1. art and entertainment

2013 | 14 Impact Report
This past season, FirstWorks invited world-class performers to share their work with a
wide cross-section of Rhode Islanders. These interactions encouraged participants to
see the world from different perspectives and – most importantly – to generate ideas and
solutions that strengthen our community.
Eighteen members of the Mark Morris
Dance Group graced the stage at The Vets,
performing to live music sung by Brown
University’s Chorus, conducted by Morris,
the “Mozart of modern dance.”
FY14 Highlights:
• reached over 11,000 Rhode Islanders with a
thrilling mix of art forms
• introduced 4,300 youth—most of whom
rarely, if ever, witness live arts performances—
to celebrated performers
• brought extraordinary artists into 28
predominantly urban Rhode Island schools
• • • • • • co-commissioned a new work for the
internationally renowned Kronos Quartet and
Community MusicWorks by local composer
Kareem Roustom
• forged a cross-sector partnership with Artists
and Scientists as Partners and American Dance
Legacy Initiative
• secured seed funding to launch the FirstWorks
Festival On The Plaza as a signature event for
Providence
Proving Providence is fertile ground for
innovation , FirstWorks co-commissioned
Fugitive Time, a new work by performance
artist and filmmaker Janie Geiser, with the
Museum of Modern Art, Santa Barbara.
FirstWorks Funding & Partnerships
2013 | 14
From early on we’ve focused on building statewide partnerships to build Rhode Island’s cultural,
educational, and economic vitality. We have expanded our relationships with the City of
Providence, the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, and four local universities.
Montreal’s Cirque Eloize dazzled
audiences and engaged students
in Warwick and Central Falls.
FY14 Highlights:
• won our 17th National Endowment for the Arts
grant and third U.S. State Department award
• was awarded a $150,000 grant from the RI
Foundation—doubling FY13 support
• received our first Community Development
Block Grant, which helped fund a year of arts
learning for at-risk Providence students
• launched our first annual fund and increased
individual supporters by 50%
• developed a business implementation plan
with the help of eight top executives from
Fidelity Investments—a pro-bono contribution
valued at $150,000
• secured a $50,000 inaugural sponsorship
from GTECH
FirstWorks invited participation in our Mark Morris Dance Group
residency by joining with partners to develop Widening the Circle:
Intersections of Art, Science and Community, and collaborating on innovative
arts/healing programs featuring Morris’s Dance for PD® (Parkinson’s
disease) program.
that brought a rich series
of master classes, lecture/demonstrations, performances, and seminars to
Rhode Island. FirstWorks was critical in building bridges between Brown
University and the greater community and provided the resources to present
the Mark Morris Dance Group in concert, a highlight and crucial component
of the collaboration.”
— J ulie A. Strandberg, Artistic Director, American Dance Legacy Initiative,
Co-Director, Artists and Scientists as Partners
“W idening the Circle was an exciting collaboration
“I am grateful that FirstWorks is such a vital part of the arts and education
scene here in Rhode Island!“
— D eborah A. Gist, R.I. Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education
FirstWorks Arts Learning
2013 | 14
FirstWorks is giving Rhode Island students the tools and motivation to adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving
world. Our Arts Learning programs captured students’ imaginations and deepened their understanding of
the human experience. They fostered critical thinking, artistic talent, and collaborative skills.
FirstWorks raised at-risk students’ chances of
graduating by involving them in school activities
and mentorships.
During a FirstWorks workshop at
The Vets, tap titan Savion Glover
challenged 500 students to consider
“What does sound look like?”
•N
ine schools (and 930 students) took part
in a dynamic, standards-aligned curriculum
about jazz and the Harlem Renaissance during
the second year of partnership with Jazz at
Lincoln Center.
• FirstWorks formed a team of local teaching
artists to extend student experiences.
• Businesses such as Navigant, Bank RI, and
Fidelity Investments participated in our “adopt
a school” program.
• Students learned about musical genres and
cultural context from Martha Redbone, a
roots musician of part Cherokee, Choctaw, and
African-American descent.
• Teachers in core districts of Providence,
Pawtucket, and Central Falls reported
increased attendance and new aspirations for
their students.
“FirstWorks is among a handful of the very best organizations we have worked
with­­—listening, accommodating the needs of our teachers, and understanding the limits and possibilities of working in low-income communities.”
—Sarah Bernstein, The Learning Community, Central Falls
Students, like 17-year-old Pedro Pastor, have
participated in FirstWorks Arts Learning since
middle school. Pedro recalled seeing Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater three years earlier.
“[The experience] made me think that maybe I
can do something, create my own legacy, take
chances with my own ideas. If FirstWorks can
reach me, it can reach others.”
FirstWorks helped to open Aurora, a new
cultural space in downtown Providence, with
Martha Redbone Roots Project.
