UPP Arts Collection

This collection documents the artistic, administrative, and educational activities of UPP Arts.The materials in this collection reflect a decade of interdisciplinary collaborations between artists, educators, students, and community members who used place-based art to celebrate and build awareness for Providence’s urban ponds. Their work focused particularly on Mashapaug Pond and its environs, which include the site of the Gorham Manufacturing Company and the former West Elmwood neighborhood.
This collection is part of Providence Public Library Digital Collections, hosted by Providence Public Library.

Items in this collection

UPP timeline

UPP timeline

Providence Public Library

Slideshow of the history of UPP with photographs.

UPP summer workshops

UPP summer workshops

Providence Public Library

Video including footage of UPP summer workshops in 2013. Includes Holly Ewald, Ginese Choy, Laura Brown Lavoie, Phil Edmonds, Loren Spears, Neil Anthes, Diane Librandi, David Stephens, Steve Emma.

UPP Story illustration

UPP Story illustration

Providence Public Library

A working sketch by Erik Ruin for the "UPP Story" publication. The illustration depicts aspects of UPP Arts work including collaborative planning, procession events and working within the local community.

UPP public workshop

UPP public workshop

Providence Public Library

Two volunteers man an information table about the Urban Pond Procession at a public workshop event.

UPP Arts Strategic Planning

UPP Arts Strategic Planning

Providence Public Library

Strategic planning document for UPP Arts including mission, vision and values statements and three year strategic plan.

UPP Arts public workshop

UPP Arts public workshop

Providence Public Library

Community members participate in a public workshop at Roger Williams Park to make costumes and props for the Mashapaug Pond Procession in 2010.

UPP Arts public workshop

UPP Arts public workshop

Providence Public Library

Residents participating in a public workshop to make costumes and props for the Mashapaug Pond Procession.

UPP Arts Procession props, costumes and signs

UPP Arts archivist, Wendy Korwin, holds a handmade banner for ARC Printing as she reviews props and costumes at the boathouse at Mashapaug Pond. The items were created by participants in the Urban Pond Processions over ten years.

UPP Arts Procession props, costumes and signs

UPP Arts archivist, Wendy Korwin, holds a handmade banner that states "Don't swim with the fishes!!" as she reviews props and costumes at the boathouse at Mashapaug Pond. The items were created by participants in the Urban Pond Processions over ten years.

UPP Arts Procession props, costumes and signs

UPP Arts archivist, Wendy Korwin, holds a handmade turtle hat as she reviews props and costumes at the boathouse at Mashapaug Pond. The items were created by participants in the Urban Pond Processions over ten years.

UPP Arts Procession props, costumes and signs

UPP Arts archivist, Wendy Korwin, holds a handmade banner for City Arts for Youth as she reviews props and costumes at the boathouse at Mashapaug Pond. The items were created by participants in the Urban Pond Processions over ten years.

UPP Arts grant report, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

Grant report by UPP Arts upon completion of the "Mashapaug Pond: a picture book" funded in 2010 by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA). The grant from RISCA provided for the creation and publication of a picture book by UPP Arts that involved collages created by ten Narragansett tribal members about Mashapaug Pond and the Urban Pond Procession in 2011.

UPP Arts grant report, New England Grassroots Environment Fund

Grant report by UPP Arts upon completion a project in 2009 funded by the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. The grant from NEGEF was the first grant awarded to UPP Arts and assisted with the development of the Urban Pond Procession. The grant report includes details about the development of UPP Arts and it's impact.

UPP Arts grant proposal, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

Grant proposal by UPP Arts to Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) for a project titled "UPP Arts network building workshops for teachers" in 2017. The proposal outlines the project to create teach of multidisciplinary educators from three Providence high schools and UPP Arts teaching artists to create curriculum and pedagogical strategies focused on site-specific study of Mashapaug Pond in Providence.

UPP Arts / Providence ACT grant report, National Endowment of the Arts

Final grant report for a project titled "Full Circle: Art as Reflection" submitted by Providence Art, Culture and Tourism and funded by the National Endowment of the Arts. The grant provided funding for the project to Holly Ewald and UPP Arts to create site-specific art installation and a series of educational workshops about the Narrangansett tribe and their relationship with Mashapaug Pond in Providence, RI.

UPP Arts / EJLRI grant proposal to EPA

Grant proposal for a project titled "Community-Driven Restoration of Providence's Urban Ponds" submitted by UPP Arts in collaboration with the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island to the Environmental Protection Agency. The project outlines community outreach, programming and education regarding water quality in Mashapaug Pond in Providence, RI.