Over 30 years ago, Sister Ann Keefe, a Massachusetts-born teacher and social worker, sought to address the lack of opportunities available for middle school age youth in Providence’s most diverse neighborhoods. Backed by the Southside community, Sister Ann launched ¡CityArts!, a free summer arts camp in St. Michael’s basement, in 1992. After a successful three years, ¡CityArts! acquired and transformed the Berkander Building on Broad Street into a year-round arts center. Through 2022, ¡CityArts! served as the only after-school arts education program for elementary and middle school age youth in Providence, engaging more than 800 of Providence's 8-14 year old young artists yearly. Over its tenure, ¡CityArts! has been named four times as one of the nation's top 50 youth arts after-school programs by the President’s Committee for Arts and Humanities.

After a multi-year hiatus and serious consideration about how to best serve our community in an effective and meaningful way, we are thrilled to once again provide free youth arts programming through a partnership with P3 and Providence Parks and Recreation. This June of 2026, you can find us at the Angelo Zuccolo  and the A. Vincent Igliozzi Recreation Centers for a 5-session summer programming series for youth ages 5-16. 

As we embark on the project of CityArts 2.0, we are committed to enhancing our mission of providing equal access to arts education for youth in Providence. This initiative aims to strengthen our impact and better serve our community in the future.