Informational Kiosks
Kiosk
Steel, Bronze
132" x 26" x 26"
2008
INFORMATION KIOSKS ENCOURAGE DOWNTOWN
COMMUNITY EVENT POSTINGS
Thanks to the Providence Downtown Improvement District (DID), event organizers have a new way to inform the public about their upcoming music festivals, gallery openings, and outdoor movie screenings. Based on suggestions from local artists who were seeking an appropriate public place for event postings, the DID partnered with the Steel Yard and independent artist Gillian Christy to design, construct and install two community information kiosks. The project was funded by the DID with support from the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB).
In essence, the kiosks are community bulletin boards that allow for posting in an effective way, without detracting from the neighborhood's attractiveness. Each kiosk features an easy-to-read, high-quality downtown map, which aids in wayfinding by highlighting major destinations. In its first phase, the DID identified locations for two kiosks, keeping public safety, pedestrian traffic, convenience, and visibility in mind. One has been placed on the corner of Dorrance Street and Fountain Street, near the Avis rental car station, and the second one is on the corner of Weybosset Street and Union Street, directly across from Johnson and Wales University's Gaebe Commons. Once these two have been successfully utilized and managed, the DID may explore opportunities for installing others.
According to Martha Sheridan, President of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau (PWCVB), "The Downtown Improvement District has been a vital partner, working with us to ensure that every visitor has a pleasant and memorable stay in our city. These new kiosks will further enhance the visitor experience in Providence, by providing additional information and resources."
Lynne McCormack, Director of the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism for the City of Providence adds, "It is wonderful to see that the kiosks will not only provide visitors and residents with information about our downtown, but are truly works of art that reflect the city's commitment to creativity and innovation." Designer Gillian Christy, who created the bronze top and orchestrated the project, thinks of each kiosk "as a quality piece of street furniture, created locally. It is also functional art that is unique to Providence." Gillian creates and exhibits public artwork locally and nationally, and has been awarded a Citizen's Citation from Mayor Cicilline. She received her first large-scale commission in Providence for the Smokestack Project at the Plant, which was completed in June 2007.
Howie Sneider, who constructed the kiosk frames, is a Sculptural Metalworking teacher and the Public Art and Urban Furniture Coordinator at the Steel Yard. The non-profit organization, which is a program of Woonasquatucket Valley Community Build, Inc., has more than 9,000 square feet of workshop and studio space including a metalworking shop, a foundry, and a ceramics studio.
The DID, Rhode Island’s first business improvement district, has provided Clean & Safe services to the areas bounded by I-95, Memorial Boulevard, Citizens Plaza, the Providence River, and I-195 since February 2005. For more information about the DID, visit: www.providence.com. To find out more about the artists, visit: www.GillianChristy.com and www.thesteelyard.org.
Installing Informational Kiosks
Downtown Providence, RI
Installing Informational Kiosks
Downtown Providence, RI
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