Kathleen Pletcher is the executive director of FirstWorks, a Providence-based performing arts nonprofit. The organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Pletcher spoke with Providence Business News about FirstWorks’ milestone anniversary and its plans to commemorate the occasion, as well as early plans for PVDFest.
PBN: What does this milestone year mean for FirstWorks as an organization?
PLETCHER: I think it’s a real sense of looking back to when we were founded in 2004 and seeing some of those essential things, bringing people to the arts in new ways, fostering collaborations and branding our city. That was the seed idea that was a little ember fanned into a full organization. Artists are also playing forward, thanks to lots of contributions 20 years later.
PBN: How has FirstWorks recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic? Are there still challenges the organization is navigating?
PLETCHER: We’ve always been very entrepreneurial and adaptive to needs. We did that pretty instantly in March 2020 by starting a virtual stage and virtual learning library, which now has more than 100,000 views [online]. People within Rhode Island and beyond continue to use it.
We made a lot of discoveries by trying a lot of different ways of approaching and connecting audiences with the arts. We started a series in 2020 at Roger Williams Park … and it’s now in its fifth year and a mainstay of our programming. Some of those discoveries have changed our model and foregrounded this idea of reaching new audiences and really emphasizing access, whether it is in the streets or parks or theaters.
PBN: PVDFest is now returning downtown. What does that mean for FirstWorks and what can we expect with this year’s festivities?
PLETCHER: The planning is intensely going on. We haven’t formally announced artists yet, but we’re excited to be downtown and looking to shape the festival in different ways. The mayor [Brett P. Smiley] was really excited for it being a family festival and intergenerational.
We’ll be bringing back somewhat of our signature spectacle, focusing on that sense of astonishment and transformation. I cannot say right now who that is.
We’re also deeply exploring arts and technology. For years, “pixierlations,” a festival which showcased new media arts (2004-2014). For PVDFest 2024, we are in deep conversations with artists who are on the edge of technology and what can happen with that.
PBN: Do you have specialized plans or offerings specifically for FirstWorks’ 20th anniversary?
PLETCHER: Yes. We have a theme called “Global Journeys.” FirstWorks has forged relationships with international artists and national funding programs to bring artists [locally].
Back on May 2 at the Providence G, we had a 20th Anniversary Celebration that featured some of our local pillar artists. We kicked off 2024 with a company called Small Island, Big Song featuring artists bringing their cultures here but also interacting with our own artists. Our summer series at Roger Williams Park will follow that theme with Dobet Gnahoré, an artist from the Ivory Coast, QUITAPENAS, a Tropical Afro-Latin combo, and Salsa Dura band La Excelencia.
PBN: Are there any new education initiatives that FirstWorks is looking to launch this year?
PLETCHER: Yes. We are expanding on our strategic plan regarding residencies with artist educators. Education that goes for weeks in our core schools, and it allows for students to get to know artists, foster exchanges with artists and take risks with their own creations.
We are also expanding a student matinee series. We believe that having artists come into schools and have students experience performing arts directly is important and pairing that with learning.
(UPDATED throughout with minor edits and clarifications on scheduled performers and program schedule updates.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
