MINISTRY OF FUTURE AXIS
Artistic programs that bring people together
Vivir experiencias creativas y procesos de aprendizaje en grupos fortalece nuestra vínculo con las historias y las vidas que nos rodean. El Ministerio valora esto como acto fundacional en prácticas creativas, así como indicador de salud artística, y genera oportunidades para acceder a ellas.
Creative joy and learning processes with a group deepens our relationship with the stories and lives around us. The Ministry believes these are core values in creative practices and indicators of artistic health –so it provides opportunities to enjoy them.
“Nan Joubá is uniquely qualified to bridge and cultivate culturally sensitive, trusting relationships among institutions, their staff, artists, and the community as a whole”
Cheryl Space, Director
Community Libraries of Providence
2025
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Visual artists Chris Tavares and Monica Hurley co-created a mural at the Smith Hill Community Library, inviting input from the neighbors.
Both artists were also part of a personalized coaching session series offered by the Ministry which consisted in financial literacy and support to sustain creative practices.
In the South Providence Community Library, the theater group Arte Latino New England (ALNE) offered theater sessions in Spanish and workshopped scenes from the Birdcage. To culminate their creative process, they adapted and staged a scene from the play which they called “Jaula Charla Bar”.
2025
GATHERING SESSIONS
SESSION #1 | Systems of Support
Stephanie Fortunato and Nan Joubá explored systems of support from different creative ecosystems and shared them in the context of Providence, RI.
SESSION #2 | Spaces of Practice
Specific guidance on space, equipment and support for creative practices at community libraries and beyond. Guest artist and local-maker Alex Hornstein introduced how to succesfully run Kickstarter campaigns in order to support his projects at the intersection of science, technology and art.
SESSION #3 | Arte y Salud (en Español)
Conversación con artista invitada Sussy Santana y gestora cultural Carolina Briones sobre las diferentes maneras en las que nuestra calidad de vida puede mejorar con prácticas artisticas en comunidad.
SESSION #4 | Embodying Visions
In the last session of this series, we discussed ways to structure new projects and get them off the ground with strategic entrepreneur Walther Morales Ríos. With tools at the Entrepreneurship Center and beyond. As usual, we’ll also watch a video from “Time Has Told Me” to anchor our conversations, and finish by sharing concrete resources available to library patrons.
2024
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Melanie Hicken and Christopher Ransom worked on a short-film project addressing the history of displacement and gentrification in the Lippitt Hill neighborhood through careful research and observation.
During the production process, neighbors were invited to participate in film screenings and discussions. Each encounter meant to confront contradictions of the present, stories and images from the past, and different points of view from community members as a way to cultivate a deeper understanding of the area.
Continuing the “Art in the Neighborhood” initiative in partnership with the Communities Libraries of Providence (CLPVD), this year’s program offered structural and financial support for artists to innitiate a creative process within the Rochambeau Community Library. Read more about the program here.
2023
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
Hosted by Nan Joubá, these weekly gatherings shared skills and techniques for capturing and editing audio recordings, and hosted a series of interviews for the podcast show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. Guest interviewees included: Julio E. Berroa, Atlas, Anabel Vázquez Rodríguez and Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos.
Deepening the innitiative “Art in the Neighborhood” and Nan Joubá’s research into stories of migration from the Americas, this year’s program at the Olneyville Community Library was supported by the Community Libraries of Providence as well as by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH).
2022
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
NEW ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM
In partnership with the Community Libraries of Providence, we launched “Arte y Vecindario / Art in the Neighborhood” to strengthen the creative practices of local artists and give neighbors access to experiental learning opportunities. This program is made possible with support from the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS).
This year we are inviting Spanish speaking artists that work and live in Rhode Island to develop a project open to the neighbors of three different libraries: South Providence, Knight Memorial, and Mount Pleasant. Artists will be in-residency at each library for 3 months (May-July); receive $4,000 in compensation for their labor; and have access to up to $500 in materials for project expenses.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ALFONSO ACEVEDO hosted weekly workshops to create “Mobile Murals” with the neighbors of Elmwood. These workshops were open to all ages, and offered an opportunity to decide and execute each mural collectively, with the technical assistance of the artist in residency. Alfonso has also hosted an artist talk with a guest artist about the role that art making plays in communities in Colombia.
FESTUM TEATRO has offered “Creation and Celebration”, weekly workhops for children and their families to learn how to play musical instruments, create masks, and eventually parade in the streets of Mount Pleasant. The artists in residence created a safe space for play and experimentation; and culminated their residency with a parade and bingo event that gathered all the families involved.
2021
CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
“CONECTANDO” Workshop Series
The Ministry of Future Axis (then “MFAccess”) and host institution Community Libraries of Providence (CLP) first collaborated on a series of bilingual workshops and public conversations offered for free to 5 neighborhoods of Providence RI. These collective learning opportunities compensated artists and cultural practitioners to approach a wide variety of topics, including:
- Creative Writing
- Local Filmmaking
- Project Production
- Art, Health & Activistm
- Dancing with Roots
- Immigration counseling
- Street Theater
- Every-day maps
This program was made possible with support from the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS).
SHUBAPPOI 