A whole lot can happen in six years. Since AS220 hosted its last Foo Fest, the world has shifted on its axis. We’ve lived through a global pandemic, navigated yet another election cycle that tested our democracy, and watched foreign and domestic cities alike burned and destroyed in real-time through our screens. Despite all of this, we somehow found ways to keep making art when everything felt impossible. Now, after a six-year hiatus, AS220’s legendary summer block party is back.
On Saturday, August 9, Empire Street in downtown PVD will be transformed into an all-day celebration of music, art, and community for the 2025 Foo Fest. “It’s the question we get asked the most: when are you guys gonna bring back Foo Fest?” says David Dvorchak, AS220’s communications director. “It’s a thing that people out in the community want, and what better time to bring it back than for our 40th anniversary?” The timing couldn’t be more perfect. AS220, founded in 1985 as a defiant and radical response to an atmosphere meant to stifle creativity and the arts, is celebrating 40 years of providing accessible, uncensored access to the arts for all ages.
What began as a few volunteers on the third floor of PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center) has grown into a campus that houses nearly 60 artists and offers publicly accessible facilities including printshops, darkrooms, workshops, and more. “AS220 started out in 1985 with our founder, Umberto Crenca, and a ragtag group of volunteers,” Dvorchak explains. “Now we have three buildings downtown as part of our campus and an array of programming.” The organization’s evolution reflects broader changes in our collective consciousness; more and more people in recent years have recognized the value of the arts and creative expression, not only as an important emotional outlet and promoter of wellbeing, but for having an impact on social change and occupying identifiable spheres within electoral politics.
This year’s Foo Fest represents a significant shift from previous iterations. While past Fests “ran primarily as a music festival,” Dvorchak notes that AS220 has really committed to taking a more collaborative approach for this year’s event, making an effort to involve and recognize local artists and community organizers. “Instead of AS220 just booking various bands, we’ve tried to tap more into folks from the community” says Dvorchak, as a way to curate diverse programming for the day that reflects the organization’s commitment to inclusivity.
The festival’s expanded vision wouldn’t be possible without the help of several key community collaborators. Chip Douglas, a local promoter and artist, is bringing “Stargazing at Foo Fest,” described as “an explosion of raw talent grown in Divine Providence featuring hip-hop, R&B, and dance anchored by DJ Nyce Hitz and a live band.” Kincaid McLaren will showcase the sounds and feels of Caribbean culture throughout RI, while Cam Bells, curator of the Soul Lounge live music series, brings together talented musicians, vocalists, and poets from across New England.
The Takeova Battle League will add a competitive element to the day’s festivities with their “War of Words” rap battles, featuring main event competitors Chess versus Juz Cuz. Meanwhile, Haus of Glitter will be presenting the Foo Fest Kiki Ball, inviting participants to “dance like there’s no tomorrow, strut the runway and celebrate community” through categories like “Providence Beauty,” “Art is the Revolution,” and “Kitty Cat Meow” (in honor of AS220’s three-eyed cat logo!). All categories will be open to all. Musical acts include Lookers, DakouDakou, Nova One, The Benji’s, Vudu Sister, Cómo Qué Wao, and Mellowpunk. Reflecting AS220’s evolution toward broader musical inclusivity, Foo Fest has transformed from a music festival that featured mostly rock bands to the current genre-spanning line-up of musical artists, dancers, poets, makers, and so many more creatives of diverse hues. The Cypher Pressure Dance Jam showcases “breaking” (breakdancing) competitions from The Park Studios and All City Rockers alongside live DJ sets and graffiti art. This might not be common knowledge, but “hip-hop” doesn’t just mean rapping; hip-hop culture extends beyond rapping to include deejaying, breakdancing, and graffiti, all of which will be present and felt throughout the 11-hour celebration on Empire Street.
This programming directly connects to AS220’s largest initiative: a free afterschool program serving Providence youth, primarily Black and Brown Students, that celebrates and nurtures all four pillars of hip-hop culture. The return of this year’s festival operates under the artistic vision of Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Rios, serving as Foo Fest’s Artist-in-Residence. Rivera moved from Puerto Rico to PVD in 2010, and eventually rose to serve as AS220’s artistic director before pursuing a multitude of other independent cultural projects. Today, they are an independent artist, cultural worker, and founder of Studio Loba in PVD, a storytelling and performance lab that leads art and culture projects that support social change.
Rivera’s “Feral Fruit” concept transforms the festival into what they describe as “a community altar for the revolutions to come.” The visual identity of the art installations featured in “Feral Fruit” employs iconography of fruit and flowers on fire, lightning bugs, swords, and spider webs as representations of AS220’s values and community resilience. “With our cultural power and creative spits, we are the feral fruits of the revolution; we are the flowers that bloom and burn amidst the challenges,” Rivera shares, hammering in the idea that everyone is an artist and that creative expression is among the highest forms of selfactualization. Beyond the performances, vendors, activities, and installations, Foo Fest serves as a vital communitybuilding function curated by AS220. “Our intention with bringing back Foo Fest is to gather people,” Dvorchak emphasizes. “It’s the one time a year where the largest number of people have the opportunity to gather in one place and connect with each other, exchange ideas, or even just see people they haven’t seen in a while.”
Beyond the performances, vendors, activities, and installations, Foo Fest serves as a vital communitybuilding function curated by AS220. “Our intention with bringing back Foo Fest is to gather people,” Dvorchak emphasizes. “It’s the one time a year where the largest number of people have the opportunity to gather in one place and connect with each other, exchange ideas, or even just see people they haven’t seen in a while.”
These connections often spark lasting collaborations. “So many different projects have been born out of here, whether officially or unofficially,” Dvorchak notes. The festival’s Marketplace, curated by Spocka Summa of Anti-Robot Club, will feature two dozen vendors including artists, makers, and vintage resellers, creating additional opportunities for community engagement, networking, and supporting local entrepreneurs. The hands-on making activities, including screen printing workshops, reflect AS220’s commitment to accessible arts education, which extends year-round through their free after-school programs for Providence youth. The programs, while open to all youth, primarily serve Black and Brown communities, a manifestation of their ongoing Racial Justice Initiative launched in 2019, which aims to co-create an anti-racist and liberatory culture where people of all identities and backgrounds can realize their full creative potential. As organizations across the country look ahead, there’s a common thread: funding remains a constant challenge. Government cuts and shifting private foundation priorities means organizations like AS220 rely heavily on community support.
“We need people to come down to AS220,” Dvorchak shares. “There’s always something that someone is going to be interested in happening. We rely on the community coming out and being involved. That’s what makes this place work.” Not only does this year’s Foo Fest block party mean the return of a beloved summer tradition, but it will be the embodiment of AS220’s purpose of creative resistance and community building. “It’s a monumental undertaking,” Dvorchak says frankly. “We just want to see it up and running and people enjoying themselves.” For thousands of expected attendees, that’s what August 9 promises to deliver. In addition to admitting one to a nice celebration, the $25 tickets serve as AS220’s biggest fundraiser and will greatly support them throughout the year. •
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