the year of prov • i • dence a year-long acknowledgment of place and concept This initiatve is sponsored by the Office of International Programs, Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Office of Public Engagement. [prŏv'ĭ-dəns, -děns'] noun 1. Care or preparation in advance; foresight 2. Prudent management; economy 3. The care guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction 4. The capital and largest city of Rhode Island, a post at the head of Narragansett Bay. The Year of Providence is an acknowledgment of place and concept, a yearlong initiative committed to broad investigation and intentional collaboration.  We will fully explore the concept of providence as foresight, prudent management and divine direction.  At the same time, The Year of Providence recognizes that RISD's home in the Capital City is a rationale and impetus for exploring the many contexts across which we encounter its geography and meaning.   This yearlong focus provides multiple intersections for learning and rich possibilities for sharing that help to strengthen our sense of self and inform our engagement with others.  This project uses curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular opportunities to produce meaningful and impactful learning.  programs   Get to Know Providence:  Providence, RI is one of the oldest cities in North America. With a history spanning nearly 400 years, the city's landscape narrates the history of the United States and echos the history of those people who inhabited this land prior to European colonization. In addition to a long and complex history, Providence supports a vital contemporary cultural life. Visit our growing list of resources, news sources and activities for getting to know your city. Free Food for Thought is designed to promote dialogue on campus around contemporary questions of diversity and social justice. Free Food for Thought is an opportunity for twenty member of the RISD community to regularly join together to share a meal and have a discussion. Conversaciones (Conversations):  About 150 people attended the opening of this invitational art exhibition produced in response to The City of Providence's declaration of September as Hispanic Heritage Month and in conjunction with 'The Year of Providence Initiative. 'Conversaciones' serves as a connecting point and dialogue between RISD and the Providence community through exhibiting the work of artists of Latin American ancestry who range from emerging to established artists/designers. Artists representing the Rhode Island based art community, the RISD student population, and RISD alumni were featured in The RISD Multicultural Center's Yellow House Gallery. Exhibition dates: Monday, 9/14 to Friday, 9/25. East Bay Bike Path: On 20 September, the Office of Public Engagement sponsored a community bike ride along the East Bay Bike Path to the Farm-e-Que, a campus-wide picnic at Tillinghast Estate. Information about the city's industrial waterfront, Narragansett Bay and the communities along the bike path was shared with the 30 riders who joined us. Environmental Justice Community Day:  Sponsored in partnership with the RISD Initiative on Sustainability and the Environment, this series of talks, discussions and community field trips was attended by about 20 students and faculty on 26 September 2009. Future site visits will be organized by the Office of Public Engagement throughout the fall semester.