Our Mission: The mission of Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth Inc. is to provide free professional art-based education and training to Providence youth in a fully developed community-based arts center that reflects, encourages, and promotes the rich ethnic diversity of Providence, our capital city. CityArts’ mission is to ensure our capital city’s most challenged youth access to quality arts programs—unhindered by socio-economic barriers, and celebrating the arts as a means to youth empowerment, community building, and social change. Our History: ¡CityArts! began its work in 1992, with a summer camp assembled by a handful of neighborhood social service agencies, families, and community leaders. The camp was an initial response to the community’s critical need for positive programs to engage youth during out-of-school time. This need persists, and significant demand for ¡CityArts! programs has resulted in year-round after-school and summer classes which now serve hundreds of youth annually. Today, in addition to working with local artists and educators, ¡CityArts! youth have exceptional opportunities to take field trips to local museums, perform at community gatherings, receive homework help from students attending our partner universities, engage in neighborhood service projects, and have their work displayed in galleries throughout Providence!
