Really cool location and spot. I love the aesthetic and how many different businesses they have in…read morethis space. I just worry about safety sometimes because they have many doors and not seem to be monitored or locked.

Artist studios. Yoga studio. Massage and personal care, salon, event space, photographer,…read morerestaurants, farmers market, bakeries, tutors, kids arts and crafts, coffee, escape room, loft apartments. An old mill complex has been turned into a multi-purpose space. Rhode Island history is full of mills and I love that they re-purposed these buildings instead of knocking them down. There is on street parking, some in a courtyard (a tight squeeze for the larger vehicles) a small lot across the road on Main Street, a smaller lot on Dudley street and a large lot at the bottom of the hill behind the mill. Give yourself a few extra minutes to find your parking spot.

What an amazing artist space!…read more The owners, Norv and Amanda, are possibly the nicest people ever, and have done a fantastic job redesigning this old factory building into a HUGE, elegant space for artists of all kinds. You can get your own space, or share open space with access to pottery wheels and a kiln for a minimal price. It's kind of like an artist's dream - the inspiring space, the friendly community, the freedom to work alone or in the company of others... And the gallery is beautiful, with huge ceilings and exposed brick, and striking work by the members. They have several shows a year, well worth seeing.

From the owner: We are a membership-based art studio (month to month art studio rentals and Open Studio art space…read morein the Providence area) equipped to meet the studio needs of artists who work in most medias. Make your creative time more enjoyable and productive by working at our studio. We have put a lot of thought and planning into building an Open Studio that provides artists an optimum working environment. Our studio, located in a beautifully restored historic mill, provides numerous amenities to full and part-time artists. Our Event Gallery hosts special events and art exhibits. Please contact for current schedule.

Surprisingly good!…read more Watercolor, one of the most abused art forms, is the medium of many an aspiring, yet hopeless, artist. I was expecting the usual disasters like soaked and puckered paper, washed out colors, and paintings of water and snow. Why are so many watercolor paintings of water, sand, and snow. WTF? Laziness? But surprise. There are nice things here. Prices vary, but with the frame included, you can enjoy or take home a really nice piece of art. If you're looking for that OTHER stuff, there's a discount bin. heh, heh, heh. The gallery is located in the restored boathouse of Historic Slater Park.

From the owner: Founded in 1896, Rhode Island Watercolor Society (RIWS) is one of the oldest watercolor…read moreorganizations in America. With over 300 members, RIWS provides artists and the general public the opportunity to view, purchase, exhibit and learn about water media art. RIWS offers classes, workshops and demonstrations by nationally and regionally acclaimed artists. RIWS also organizes educational trips to art exhibitions. Located in the JC Potter Casino Building, a historic lakeside "boathouse" in Slater Memorial Park, RIWS features an art gallery, library and studio space. The gallery hosts 15 shows per year, including a National Watermedia Competition.

We came here tonight to check out an new exhibit featuring local artists Jeremey Schilling and…read moreMichaela Clift. It was our first time checking out this space in the Lorraine Mills Complex. The space is rather large with lots of room for artists to display on the walls and folks to enjoy the art. See photos. Unfortunately, a lot of the other businesses in the complex such as White Dog Distillery and Crooked Current were closed on a Tuesday evening but we stopped for a beer at Foolproof which is just down the street a bit. Nice space for local artists and we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pieces. Most pieces were for sale so for someone looking to build an art collection for reasonable prices, this would be a great place to start. Some pieces we saw were as low as $35 with pricier ones in the 1K-5K range. Note they also have classes in drawing and painting.

The art club is so cool! The building itself is amazing and I love that they occasionally open it…read moreup to the public! I have been before and got a tour of the space from the former president of the club. This space is truly amazing! I went last night for an opening. The art is beautiful and they have a bar (credit card only). I had a nice glass of wine and spent some time with friends.

We go every year around the holidays to see the Little Picture Show. All the artwork in the show is…read moresmall format original works by local artists and the pieces are priced under $350. There's a good variety of different styles and mediums (jewelry, photos, paintings). A great spot to get a unique holiday gift and also support a local artist! The club itself is located in a very cool historic building. The period details are beautiful. You can get a drink in the lounge/bar area and hang out by the fireplace. They also offer art classes to the community which I haven't taken yet, so I can't comment on that. Definitely a unique spot to check out and a true gem of Providence history!

I came here with my wife for an art opening. We were pleasantly surprised by how great the bar is!…read moreI got a local beer and my wife got a Sazerac with Rittenhouse rye. Her drink was perfect, served in an (antique?) jar. The bartenders were very friendly. And overall, the place had a cool, casual vibe.

Together with Kafe Lila, Machines With Magnets is forcing me to reconsider the city of Pawtucket,…read morewhich I had previously thought of as "the place where Slater Mill and the DMV are." Currently I think of Pawtucket as "the place where Slater Mill and the DMV and Kafe Lila and Machines With Magnets are," but if I spend enough time at KL and MWM, my view will undoubtedly become more nuanced. Machines With Magnets is a recording studio, art gallery, and performance space that has fast become my favorite music venue and possibly one of my favorite places in Rhode Island. The inside is beautiful, with two large rooms decked out in cool white paint and beautiful hardwood flooring (one floor is stenciled with an absolutely stunning pattern). Art of varied quality adorns the walls. I have now had the pleasure of attending two shows here--an electronic music performance and Quintron + Miss Pussycat--and I enjoyed them both. Watching bands perform with art as a backdrop is a pleasure. The sound is good and the venue is run fairly efficiently. At the latter show, they quickly cycled through four bands by alternating the rooms in which each band performed. Very smart. The crowds are fun and interesting. Drinks, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, and even pizza are sold for reasonable prices. During my first visit, a friend turned to me and said, "I wish I lived here." "I wish I could DJ here," I replied. Until either of these things happens, I'll be stopping in periodically for more music and art. You should, too.

