Saturday May 2, 2026

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Valley, Providence, RI


Rain or Shine!
All are welcome!
Free!

A Valley-wide celebration of art, small biz, and community — featuring artists, makers, + more from:

50 Sims
Make Do Studios
Nicholson File Studios
Farm Fresh RI
New Harvest
Teatra ECAS
Acorn Studios
The Womxn Project
Queer.Archive.Work
and more!

Questions?

Email Ben at events@50sims.com

VISITOR RSVP
GO TO PARTICIPANT INFO & SIGN UP

For our artists, studios, orgs, small biz pals!

For Visitors

welcome,
art fans!

Welcome to Open Valley, highlighting the amazing artists, artisans, non profits, small businesses and beyond who call Valley home. We’re inviting everyone down for an afternoon of self-directed discovery. RSVP Today!

Walk the amazing Woonasquatucket River Greenway Bike Path and consider the area’s central role in the industrial revolution. Visit contemporary studios and galleries, and learn how organizations like, The Steel Yard, Teatro ECAS, Wilbury Theatre, and 50 Sims make Valley central to the Creative Capital.

You’ll encounter screen printers, ceramists, glass artists and jewelry makers. You’ll find distillers, brewers, and roasters alongside graphic designers, fiber artists, vintage retail, and genres. And because it’s Providence, you can expect a lot of grassroots, super-inclusive DIY energy around every turn.

hours & admission

Open Valley kicks off at 12:00 PM. If you arrive early, we encourage starting at 50 Sims Ave for event info, maps, restrooms, a water station, and helpful faces. Please do not visit participating studios before 12:00 PM, as they’ll be busy preparing. The event runs until 5:00 PM, when the Welcome Center at 50 Sims will close.

After 5:00 pm, there may be additional activities announced. Until then, we suggest keeping the day going at your own pace at Buttonwoods Brewery and/or The Industrious Spirits Company.

Open Valley is FREE and open to the public. There is no ticket, admission booth, or check in required. That said we are encouraging RSVP to get a sense of turnout in advance, which helps us plan the best day possible for you.

what to expect

A good framing for Open Valley is a neighborhood stroll with welcoming, open doors. We’ve got participating artists at 50 Sims, Make Do Studios, Rathbone Studios, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, Nicholson File Studios, plus spots on Harris Ave, Atwells Ave, and elsewhere. Choose your own adventure! As studios confirm, we’ll build a list out on this site to help guide you on your journey.

Valley’s not huge, and with the roughly 0.5 sq. miles it spans a majority of studios are concentrated between Valley St. (north), Eagle St. (west), Atwells and Harris Ave (south), and Dean St. (east). In theory, you can walk the entire border in under an hour; all the studios are in close proximity.

Terrain varies, from the beautiful newly opened Woonasquatucket River Greenway Bike Path to between-mill lots lovingly decorated by the elements with cracks and potholes. You don’t need steel-toe boots, but open-toe sandals may not be the best route, either.

weather, parking, accessibility

Open Valley is Rain or Shine. In the event of rain, please bring an umbrella and some kind of plastic bag to put it in while visiting studios. Please respect individual studio rules around things like muddy shoes, as everyone’s got their own practice-specific needs.

There is ample street parking all over the Valley on a first come, first serve basis. There is no official designated lot for the event. We encourage biking, walking the new river path, carpooling, looking into public transit, and car services as ways to help keep traffic less busy.

The valley is full of historic mill buildings which vary greatly in terms of accessibility. The Welcome Center at 50 Sims is ground-level with no steps, and the W/Cs are similarly accessible. 50 Sims second floor however, is only accessible by stairs. We will do our best to provide accessibility info for each location as studios sign up, but can not guarantee each location will meet all needs.

where to start

Our Welcome Center is located at 50 Sims Ave. Look for the large, open roll gate with a welcome banner. Here, you can fill up your water bottle, freshen up in the W/C, grab a map, and ask questions of our helpful volunteers. Here, you’ll also find several studios, a small gallery space, vintage, and locally made wares, and more.

If caffeine is a must first-stop, head on over to New Harvest Coffee, located one building over from the Welcome Center. We’ll have some maps there, too. Then, start exploring!

for families

Open Valley is open to art lovers of all ages. We encourage young explorers to check out all that’s on view, while politely reminding parents and guardians that this is an uncensored, non-juried happening. Each studio and each artist does their own thing, and their work represents their own views and voice. We will be asking—but not requiring—studios to give a heads up if any works on view include content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.

Second, pack snacks! New Harvest has great muffins, bagels, and small bites but, visitors are encouraged to bring a snack bag. You’ll be doing some walking, and having lots of conversations. Keep the energy up with a healthy treat. You can fill water bottles at our Welcome Center.

Lastly, this event spans across a network of streets, alleyways, and interconnected parking lots into historic mill buildings varying in levels of accessibility and modernization. While we are asking all studios to ensure their spaces are clean, free of debris, and that hallways are clear—it’s just the nature of these spots to have a lot of stuff, everywhere. Help young ones learn to be awesome, active members in the arts community; don’t allow ‘em to wander unsupervised or touch anything you don’t want them touching.

RSVP for Visitors

Acknowledgments

“[Valley] is built on the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Indigenous people from many tribes and nations—near and far—live, study and work in Providence today. The amplification of Native voices and histories is crucial to rectifying the many violent legacies of colonialism, and we gratefully acknowledge the ongoing critical contributions of Indigenous people across our state, region and nation.”

This land acknowledgement was developed by RISD in consultation with representatives of local tribes; more can be read about their research and process here.

Open Valley is inspired by, and in debt to the countless artists, studios, and community organizers who’ve done similar projects here in the past at Nicholson File, The Wurks, The Steel Yard, and beyond. Thank you for building something so special in Valley; we hope to honor those efforts and keep the tradition alive.

Still Here, Gaia, 2018. Image via The Avenue Concept

Photo & Press Policy

We welcome photography and media coverage, including blogs and social accounts. If you’re a professional or professional-leaning media member, please give us a heads-up so we can notify our team and support you.

Please check in with studios, artists, and guests before documenting, as some works may be in progress or sensitive. We also encourage everyone to take breaks from phones, be present, and consider how documenting affects others’ comfort.

50 Sims has two professional photographers capturing Open Valley. By participating, you consent to these photos being used for marketing or promotional purposes across platforms. Mostly, we’ll share them on socials and for event promotion. If you’d prefer not to be photographed, just let the photographers know—they’re kind and will respect your comfort.

Organized by 50 Sims, for Everyone

Open Valley is supported in part by