Our Mission + Our People

AS220 is an artist-run organization committed to providing an unjuried and uncensored forum for the arts. AS220 offers artists opportunities to live, work, exhibit and/or perform in its facilities, which include several rotating gallery spaces, a performance stage, a black-box theater, a print shop, a darkroom and media arts lab, a fabrication and electronics lab, a dance studio, a youth program focusing on youth under state care and in the juvenile detention facilities, four dozen affordable live/work studios for artists, and a bar and restaurant. AS220’s facilities and services are available to any artist who needs a place to exhibit, perform, or create original work and its classes and public-access studios are among the most affordable in the nation.

AS220 was founded on the principle that freedom of expression is crucial for the development of strong communities and individual spirits. AS220’s vision for a local unjuried and uncensored forum for the arts was launched in a one-room rental above the Providence Performing Arts Center in 1985 with a budget of just $800. Today, the non-profit owns four mixed-use buildings, totaling over 100,000 square feet, in the heart of Providence’s downtown and represents a $25 million investment in downtown Providence. AS220 has earned a national reputation synonymous with an egalitarian, accessible approach to creative community – offering an alternative to the obstacles of conventional presenting venues.

We provide an inclusive forum for any and all Rhode Island artists to share their original artwork, embracing the full spectrum of the arts: theatre, dance, poetry, photography, music, printmaking, creative “hacking”, painting, puppetry, and beyond. AS220 is credited as a national model for urban revitalization and has been recognized nationally for its catalytic role in the revitalization of downtown Providence. We recently completed our 3rd, award-winning historic restoration project bringing us to a total of 100,000 square feet of lively, mixed-use space. Each of our buildings is comprised of a vibrant blend of local and arts-related program spaces including galleries, performance venues, and public-access art studios. AS220 has and continues to play a key role in the revitalization of downtown Providence while advocating for the intrinsic value of artists and art practice in the role of community development. Each year, AS220 serves over 1,000 artists and is destination for upwards of 93,000 people.

AS220 envisions a just world where all people can realize their full creative potential.
We, the people of Rhode Island, associate ourselves for the purpose of providing a local forum and home for the arts, through the maintenance of residential and work studios, galleries, performance and educational spaces. Exhibitions and performances in the forum will be unjuried, uncensored and open to the general public. Our facilities and services are made available to all artists who need a place to exhibit, perform, or create their original artwork, especially those who cannot obtain space to exhibit or perform from traditional sources because of financial or other limitations.
A value is a deeply held belief, ideal or principle that inspires action.

Creative at our core: we believe all people are born creative and that everyone is an artist. We embrace an expansive view of art and resist narrowly defined, Westernized and commercialized definitions of art and its value in society. We experiment with new ideas and alternative models that help us adapt to our staff and communities’ evolving needs. Our own creativity as artists informs all we do at AS220.

Building community: we believe there is magic and power in bringing people from different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, identities and perspectives together. We work to build genuine, reciprocal relationships with our artists, audiences, peer organizations and community collaborators, and to honor the connections we make. We nurture a spirit of volunteerism: we welcome and thank people who use their skills, knowledge, expertise and time to build community with us.

Freedom of expression: AS220 was founded on the principle that freedom of expression is crucial for the development of strong communities and individual spirits. We strive to facilitate opportunities for people to discover, explore, and nurture their own creativity and share their unique artistic voice.

Collective impact: we believe artists play a critical role in shaping our communities and together are a force for change. We bring our voices together to advocate, inspire, dream, dissent, engage and vision for the future we want to see for ourselves and our communities.

A just world: AS220 has a vision for a just and equitable world where all people can realize their full creative potential. We recognize systems of oppression — such as racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and economic and environmental injustice — are active in our communities, and we strive to work against their root causes while centering and celebrating the unique perspectives that help shape AS220’s community.

Racial justice: we believe that racism is the bedrock of our nation. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPoC) continue to be adversely impacted by the social systems present in our communities. AS220 is committed to examining how each dimension of racism shows up within our organization, and to work alongside those most impacted by racism to transform AS220 into an anti-racist space where BIPoC are not only centered in our work, but are shaping where we’re going in the future.

Facilitating access to artistic opportunities: we believe access to artistic opportunities can transform communities and change lives. We believe that providing access to knowledge, space, tools and technology supports people to come together, collaborate, experiment and take risks. We recognize different people need different forms of access to participate: we work to make full participation possible for our artists and audiences.

Intergenerational, lifelong learning: transformative learning happens when people have a sustained relationship with people and place. We work to provide opportunities for people to live and grow at AS220, and to bring their families into our spaces. Together we create an environment where people of all ages can participate, teach and learn from one another.

Generous and generative: AS220 generates ideas, opportunities, creative expression and community. We are dedicated to generously sharing our knowledge and expertise with others, supporting them to foster their own ideas, opportunities, nonprofits, creative communities, and more.

The power of process: as artists, we know the process is as important as the outcome. We value the learning, collaboration and potential for evolution — both personal and organizational — that exists in the process of doing, and reflecting on, our work. We seek to create inclusive processes and space, and to work collaboratively with our staff and communities. We strive to ensure that our values, initiatives, and decisions reflect the will of our communities while recognizing the inevitability of differing perspectives and ideas.

Transparency: we strive to be open with each other and our communities about how we do our work, and where we need to improve. We challenge ourselves not to be defensive, and to work towards a culture of openness, honesty, responsiveness and mutual accountability. We know there is no such thing as perfection: we encourage ourselves and others to learn from mistakes.

