Program Philosophy

Our work is inspired by the creative process of art-making and the exploration of ideas and concepts that shape our communities and everyday lives. As such, ¡CityArts! fosters creative thinking and expression, promotes positive social development, engages youth in public service and community, and provides sources of hope and inspiration—particularly for those youth who have little or no opportunity for consistent and affordable access to quality out-of-school time programs and are limited in their exposure beyond their own neighborhoods. At ¡CityArts!, youth are encouraged to express, create, and grow!

CityArts serves youth in a variety of ways and through several programs and partnerships:

Open Enrollment

¡CityArts! provides classes that are free to any Providence youth between the ages of 8 and 14. These classes take place on-site at CityArts’s Broad Street location during afterschool time (3:30-5 pm), school vacation weeks and summer.

For class information, click here.

Providence After School Alliance

¡CityArts! provides classes that serve students from several Providence Public Middle Schools through the Providence After School Alliance (PASA). Some PASA classes are offered afterschool on-site at ¡CityArts!, while others take place in the AfterZones at each school. Students sign up for these classes through PASA, at their school.

For more information, click here.

Highlander Charter School

¡CityArts! provides some after school art classes for Highlander Charter School. These classes are part of Highlander’s afterschool program, and are available exclusively to Highlander students.

For more information, click here.

The Learning Community

¡CityArts! provides daytime arts classes for The Learning Community, a K-8 charter school in Central Falls. Dedicated teaching artists lead these classes, and frequently invite guest artists to visit their studios.

For more information, click here.

AmeriCorps EDTAP

¡CityArts! also provides arts-integration experiences throughout the school day and afterschool for elementary and middle school youth through its AmeriCorps Expanded Day Teaching Artist Project (EDTAP). A team of full- and minimum-time teaching artists work with resident art and classroom teachers at Providence-area schools to help leverage the arts as a learning tool to enhance skill development and understanding of academic curricula.

If interested in becoming an AmeriCorps Minimum-time Teaching Artist, please click here.