Doors Open Rhode Island Unlocks Rhode Island???s??Hidden Treasures to the Public for Free
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Providence, RI ??? Doors Open Rhode Island, a recently launched Providence-based nonprofit startup, will provide behind-the-scenes access to the great places and spaces of Rhode Island through public programs planned throughout the year and a free, annual weekend festival.??
In partnership with community development and cultural organizations across the state, the festival will open the doors to iconic architectural treasures, factory floors, hotel ballrooms, historic homes, theaters, and sacred spaces across our diverse communities, for free.
The program will simultaneously boost local tourism and inspire residents with a sense of wonder, curiosity and pride in where we live. The festival will pilot in Providence with 50 sites in 2017 with plans to scale to 150 sites by 2019. Sites will include places you walk by every day and places you???ve never heard of.
?? Visitors will use a combination of a widely distributed event guide and a mobile-enabled website to build their own itineraries for Rhode Island exploration. Tickets and reservations will not be needed. Many sites will be enhanced by cultural activities or performances fun for the whole family.
?? “We???re such a small place, but we have so much to offer, and the more we open our doors and invite people in and make them feel welcome exploring our city, the more they???ll fall in love with what Providence is,??? said Mayor Elorza. ???And I think that shared experience of having explored Providence and having found something that you fall in love with, then you can share this with your neighbors, and it brings people together in ways that it???s very hard for other things to do.” ??
The Annual Doors Open Rhode Island Festival follows the proven model of citywide ???Doors Open??? and ???Open House??? events popular in well over 50 cities around the world.?? All of these festivals share a common concept: providing special public access to the great places and spaces of our cities, for free.??
Stevens formerly managed Open House Chicago, one of the largest architecture events in the country, attracting 55,000 visitors and 194,000 site visits in its third year. 92% of locals who attended said the festival made them proud to be a Chicagoan. ??
Stevens, a Providence resident and graduate student in Public Humanities at Brown University, recently received an Embark Fellowship from Brown???s Swearer Center to develop the Doors Open RI program post graduation in May.??
The fellowship includes a matching grant for funds raised through a crowd funding campaign to support the launch of this exciting new initiative. ?? Doors Open Rhode Island wants to hear from you! What in Rhode Island do you want to explore?
If you have site ideas, please share them with the Doors Open RI staff by completing this form.