Barrio Tours | PVD 2023
Learn about the history of Providence's Broad Street neighborhood, dating back to the 1700s, and its transformation in the 1960s, when Latinos began to settle, rebuild, and make La Broa' what it is today.
Museo del Barrio | PVD
El Museo del Barrio project is a Latino Museum Without Walls and it entails bringing to life public spaces and empty lots with Latino-infused performance art (latin percussion, dance, teatro); creating sidewalk murals and public art along the Broad Street corridor; and offering community-led Barrio Tours. It is so called because it brings people together in a natural environment (and not indoors), to relive its history, listen to and tell stories, and to create and enjoy public art that reflects this busy Latino neighborhood and the history that it holds.
Broad Street, also known by some locals as La Calle Broa’, is the heart of South Providence. Since the 1950s, the neighborhood has served as the center of Hispanic commerce, activism, and Latin cultural expression in the City of Providence. It is representative of significant social movements that reflect the history of Latinos in Providence — from the establishment of Fefa’s Market in the early 1960s to the designated birth place of the Latino Political Movements of the 1970s and 1980s.
Broad Street, also known by some locals as La Calle Broa’, is the heart of South Providence. Since the 1950s, the neighborhood has served as the center of Hispanic commerce, activism, and Latin cultural expression in the City of Providence. It is representative of significant social movements that reflect the history of Latinos in Providence — from the establishment of Fefa’s Market in the early 1960s to the designated birth place of the Latino Political Movements of the 1970s and 1980s.
Who is leading this project?
El Museo del Barrio highlights local Latino artists, those who now live in South Providence, were born, raised and are life-long residents of the Broad Street neighborhood. We hope it creates discussion to bring some kind of balance where newcomers enrich neighborhoods like Broad Street, while long-time residents speak up and fight to maintain the area’s culture.
Tamara Díaz, a local artist and muralist worked with René in 2020 to create a sidewalk mural in front of Carolina's Family Restaurant, located on the corner of Oxford and Broad Streets (see photo above). (2020)
René Gómez, Artist-in-Residence with RILA, is leading the creation of public art on Broad Street. (2021-2023)
Alberto Genao,is capturing life on Broad Street and will create a video documentary depicting stories about the lives of people and businesses on Broad Street. The first was released in 2022 and it focuses on the emergence of Dominican-owned food trucks called Chimi Trucks. Kufa Castro worked alongside Alberto collecting stories (spoken word/poetry) that will be used in the videos. (2021-2023)
Sahira Jiménez is Community Outreach Coordinator and will stay connected with businesses owners and residents of the Broad Street neighborhood to ensure the success of the project. (On-going)
The Barrio Tours is an initiative led by Marta V. Martínez, RILA’s ED and Community Oral Historian. The bilingual tours will take visitors to Broad Street to experience community art projects, as well as the authentic food, music, festivals and rich cultural history often overlooked in this Latino-urban neighborhood. (Ongoing)
René Gómez, Artist-in-Residence with RILA, is leading the creation of public art on Broad Street. (2021-2023)
Alberto Genao,is capturing life on Broad Street and will create a video documentary depicting stories about the lives of people and businesses on Broad Street. The first was released in 2022 and it focuses on the emergence of Dominican-owned food trucks called Chimi Trucks. Kufa Castro worked alongside Alberto collecting stories (spoken word/poetry) that will be used in the videos. (2021-2023)
Sahira Jiménez is Community Outreach Coordinator and will stay connected with businesses owners and residents of the Broad Street neighborhood to ensure the success of the project. (On-going)
The Barrio Tours is an initiative led by Marta V. Martínez, RILA’s ED and Community Oral Historian. The bilingual tours will take visitors to Broad Street to experience community art projects, as well as the authentic food, music, festivals and rich cultural history often overlooked in this Latino-urban neighborhood. (Ongoing)
Jam with Jesús Andujar
Bring your own drum
Museo del Barrio | August 25, 2022
In front of Peacock Beauty Supply Store
The Arts on Broad Street
Oprime aqui para leer en español
In August of 2022 South Providence residents will come together to enjoy family-friendly arts programming. Three bilingual artists will be offering hands-on art making projects for families, including creating collages, zines making, hand painting, and color-art sketches. RILA's Bachata instructor, Brandon Contreras, will invite everyone — adults and young people — to learn some dance moves.
Join the Community Drumming Circle, led by Jesús Andujar. Experienced drummers, bring your own drums.
The events are FREE and open to all, with a focus on residents of the Broad Street and surrounding neighborhoods.
Location: Mills Coffee parking lot |1058 Broad Street, Providence, RI 02907.
Dates: Thursdays August 11 and 18. On August 25, you will find us at Daboll & Public Streets, in front of Peacock Beauty Supply. Hours: 5-6:30PM.
Join the Community Drumming Circle, led by Jesús Andujar. Experienced drummers, bring your own drums.
The events are FREE and open to all, with a focus on residents of the Broad Street and surrounding neighborhoods.
Location: Mills Coffee parking lot |1058 Broad Street, Providence, RI 02907.
Dates: Thursdays August 11 and 18. On August 25, you will find us at Daboll & Public Streets, in front of Peacock Beauty Supply. Hours: 5-6:30PM.
