Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas—A Month-Long Exhibition of Adaptive Proposals for Sea Level Rise on Narragansett Bay—Opens at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence June 4

"New Wickford Walk, Threshold into Salt Marsh" designed by Troy Schleich and Ruth Shiferaw of Syracuse University School of Architecture.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 27, 2022

CONTACT: 
Claire Martin 
cmartin@remainnantucket.org 
508-901-4149

PROVIDENCE, R.I.---The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas exhibition opens with a free community open house on Saturday, June 4 at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The exhibition, which runs from June 4 through June 26, will feature adaptive designs by participating university teams in the 2022 Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge that reimagine infrastructure, shorelines and neighborhoods in Rhode Island communities vulnerable to sea level rise, ReMain Nantucket announced today. 

ReMain Nantucket, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting solutions for a resilient future for coastal communities, introduced the inaugural Envision Resilience Challenge model on Nantucket in the spring of 2021, bringing together graduate and under-graduate students, experts, local leaders and community members to re-envision a future that engages constructively with the latest science about rising seas, rather than turning away from the predictions. The Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge began in January 2022, tasking multidisciplinary teams of university students from six universities with proposing adaptable solutions through design for at-risk sites around Narragansett Bay. 

Teams from University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Syracuse University, Northeastern University and the University of Florida spent the last five months immersing themselves in the culture, values and history of Wickford, Warren, Barrington, Providence and Aquidneck Island. Their mission was to develop innovative pathways forward in the face of sea level rise based on the intermediate to high sea level rise projections from the 2022 Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Interagency Task Force tool. Based on these projections, Narragansett Bay will see more than 1 foot of sea level rise by 2040, nearly 2 feet by 2060, more than 3 feet by 2080 and 5 feet by 2100.

Rhode Island universities, local and state officials and environmental organizations have a long history of tackling difficult issues, including coastal resilience. Many communities are already exploring creative ways to adapt, retreat and rethink existing systems and infrastructure.

“It has been an incredibly enriching experience to collaborate with local leaders in Rhode Island this spring,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “The Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge was welcomed with open arms, and our university teams delivered bold and innovative ideas that we are thrilled to present to the local community this June.”

The Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas exhibition at the WaterFire Arts Center opens on Saturday, June 4 with a community open house from 4 to 7 p.m. ET. The event and the exhibition are free, and light bites and drinks will be offered at the opening, but registration is required. Register here and share with friends, neighbors and community partners. WaterFire Providence’s first lighting of the season takes place later that evening on June 4, in downtown Providence, at 8:16 p.m. following sunet. 

“We are delighted to welcome this exhibition to Rhode Island and to support ReMain Nantucket in this important work,” said Barnaby Evans, executive artistic director of WaterFire Providence. “This show is a wonderfully concrete and engaging extension of the conversations about the environment that we have been hosting here at WaterFire. These exciting proposals will expand our thinking and enrich our perspectives as Rhode Island communities work toward finding the best solutions to coping with sea level rise.”

The free exhibition will be open Saturday, June 4 through Sunday, June 26. WaterFire Arts Center, located at 475 Valley Street, Providence, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. The Envision Resilience Challenge is sponsored by ReMain Nantucket. Learn more at www.envisionresilience.org.

ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband Eric to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to ReMain Nantucket providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, ReMain Nantucket has worked in conjunction with ReMain Ventures to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.

About WaterFire Providence
WaterFire Providence® is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization whose mission is to inspire Providence and its visitors by revitalizing the urban experience, fostering community engagement, and creatively transforming the city by presenting WaterFire for all to enjoy. Each year nearly 1 million people come to downtown Providence to experience WaterFire spending over $114,000,000 to the local economy, generating over $9,000,000 of direct tax revenue for the State of Rhode Island and supporting 1,294 jobs for community residents and strengthening Providence’s Creative Capital and Rhode Island’s State for the Arts brands. For information about WaterFire Providence and the WaterFire Arts Center visit https://waterfire.org/.

About the WaterFire Arts Center
WaterFire Providence purchased the Art Center in 2012 and began rehabilitation for the vacant, historic, industrial building in the underserved Olneyville/Valley neighborhood of Providence. The 37,000 sq. ft. multi-use arts center has become WaterFire’s first permanent home in the community and serves as its headquarters, production complex, and a multi-purpose arts venue as well as a social enterprise platform strengthening the organization’s long-term financial sustainability. Exhibitions presented at WaterFire Arts Center will further the organization’s agenda of providing arts and culture opportunities and experiences for all, regardless of social, cultural, or economic background. For more information about the WaterFire Arts Center including rental inquiries, please visit: https://waterfire.org/wfac.

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