The Special Committee for the Review of Commemorative Works is a public body staffed by the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT). Per the recommendation of the Art in City Life Master Plan and City Council, the Committee shall be comprised of individuals who are scholars in the fields of history or commemoration or have a background in local history, culture, or community building. Two of these individuals, the Director of ACT and the City Archivist, will be non-voting Ex-Officio members. The Art and City Life Commission, the Providence City Council, the City Archivist, the Director of ACT, and the Mayor will appoint voting members that will serve for a three-year term.
To review FAQs about the Special Committee, to propose a new commemorative work for the City of Providence, or make a request for review of an existing commemorative work, go here.
Current Appointees
- Art and City Life Commission – Becci Davis (artist, public humanist) *click here to see Becci’s presentation to the ACL about her work
- Providence City Council – April Brown (arts administrator, Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading)
- ACT Appointee – Dr. Erik Christiansen (public historian, Rhode Island College) * click here to see Dr. Christiansen’s faculty webpage
- City Archives appointee – Ray Rickman (executive director, Stages of Freedom)
- Mayor Elorza – Marco McWilliams (public historian, Ph.D. student in Africana Studies)
- ACT – Stephanie Fortunato (Director, ACT) non-voting exofficio
- City Archives – Caleb Horton (City Archivist) non-voting exofficio
Upcoming Meetings
Under normal circumstances, the Special Committee meets in person once in the spring and once in the fall. Currently the Committee is meeting virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meeting schedules and agendas will be posted one week prior to meeting dates per Secretary of State guidelines at both the Rhode Island’s Open Meetings portal and the City of Providence’s Open Meetings Portal.
Past Meetings
For questions pertaining to the Special Committee that cannot be answered by the FAQ, contact ACT Special Projects Manager Micah Salkind at . Due to COVID-19 precautions ACT is not in the office. You may contact ACT on the Department’s mobile phone at 401-347-4633 but email is preferred.
More Information
