The 2018 season begins on March 15th. You can go the 3rd Thursday of every month for a fun free evening. You can go to the galleries on your own, or you can hop on a bus tour from the Regency Plaza. The member galleries change their shows monthly so there is always something new to see.

Did you know that the art galleries in Providence are open for extended hours for free on the 3rd Thursday of every month? You are free to drive around and visit the galleries on your own, or you can park for free at the Regency downtown and hope on an art bus for a 2 hour tour visiting 5 galleries. The tours and the gallery shows change monthly, so you can go every month and see something different. Many of the galleries serve refreshments. Lots of fun.

I have been thinking of going for gallery night for a while and finally managed the November event. Here is the description from their own website Gallery Night Providence is a free, fun-filled introduction to Providence's exciting art scene! On the third Thursday of the month, from March through November, over two dozen of the city's hot art spots open their doors inviting you to a visual arts party. You can either do it as a tour or on your own. There are multiple tour options from 5 to 7. Each tour lasts for 2 hrs. Each tour has a theme kind of and takes you to 4 different places. You get to travel free in a school bus. That was my first time in school bus so that was fun. The tour has a volunteer guide/facilitator. For our tour we also had a guest guide - docent of the Brown house museum. He talked about Providence history and neighborhoods as the bus went from one location to another. We got to spend 20+ mins at each location. Talked with actual artists about their work. It was great. Everybody was really warm and welcoming and wanted to share. The other way to do gallery night is to pick up information about participating places from the booth at Regency plaza. Pick and choose the places you want to see and then do the visiting yourself. The Brown house museum has free entry to the first floor of the museum on gallery night days. Some of the private studios are opened for public by the artists and some of the museums or art showcases in the many Univs also have special lectures. Visiting those places is a good use of this particular day. All the places are open for free from 5-9 pm. Some also have little snacks, wine etc. Personally, when I go again in March, I will do the tour as two of the best things about the tour were - wonderful conversations with random strangers on the bus and getting a background on the places we visited by the guide.

I have attended every Gallery Night since I moved to the city a few months ago as a young professional. This is such a great way to get to know local artists, drink some wine, have some fun and look at some beautiful artwork. I really enjoy going every month and checking out the different art galleries around the city. Wonderful variety and non-intimidating art scene.

This is a great idea, in part, because the quality of the art can vary. The eclectic nature of the tours makes this a great experience. If you can get a small group together it can be the first step to a really great night. Providence is now a good city to walk around and go to bars and clubs with a good conversation already started from the tour