During the month of June, a major TAPE ART INSTALLATION will transform the Bank of America Skating Center with a 14,000 square foot mural celebrating Providence’s 375th Anniversary Founding by Roger Williams, interpreting the themes of “Roots, Hope, Ingenuity, and Freedom.” Michael Townsend and fellow artists will create the large-scale drawing using only colored painter’s tape over the course of three weeks.

Join us for related fun events throughout the month - and especially Thursday, June 9th when we will host both a Public Tea and entertaining Panel Discussion!

2:30pm – 6pm - PUBLIC TEA FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Join members of the public + public tea hostesses, Shirin Adhami, Stephanie Fortunato and Devon Miller, for an afternoon of tea, cookies + conversation. All members of the public welcome (that’s you)! What does it mean to be a “member of the public?” Can everyone be a member or is it a choice? Explore the idea of public space in Providence - from parks to public bathrooms to sidewalks - by engaging in conversation over a cup of tea about what it means to be a member of the public and how it affects our use of public space.

6pm - 7:30pm - PANEL DISCUSSION with Stephanie Fortunato / Providence Dept of Art, Culture + Tourism, as moderator, and Elizabeth Keithline / RISCA, Noah Fischer / RISD, Bert Crenca / AS220, and Michael Townsend / Tape Art as panelists. Light refreshments will be served as we dive into questions like:

What is the value of temporary public art work vs. “permanent” public art work? How can the ephemeral have a powerful impact on a community? Why does public art matter? Does public art belong to the public? How important is the division between an artist’s creative expression/intent and the public as an audience and their perception? How does public art transform the public?

RSVP on Facebook!

Monday, May 16th from 5:30 to 7:00PM at The Commerce Center at 30 Exchange Terrace, Providence, RI.

Learn about what the City is doing to create a more robust bike infrastructure! Copies of the draft Bike-Share Feasibility Study will be available by May 2nd on the Planning Department website at www.providenceplanning.org. Bicycle advocacy groups including the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition, Recycle-A-Bike, and the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen will be present as well!

Comments on or questions about the Bike-Share Feasibility Study can be directed to Martina Haggerty at mhaggerty@providenceri.com.

RIPTA and the City of Providence are evaluating a potential new transit route through Providence’s downtown core. This Core Connector route would connect significant educational, medical, employment and cultural destinations in Providence with the central bus hub in Kennedy Plaza and rail services at the train station. The study is being conducted in response to recommendations made in the Metropolitan Providence Transit Enhancement Study in 2009, and the Transit 2020 Action Group’s proposal to build a streetcar system in Providence.

We will be sharing recent findings at an upcoming Core Connector Workshop:

Monday, April 25, 2011
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
The Commerce Center
30 Exchange Terrace, 1st Floor Conference Room

Drop in and learn more about the aspects of the study including local street design requirements, station locations, potential environmental impacts, and traffic and parking considerations.

Please drop in at this upcoming workshop or visit providencecoreconnector.com for more information, including a map of the route, project fact sheets and other background materials.

Also! Provide your input in this survey of your travel patterns.

Greater Kennedy Plaza’s summer season will be sizzling with a month-long Tape Art installation in the Bank of America City Center throughout June, the eclectic Burnside Park Music Series, and the return of Kidoinfo Providence Storytime! Stay tuned for more fun activities during Thursdays on the Plaza from June - September!

Tape Art, by artist Michael Townsend and friends, will create a unique large-scale temporary art installation in the entire Bank of America City Center as part of the Celebrate Providence 375 Years including themes of Roots, Hope, Ingenuity and Freedom. Using only colored tape, this 14,000 square foot drawing will take approximately three weeks to take form by the artists, and will culminate in a party on June 30th where attendees can remove the drawing by working together to lift up all the tape.

We’ve got a lot blossoming! Keep a look out.

Providence residents and visitors alike can savor the final days of winter by skating outside at the Bank of America City Center at the end of its 12th season. The season ends March 20th, completing a full four months of skating at consistently low-priced rates offered by the City of Providence.

Special hours for the final week of the season:
March 11th – March 20th
Monday – Thursday: 4pm – 10pm
Friday – Sunday: 11am – 10pm

The Bank of America City Center skating rink - one of New England’s most popular destinations for wintertime play also has released the season’s lineup of lively activities. The 14,000 sq. ft. facility is twice the size of Rockefeller Plaza’s ice rink in New York City.