Las Artes en La Calle Broa'
El Museo del Barrio reúne a los residentes de South Providence para disfrutar de la programación artística para las familias. Tres artistas bilingües ofrecerán proyectos prácticos de creación de arte, incluida la creación de collages, creación de revistas y bocetos de retratos. El instructor de bachata de RILA, Brandon Contreras, invitará a todos, adultos y jóvenes, a aprender algunos pasos de baile.
El Círculo Comunitario de Tambores/Percusión estará dirigido por Jesús Andújar. Tamborileros con experiencia, traigan sus propios tambores.
Los eventos son GRATUITOS y abiertos a todos, con un enfoque en los residentes de Broad Street y los vecindarios circundantes.
El Círculo Comunitario de Tambores/Percusión estará dirigido por Jesús Andújar. Tamborileros con experiencia, traigan sus propios tambores.
Los eventos son GRATUITOS y abiertos a todos, con un enfoque en los residentes de Broad Street y los vecindarios circundantes.
Ubicación: Estacionamiento de Mills Coffee | 1058 Broad Street, Providence, RI 02907.
Fechas: jueves 11 y 18 de agosto. El 25 de agosto nos encuentran en La Calle Public con Daboll Street, al frente de Peacock Beauty Supply. Hora: 5:00 a 6:30pm.
Fechas: jueves 11 y 18 de agosto. El 25 de agosto nos encuentran en La Calle Public con Daboll Street, al frente de Peacock Beauty Supply. Hora: 5:00 a 6:30pm.
Bike Night on Broad Street | August 11, 2022
Meet at the tennis courts at
Roger Williams Park and end at the Museo
August 18, 2022 | 5:30pm
Reserve your seat at the Gallery Night website
RILA's Museo del Barrio is made possible with partial support from these funders and together with these Community Partners:
Summer & Fall of 2021 In October, RILA artist-in-residence, Rene Gómez will be painting portraits on two Cajas de La Broa' (electrical boxes) located at the gateway to Broad Street and near the original site of Fefa's Market in Upper Broad Street. Later, he will also transform a section of the neighborhood into the Broad Street Walk of Fame.
On Sunday, August 1 & 9, 2021, Marta V. Martínez will be joined by Doña Fefa Rosario (portrayed by a local actress) to lead participants on a Barrio Tour of Broad Street. Together they will talk about the transformation of La Broa' since the 1960s. During the tour, participants will experience Broad Street through the eyes of local artists as they share music, spoken word and performance art.
On Sunday, August 2, 2020 a group of Rhode Island residents joined Rhode Island Latino Arts and artist, Tamara Díaz at an all-day community painting day. The sidewalk in front of Carolina's Family Restaurant, a popular eatery on Broad Street, was transformed to this beautifully-colored piece of art.
On the Ontario Street side of Broad Street, Pop Artists Rene Gómez and Jason Hernández, with help from Spray Paint Artist, Pablo Youngs, created street art using images of COVID-19 with messages to passersby on how to stay safe and healthy.
El Museo del Barrio is a neighborhood Museum Without Walls. It is a place where Latino culture in Providence can be experienced through food, music, and the every-day lives of the people who live in the Broad Street neighborhood.
Imagine a Broad Street | La Broa' where families in the neighborhood can participate in Latin dance, listen to music and make art together. Imagine that these art forms can be offered by people who live in the neighborhood.
Imagine a place where we can gather and listen to the stories of Providence's Latino and immigrant communities first hand — stories of dreams, hope and resilience.
A place where residents can share photographs, record personal stories and participate in intergenerational conversations.
Through El Museo del Barrio RI, we hope to educate and inspire young people to become informed, engaged and motivated leaders who are emboldened to promote social justice in our communities, and to respect elders as they learn from the past.
Imagine a Broad Street | La Broa' where families in the neighborhood can participate in Latin dance, listen to music and make art together. Imagine that these art forms can be offered by people who live in the neighborhood.
Imagine a place where we can gather and listen to the stories of Providence's Latino and immigrant communities first hand — stories of dreams, hope and resilience.
A place where residents can share photographs, record personal stories and participate in intergenerational conversations.
Through El Museo del Barrio RI, we hope to educate and inspire young people to become informed, engaged and motivated leaders who are emboldened to promote social justice in our communities, and to respect elders as they learn from the past.
In the summer of 2021, four students from RISD and Brown University joined Marta V. Martínez in walking Broad Street to speak with residents about what kind of art they would like to see happen in their neighborhood. The above prototype served as a hands-on way to allow people to "place art" in locations where they would like to experience it.
Click 👉🏽
We respect and acknowledge the fear by its residents that projects like ours will wipe out (or White out) neighborhoods like South Providence. There has been great interest by City officials to bring change to Broad Street, and we encourage local advocates and officials to pursue policies that encourage investment while promoting the ability of existing residents to stay and benefit from revitalization.
We also respect that Broad Street is made up of a mosaic of people and cultures that include those from the Continent of Africa, Southeast Asia, and diverse South American and Caribbean countries. Additionally, we are aware of and celebrate the history of the Jewish, Irish, Scottish, and African-American communities that made Broad Street what it is today.
RILA's Museo del Barrio is made possible with support in part by these funders:
Oprime aqui para leer en español.
The Barrio Tours | August 25, 2022