Tours & Consultations

AS220 offers a wide range of services to individuals, organizations, and municipalities. As a result of increased demand it is essential that we value the time of our staff to deliver on this mission. All prices are baselines, and subject to change or vary depending on the terms of the request. Requests requiring specialized expertise, larger groups, or extended time frames may incur additional charges. All charges will be made known prior to engagement.

All inquiries are managed by Dave Dvorchak, Communications Director. For more information, please send Dave a message.

Approximate costs of the various services that AS220 offers can be found below:

General Tour – $200
Extended/Specialized Tour – $300
Panel Discussions – $500 + expenses
Keynote Presentations – $2,500 + expenses
Initial Phone Assessment (30 min) – Free
General Consultations, Interviews and Follow up Assessments (1 hr) – $100
In-House (at AS220) In-Person Consultation (up to 3 hrs) – $500
Practice//Practice Faculty Finders Fee – $100
In-Depth In-House (at AS220) All Day Consultation w/ up to 4 Staff Members – $1,000
In-Depth Visiting All Day Consultation w/ up to 3 Staff Members – $2,000 + expenses
Implementation Support, (4) 2 hr Phone Sessions – $1,000
Individual Year-long Mentoring/Advising – negotiated based on scope
Personalized Workshop Development and Delivery- $1,500 *approx

Job Openings

AS220 is a non-profit community arts organization in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. We own three buildings in downtown Providence, where we provide Rhode Island artists with affordable access to galleries, performance venues, educational opportunities, residential spaces, and work studios. AS220 envisions a just world where all people can realize their full creative potential.
General Description
This position’s focus is a “Primary Care” approach to AS220’s buildings: routine maintenance and inspections, investigating and diagnosing problems, and either fixing those problems or determining when a specialist is needed.
AS220 Property Maintenance Technicians work closely with the Property Manager and the Live/Work Program Coordinator to maintain and improve AS220’s three mixed-use buildings. AS220 is deeply rooted in our physical space, and in turn our physical space should reflect our values, especially our values around facilitating access, building community, and being creative at our core. In addition, AS220 has launched a Racial Justice Initiative, with the goal of co-creating an anti-racist and liberatory culture at AS220. See below for more about AS220.

Primary Responsibilities:
Maintenance:
- Perform a variety of building and equipment repairs including basic plumbing, carpentry, painting and finishing, HVAC, machinery repair, and electrical.
- Complete tasks from AS220’s Routine Maintenance Plan in a timely manner.
- Facilitate inspections of fire alarms, elevators, sprinkler and suppression systems, cooking, and exhaust equipment.
- Perform apartment turnovers: paint, clean & repair as needed in residential apartments and artist work studios; assist with security deposit assessment.
- Be aware of and minimize costs to help reach repair and maintenance budget goals.
- Research and purchase supplies, parts, and tools.
Facilities Management:
- Ensure clean, safe, and orderly building common areas and storage areas.
- Monitor the shared trash and recycling corral area and address instances of misuse.
- Work with program leaders to assist with building projects or facility needs.
- Assemble, install, and move equipment and furniture.
- Advise the Leadership Team and Program Directors of how any changes in AS220 policies and practices will impact our physical resources.
The ideal candidate will:
- Have past experience in carpentry, painting & finishing, minor electrical, and basic plumbing.
- Be familiar with care and maintenance of motors, water heaters, washers and dryers, etc.
- Be investigative: likes working through a problem, figuring out what’s wrong, and coming up with solutions.
- Manage time efficiently and prioritize tasks based on urgency.
- Be able to perform routine maintenance (training provided) and stick to a schedule
- Support an anti-racist workplace.
- Be organized and oriented towards tracking details and keeping records.
- Have the people skills to work collaboratively with tenants, contractors and staff from a variety of backgrounds.
- Be curious to learn new skills and understand the mechanical details of our 3 buildings
- Be able to lift 50 lbs.
- Be comfortable with occasionally cleaning up various types of filth/unappealing substances.
- Have an affinity for the arts and/or understanding of AS220’s mission, vision and values.
The following are a plus:
- Experience with HVAC
- Knowledge and fluency in health and safety regulations and building codes
- IT infrastructure skills: running cable, servicing ethernet drops and network hardware
- Willingness to teach skills and train up future property maintenance workers, potentially including AS220 Youth members
- Bilingual (ideally English & Spanish) fluency.
Reports to: Property Manager
PAY, HOURS & BENEFITS
This is a part-time position starting at 20 hours per week with potential to grow depending on skillset and the needs of the organization. The position is paid at $21 per hour, increasing annually with tenure. Benefits include:
- Online Healthiest You membership (teladoc platform)
- A generous paid time off policy
- Supportive, racially just workplace culture
- Benefits associated with access to AS220’s programs
TO APPLY:
Please send us a resume and a brief email telling us what draws you to AS220 and why you are a good fit for this role. Email your resume to jobs@as220.org with “Property Maintenance” as the subject. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, February 26. AS220 is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Creative potential is energized and unleashed in a diverse and inclusive community. Here at AS220, we believe in celebrating diversity by working with, partnering, engaging, including and encouraging all ideas, colors, origins, orientations, identities, expressions, status’ and abilities alike. Take a look at our current positions, and apply freely.

AS220 provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law. In addition to federal law requirements, AS220 complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in all our locations. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

AS220 expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Improper interference with the ability of AS220’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

AS220 is compliant with the American's with Disabilities Act. If you are in need of a reasonable accommodation based upon a qualified disability, please contact hr@as220.org directly.

Note that while we adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, this is our community, our partners and our stance. We strongly believe that this is the right, fair, and consistent way to participate in community.