General admission is $6 for adults and $3 for seniors and children (under 12) and $2 admission for school groups.  Skate rental is $4.

Lite Rock 105 and Wendy’s are hosting a free youth hockey clinic to celebrate USA Hockey’s 4th Annual “Hockey Weekend Across America,” Sunday February 20th from 10-1pm at the Bank of America City Center, here  in downtown Providence!

This free event is open to all youth hockey players’ ages 6-12 years old and their families, and will feature:

• Clinics hosted by local collegiate players and other local hockey heroes featuring the following drills: Skating,  Passing, Puck and stick handling.

• Off-ice family friendly activities such as “1 on 1 Broom Hockey” and more!

• Register to win awesome prizes, including tickets to the Lite Rock 105 and Wendy’s Nite at the Providence Bruins, hockey equipment and more!

So bring the entire family down, lace up those skates, and join Lite Rock 105’s Heather Gersten and Tony Bristol for a day full of fun family activities both on and off the ice, while we celebrate the sport of youth hockey here in Rhode Island.

To pre-register and get your free t-shirt, enter here!

Please note: Skating for the general public will begin at 1pm on Sunday.

The fast-paced world of hockey is skating into the Bank of America City Center for a lively event sure to bring some excitement to Downtown.

Monday, February 14th 5:30-7:30pm - The Providence Bruins will be holding an outdoor practice at the Bank of America City Center in Downtown Providence open to the public. From 5:30-6:30pm you can watch your favorite P-Bruins run drills and scrimmages as they would in preparation for a game.

Following the practice, a select group of Providence Bruins players will remain to skate with fans from  6:30-7:30pm. Once the nets are taken down, join the Bruins on the ice for tips and pointers!  The admission fee for skating is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

Hot chocolate from Ardeo will be available on-site to keep you toasty warm.

Tot on Ice

by Jennifer Smith

How Big is Big Enough for the Rink? Hard-pressed for fun wintertime activities with a tot in the city, that was the question we had. One phone call later we learned that the smallest skates you can rent at the rink were a Toddler 8 - just our size! If you’re interested in hitting the ice with your wee one, too, here are some tips to make your trip fun for everyone:

• Use a helmet. Helmets are recommended. There are a few on hand at rink skate rental, but to ensure you have one with a proper fit, bring your own. Next time we’ll be packing the Little Nutty multi sport helmet we picked up at our neighborhood shop, DASH bikes. Keep in mind a helmet should fit snugly and cover the forehead (not jauntily-but unsafely-tipped to the back).
• Prep your kid. For us this means a warmly dressed and well-napped tot with a full belly (and toddler-friendly snacks & drinks on hand). Planning for a short trip and a less busy time at the rink also makes things easier.
• Prep yourself. Do some research: here are some tips for teaching a tot to skate. A second pair of hands is also super helpful, especially if you want a few trips around the ice yourself at a zippier, non-toddler speed. Most importantly, have a broad definition of what fun is and what success means! If we thought we’d Gretzky-ize our kid in one trip, we would’ve been disappointed. Instead, we had as much fun examining the ice and the steam from the sewer grate as we did skating.

A pre-skate toddler stretch

• Good to know: Restrooms with a changing station are available for rink-goers. Skates as small as Toddler 8 are available to rent (though they are not the double-bladed kind), and the rental room has lockers to rent for personal belongings. Cones may be available for teaching skating, but at the discretion of the skate guards.

Now get out there and have fun!

Saturday, February 12th, 5-8pm - Hearts + Scars: An Evening with Providence Roller Derby - Hot chocolate, treats, games and contests with the derby girls on ice skates! Plus, La Strada Wood Fired Pizza straight out of their mobile wood fired pizza oven to you!

Sunday, February 13th 5-8pm - FUNny Valentine Weekend continues! Bring a CD and dedicate a song to your sweetheart! Plus - delicious hot chocolate available on-site from Ardeo!

Monday, February 14th 5:30-7pm - PROVIDENCE BRUINS scrimmage! Watch the Providence Bruins practice for an upcoming outdoor game, and then skate with some players after! Warm up with hot chocolate from Ardeo!