The Bajnotti Fountain was unveiled on June 26, 1901, the gift of Paul Bajnotti to the city of…read moreProvidence in memory of his wife, Caroline Mathilde Brown. It is officially known as The Carrie Brown Memorial Fountain. The bronze central group of figures was cast at Gorham and represents the Struggle of Life. The commission was a result of a competition in 1899 in which eighteen designs were submitted. The winner was Enid Yandell, a young woman who had studied with Rodin and the successful American sculptor Fredrick MacMonnies. Yandell worked on the design in Paris. A plaster-cast of this fountain was displayed at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. It is located in Burnside Park, just across from Kennedy Plaza. Most of the time, the powerful jets of water provide a dynamic view of the park, the city and downtown. At night, lights brighten up this work of art, for many to admire.

Perhaps considered the most iconic mural in the current Downtown portfolio, Gaia's Still Here is a…read moreportrait of a contemporary Narragansett woman named Lynsea Montanari holding a portrait of her tribal elder, Wampanoag and Narangansett leader Princess Red Wing. The location of the 32 Custom House building (and the parking lot that was the former Daniels building) provides a sweeping view of the wall from the Weybosset bridge and river. According to the City Department of Art, Culture & Tourism, "Weybosset Street was a site where three important Indian trails met, one coming down from the north, the second up from the southeast Mount Hope region called the Wampanoag Trail, and the third up from Connecticut in the southwest called the Pequot Trail." Gaia's opening idea for the mural was to consider erasure, considering the landscape that existed before colonial settlement, asking the question of whose history gets recorded and whose doesn't. As he captures in his artist interview (viewable above), through partnership and permission seeking with the Tomaquag Museum, the work evolved into a narrative that captures a living person holding legacy and tradition, advocating for human rights and environmental justice, a people still here across time that continues today. As I volunteer at the Visitor Center, this is one of the public art pieces that most people ask about and it's part of the self guided public arts tour established by the Avenue Concept group.

Internationally renowned South African sculptor Lionel Smit returned to Providence in the form of…read more"Morphous," his bronze and steel sculpture on display in Kennedy Plaza. Lionel Smit's MORPHOUS is a piece that evokes a question of time, of past and future, and the balance point at which his country found itself at the time of the sculpture's creation in 2014, one year after Nelson Mandela's passing. In 2014, South Africa embarked upon yet another chapter, a post-Apartheid and post-Nelson Mandela South Africa, a future South Africa. This "double-vision" is a foretelling, and an acknowledgement of what has already passed and an anticipation of what is still to come. The two figures are charged with an emotive and gestural energy, a hallmark of Smit's evocative work. Viewers familiar with Ancient Roman mythology and iconography will undoubtedly think of Janus, the double headed deity of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. It is a powerful message of representation to consider this reference to Janus when depicting a young Black woman. Every time I walk past it, the powerful softness of the sculpture makes me stop and enjoy its beauty and its message. A great piece for the downtown area of Providence.

This sculpture stands in front of a hotel not far from Burnside Park on the west bank of the…read moreProvidence River. It is quite pretty and flowing, suggesting flames or smoke stretching to the sky. It is quite fluid. The 13 foot tall abstract artwork was made in 2017 by artist Paul Machalaba. The online caption indicates that it aluminum. It was installed here in 2018. [Review 15277 overall, 779 of 2021, number 40 in Rhode Island.]

To know me is to know the depth of my love and admiration for murals. Everywhere I go, especially…read morevisiting a new city, I look for murals. This one was just as stunning in-person as the photo. Actually, more beautiful to behold standing and staring at it. I researched the story and artist. Loved it all!! Easy to find, a little challenging to photograph, just because it's located inside of a parking lot.

The very large painted mural titled She Never Came distills a story of unrequited love into a…read moresingle moment. When BEZT, the artist, one half of the Polish street art duo ETAM CRU, painted this mural in 2015 it was his largest work to date. Since then, it has become something of a Providence landmark, appearing in countless selfies and Instagrams. Its photorealistic quality evokes BEZT's admiration for Norman Rockwell, while the surrealism of the rat pays homage to the street art tradition of Basquiat. This calm, quiet moment is a stark juxtaposition to the busy streetscape around it, inviting passersby to pause and reflect on its beauty. If you look closely, you can create a story in your own head about what is happening here.... A young man hunches over a table. He wears a purple short-sleeve button down shirt with a pattern of petite pineapples and triangles of sliced pink watermelon. The table wears a cloth covered with a pattern of pink and teal diamonds. He burrows his chin into the crook of his bent left elbow while gazing towards his outstretched right arm, at a golden ring with an emerald jewel he's tossed slightly in the air. A rat with a dark grey coat and a tiny crown above his head sits, engaged, on the man's left shoulder just behind his ear, also gazing at the ring. The work of art is about four stories tall and covers the entire width of the building, about 100 feet long. It's a favorite piece during art walks and city tours in Providence.

This beautiful art piece consists of a flower motif with graphic elements of smoke and flames. Two…read morepanels on each side depicting local flowers flank a center panel making the simple declaration "401." Made by artist Fu'una, it's another great piece of colorful public art. This unapologetically feminine composition of large-scale flowers and vibrant palette of purple, pink, and orange, is emphasized by its contrast to the linear and gray brick and concrete buildings of Weybosset Street. The flames and smoke are artificially colored to separate their meaning from the destructive energy of literal fires. The patterns are used as a motif to illustrate a generative power. It is a celebration of new growth, a celebration of the land, a celebration of home. A beautiful piece in downtown Providence.