Well that was super fun…read more When we arrived no one was on the desk so we began to wander the first floor. If you just want to walk around, and check out the machines that is free. I saw someone who works there and he gave us a quick 'tour'. Pinball machines are set up here by year beginning in the 1930's! There a many from the 70's, a big collection of 80's and then further back it's a mix. The tour took up upstairs. There is a wheelchair lift here, however, you have to step over a barrier at the bottom of the doorway leading to the stairs so not really handicap accessible? Call if you need info on that. Keep that door at the bottom of the staircase open so you can get back! At the top of the steps is a private event room. (sorry no photo, a meeting was going on). Turn right after the event room and follow the hallway to the 'Blue Room' on the left at the end. Here you'll find a small, open space for a party with shelves of board games, a table and comfy couches. The Blue Room includes several racing games (seated style), shooter games, skeeball, basketball throw and other arcade games. There were a couple dozen pinball machines without an outlet to play them stored in this space. Our tour guide tells us for events up to 150 people, these games are moved out and tables moved into that space. The second floor hosts many other businesses so be respectful when in the halls. Our visit lasted about two hours playing all the games. Some of the pinball machines include information on who designed them and other info. The Star Trek machine is signed by some of the actors. Scoobydoo, Addams family, Aerosmith, Rick & Morty, Dolly Parton, on and on. Some games have hepatic feedback - like when the dinosaur eats your ball in the Jurasic Park pinball game the entire machine shakes. I love how the machines are all set to 'free play'. You just hit the start button (usually a round button on the front) and you get your three balls. When that game ends, hit start again and you get another three balls. Also, if you loose a ball quickly, you get an extra ball. Really makes for a fun experience. Admission is ten dollars per person (all ages), cash or credit, and covers playing all the available games for the whole day - come and go as you please. Parking is available next to the building in two lots. No food or drink are available for sale here. When hosting an event here, bring your own catering. Contact them/visit their website for details on hosting events. Public restrooms are on the upper level off the hallway. The museum space is more or less warehouse space. It was cold in there when we visited and we left our coats and hats on (February). When there are a lot of games being played, it gets loud, so be prepared. There are a few step stools for the smaller kids. Check next to or under the machines for those or if you have a collapsable one at home maybe bring it along just in case they are all in use. During our week day visit there were a fair amount of adults in there enjoying pinball and all the other games. Staff are knowledgeable and very easy to chat with. Definitely plan an outting to visit this fun museum diguised as an arcade. Alone, or with the kids. You might become the 'fun uncle' after a day here with the nibblings.

A great deal for lots of play time for $10. We stayed for 2 hours. As many machines awaiting…read morebeing fixed as working, but still so many working, fun to look at the designs of both. I highly recommend!

Had a great experience painting and drinking here. The instructor, Kyle, was a fantastic at walking…read morethe class through the steps of painting the northern nights. Took around 90 minutes todo and the results were satisfying. Whole class seemed pleased with their results and enjoyed the lesson. They have a variety of wines and canned beers to choose from. Plenty of extra brushes and paints if needed. Will definitely return!

Very cozy venue. They host many different paint nights so you can definitely find something of…read moreinterest. The instructors are very helpful.

I visited the studio and it was buzzing with activity. I spoke with several of the artists and…read morefound a painting of sunflowers by the artist Alfred J. Smith at an extremely reasonable price! Alfred was very kind and I was able to observe him painting while I was there. I'll be back!

This place is amazing. It's an art studio run by Arc for people with intellectual disabilities to…read morecraft and create. The artwork is inspiring because it is completely absent of pretention. This place really moved me and means so much as I have a sibling who I would love to see have access to a place like this. I can't wait to go back and buy some artwork - I inquired about volunteering but later realized they're only open during daytime weekday hours.

I am completely in love with this store. It's just gorgeous. Almost everything they sell is…read moresuper-cool, locally designed or made and has a clean beauty to it. In short, this is the single best place to go gift-shopping in town if you're looking for something really, really special or unique. I've purchased several of those marvelous RISD totes here - they come in fun color combinations and are very attractive. They're a great hostess gift or birthday pressie, and I absolutely love mine. Sure, some of the items are on the pricey side, and there is no parking, but this shop is so lovely that is almost feels as if you're still in the RISD Museum that it's attached to. It's a great place to take out-of-towners for souvenirs or to pick up a gift for someone. Truly.

RISD is one of the best art schools in the country, and the little gift shop attached to the RISM…read moreMuseum is a wonderful place to shop for gifts or souvenirs. My friend and I were visiting Providence and Newport for a weekend, she wanted to stop by the shop to see if she could find a nice souvenir. She didn't end up buying anything, but I did. Many of the works inside the store are made by alumni of RISD, including the ceramic sculpture I bought as a souvenir. They have your usual museum gift shop fare, but they also had some exceptional works of various sizes and prices and tastes. I definitely recommend visiting the shop if you're visiting Providence!