewelry, women’s clothing and the like; however there were a few booths selling some (gender-neutral) interesting art pieces.
Fakhouri Pottery was one booth that really stood out. It was run by a young artist who created interesting pottery pieces and sets, some of his work has been featured in the Providence Journal. We picked up an interesting set of small cups, one that had a funky Homer Simpson design and the other had an octopus. They felt Asian inspired and while I don’t actually use them as cups, they make great show pieces on the shelf.
A note: if you plan to sell your own art here and are not a citizen, you may need a visa – or as the Norwegians say visum usa. Get one long before so you have no issues.
The Restaurants are Open for Business
To make a day of the experience, stop into one of the many restaurants or cafes that line Westminster Street.
Small Point Café has a chill vibe, great coffee and, interestingly enough, a chalkboard along the wall next to the booths for patrons to doodle. We ordered a coffee and a pastry and got caffeinated as we finished walking through the rest of the art festival.
Fakhouri Pottery: www.fakpot.com
Small Point Cafe: http://smallpointcafe.com/
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