page_title: Pawtucket, Rhode Island
section_title: Arts and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Pawtucket, Rhode Island / Arts and culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Pawtucket Armory, 172 Exchange St. This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 83003836
context_page_description: Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.
  Pawtucket borders Providence, Central Falls, North Providence, Lincoln, and East Providence in Rhode Island and Seekonk and Attleboro in the state of Massachusetts.
context_section_description: The City of Pawtucket has been supportive of the Arts Community since 1975. On September 2, 1977, The Beach Boys performed a concert at Narragansett Park attended by 40,000 people, the largest concert audience in Rhode Island history. In 2017, music historians Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise were successful in getting the street where the concert stage stood (the corner of 455 Narragansett Park Drive) officially renamed as "Beach Boys Way".
  The American-French Genealogical Society was founded in Pawtucket in 1978.
  In 1998, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law creating a 307-acre Arts and Entertainment District in the City's historic downtown .  Over the past decades various organizations have been active in continuing that support of the local arts community and beyond.
  In January, 1999, Herb Weiss, of the Planning Department, was hired to oversee the City's newly created Arts District. Through the support of then Mayor James E. Doyle and Planning Department Michael Cassidy, Weiss brought significant recognition for Pawtucket-Arts oriented development strategy .  Mayor Doyle and Arts Czar Weiss hired researcher Ann Galligan, of Northeastern University, to create an arts and cultural plan.  Over the years Pawtucket has become known as a center for arts and culture .
  Several experimental/indie rock bands have recorded albums at Machines with Magnets, a recording studio and art gallery in Downtown Pawtucket. Bands that have performed or recorded here include Battles, Lightning Bolt, Brown Bird, and Fang Island.
  The success of the works was seen in nationwide publicity in publications such as New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , Christian Scientist Monitor . Pawtucket even found itself named in Art Calendar's "Ten Great Towns for Working Arts."Pawtucket’s transformation into an arts community is chronicled in a 53 minute documentary in 2008, Pawtucket Rising, produced by Jason Caminiti, a Fall River film maker, documenting the City’s successful efforts in bringing artist and cultural activities to blighted areas Pawtucket Rising.
  One hub for arts and culture in the city is Lorraine Mills, a repurposed mill building on the eastern side of the city, which houses institutions including Mixed Magic Theatre, Wage House (comedy club), Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, and Crooked Current Brewery.
  Each September, the city, in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts Festival Board of Directors, members chosen from the community, produce an annual citywide Arts Festival .  Former Mayor Doyle created the City’s month-long event.  Much of the work implementing the vision of Mayor Doyle and growing this month-long Arts Festival was done by Herb Weiss. Weiss, among other awards, was honored as the inaugural winner of the "PAF Excellence Award" for his work as the "foremost ambassador for the arts and culture". James Doyle was the Pawtucket Foundation Heritage Award Winner for 2011
caption: Pawtucket Armory Center for the Arts (former Pawtucket Armory), with The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre in annex
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