270 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903. 401-421-4278. first-works.org
Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director and Founder
Peter Bramante, Managing Director
all photos: Erin Smithers and Lucia Lopez
Supporters and Partners
$25,000 and above
Brown University
Carter Family Charitable Trust
City of Providence, Department of Art,
Culture + Tourism
National Endowment for the Arts
Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund
Providence Tourism Council
Rhode Island Foundation
Rhode Island School of Design
TACO/The White Family Foundation
$10,000 - $24,999
Bank of America / Bank of America
Charitable Foundation, Inc.
City of Providence, Community
Development Block Grant
Fidelity Investments
June Rockwell Levy Foundation
LGC&D
Providence College
National Grid
Textron Charitable Trust
$5,000 - $9,999
Amica Companies Foundation
New England Foundation for the Arts
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
State of Rhode Island, General Assembly
University Orthopedics
The Vets Foundation
$1,500-$4,999
AAA Southern New England
Ida Ballou Littlefield Memorial Trust
Bank RI
CVS Caremark
Delta Dental of Rhode Island
Edwards Wildman
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Ferguson Perforating & Wire Co.
Neighborhood Health Plan of RI
Ocean State Charities Trust
Partridge, Snow & Hahn
Providence Rotary Charities Foundation
The Providence Shelter for
Colored Children
State of RI, Legislative Grant –
Sen. Josh Miller
Frederick C. Tanner Memorial Fund
$250 - $1,499
Navigant Credit Union
Regency Plaza
Sodexo School Services
Technic, Inc.
Trimix Foundation
Uncas Manufacturing
Washington Trust Charitable
Foundation Fund Campaign
Season Media Partners
NBC10-WJAR
Cox Communications
GoLocalProv
Providence Monthly
Providence Phoenix
RI NPR
Additional Media Partners
B101
Coast 93.3
CW28
Poder 1110AM
RI Monthly
WPRI Media
Individual Supporters
$2,500 and above
Robert J. Allio
Norm & Nancy Benoit
Paul & Lisa Mc Gartoll
Kathleen Pletcher & Jay Coogan
Dr. Arnold-Peter Weiss
& Dr. Yvonne Weiss
$1000-$2499
Fred & Joyce Butler
Joseph Chazan, MD
Mimi & Bob Grant
Robert Panoff
Ricci Family Fund
Tom & Elizabeth Roberts
$500 - $999
Greg & Tina Benik
Peter Bramante & Tom Nolan
Alan Chille
Michael Fournier & David Liddle
Kevin & Karen Hundley
Deming & Jane Sherman
$250 - $499
Anonymous (1)
E Pembroke & Fritz Attaway
Marisa & Matt Brown
Tom & Debbie Bryda
Karen A. Davie & Garrison A. Hull
Donna & Dan Egan
Fredric Friedman & Cathy Demain Mann
Bob & Rhea Goff
Marie Langlois & John Loerke
Mary Lovejoy & John C. Whistler
Paul Santucci
Barbara & Charles Sturtevant
William Warren & Ellie Siegel
$100 - $249
10 Weybosset Street Building, Providence
Anonymous (3)
Lorne Adrain
Ted & Dawn Almon
John & Paulette Angell
Pamela Baldwin
Alec Beckett
Roger N. Begin
Gay Ben Tre
Thomas & Antonia Bryson
Virginia Branch & Glen Buie
Judy & Lenny Cabral
Renee Chicoine & Dan Baudouin
Karen L. Daigle
Polly Daly
Melissa Darigan & Mark Male
$100 - $249 (cont.)
Jill & Herb Emers
Hon. & Mrs. Robert G. Flanders, Jr.
Nancy Friese & Wesley Goforth
Susan J. Greenhalgh
Jim & Dana Hahn
William Hollinshead
Imperial 718 Fund
Belinda Johnson
Richard & Judith Lappin
Lara London
Lynne McCormack
Joseph & Felice Meisel
Linda & Charles Newton
Jeanette Palmer
John & Regina Partridge
Steven Pennell & Frank Toti
Lyle Pirnie
Jeremy & Paula Sager
Karen E. Silva & Michael Sabitoni
Joan & Fred Slafsky
Steven & Wileen Snow
Reinhard Straub
Robert & Catherine Terry Taylor
Naida Weisberg
Martha Werenfels & Franklin B.
Satterthwaite, Jr.
Marshall Williams & Marguerite Gousie
$25 - $99
Anonymous (1)
Michael D. & Roberta Hazen Aaronson
Ira & Karen Asher
Bethany Baker
Marilyn Bollengier
Richard & Paula Bolig
Doug & Jenny Boone
Steve Brown
Lisa Churchville
Priscilla Crane
Gretchen Dow Simpson
Robert Fain
David & Virginia Fox
David Gilden & Cindy Houle
P. William Hutchinson & Jeri-Ann McElroy
Jean L. Keith
Dr. Kennard & Nora Collins Kobrin
Linda & Harold Kushner
Wendy Lawton
Diane Lynch
Paula Martesian & Ken Carpenter
Mr. & Mrs. Norman E. McCulloch, Jr, Trustees,
McAdams Charitable Foundation
Samantha Morse
Peggy & Jim Normandin
Kevin & Nai-Lin Papagelis
Valerie Tutson
S Ursillo