Inhabitat











February 6, 2007

URBAN CURATORS PROJECT In Downtown Providence

by Adele Chong

Urban Curators 1, street art, urban art, urban curators

Participants from the Urban Curators project recently transformed derelict areas of downtown Providence into an outdoor gallery space when they took to the streets and indulged in a little impromptu ‘curating.’ Passing residents were pleasantly bewildered when they stumbled upon a series of gold-painted frames haphazardly taped to graffiti-covered walls and the crumbling exteriors of abandoned sites. The intention of the group, which initially assembled as a collective after participating in RISD’s Semiotic Disobedience workshop last fall, was to highlight the urban ‘beauty’ of locales that most would condemn as decrepit and unsightly.

Via Metropolis Magazine

Urban Curators 3, street art, urban art, urban curators

Enthused by the reaction that the project has garnered by the public, Urban Curators are in the works with future initiatives in other cities where they will once again take up the opportunity to make a poetic statement by ‘framing’ the urban landscape.

+ Metropolis Magazine

URban Curators 4

URban Curators 2

7 Responses to “URBAN CURATORS PROJECT In Downtown Providence”

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Vic Says:
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That’s brilliant!

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[…] Many of you may have seen this in Metropolis this month [I did about a week ago] - but I had forgotten all about it before I saw this post over at Inhabitat. […]

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Hi, thanks for writing about us! We just hung about 40 more frames in Providence, pictures our on our website if your interested!! http://www.urbancurators.com

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cj Says:
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its a simple concept but very powerful in many aspects. it obviously takes time to do it and i feel it nessesary to express my appreciation to those who took their own time to do this.

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Sam Says:
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Interestingly enough, I’ve been doing this in Miami for about 6 months.

http://robotwore.livejournal.com/4839.html#cutid1

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rickie Says:
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its well intentioned but i dont like the practice of framing graffiti or other works of urban art. these already have a site specific context as created by the artists and doesnt need an external authority to frame it and recontextualize it. let it be appreciated on its own merit free any curatorial intervention.

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Joe Says:
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Simple idea. Everyone should do it in thier own cities. Miami, Detroit, Topeka. Frame your environment. Frame social problems. It’s not about the artist. It’s about the issues.

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