Bethany Allard was awarded a RISCA regrant via Lydia Stein's HouseArt program. Artists selected for this program turned abandoned buildings owned and slated for renovation by Olneyville Housing Corporation into massive works of art.
Allard began by collaborating with Providence native and fellow artist and educator Aneudy Alba in order to interview Olneyville residents about their hopes and dreams for their neighborhood.
In response to interviews, Allard collaborated with two local teenagers in order to paint a series of silhouettes that illustrated themes from the interviews, such as spaces for recreation and education, employment opportunities, and signs of growth and renewal.
Allard then held a free workshop for English for Actions’ Our School students. Youths continued the conversation, dreaming up a new purposes for this blank canvas of a building. They created illustrations of their dreams, which were then collaged onto the mural.
Press for Dream House and HouseART
LISC Institute for Comprehensive Community Development on "HouseART"
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