Creating Change: How New Urban Arts Transforms Youth Through Expression

A shopkeeper’s bell rings as a student walks through the door of a sunlit studio on Westminster Street. Inside, teens and mentors look up to greet them with smiles. Above the entrance, a banner of bright paper letters reads: “We take care of ourselves, we take care of each other, and we take care of the studio.” Welcome to New Urban Arts, a Providence nonprofit where creativity and community intertwine. Founded in 1997 by four college students and 10 high schoolers seeking a safe space for all to create freely, the initiative began as a small arts mentoring program in a modest loft above Grace Church, then called Project New Urban Arts, and has since grown into a nationally recognized organization for its approaches to artmaking, education, and youth empowerment.

Open every weekday from 2-6pm, New Urban Arts (NUA) is a free, drop-in afterschool studio welcoming high school students from across Rhode Island who explore and create art on their own terms. Some stay for half an hour, others for the full four, depending on their schedule. Between the studio programs and NUA Knights, an initiative providing most of the extracurricular activities at Central High School, NUA serves over 1,000 students each year through projects, workshops, and exhibitions. The space offers shared tools and resources that make art accessible for those facing systemic barriers to creative opportunities. Staff and volunteer mentors listen more than they lecture, ask questions instead of giving answers, and encourage students to step outside their comfort zones.

“Our goal is to create an environment where students feel seen, heard, and valued,” says Executive Director Jannelle Codianni. “When young people feel safe to be themselves, they expand their sense of what’s possible.”

And the possibilities don’t stop there. NUA offers a range of free flagship programs that give students even more opportunities to grow. The Youth Mentorship in the Arts pairs around 20 artist mentors with small groups of high school students to develop powerful guiding relationships. A Life After School (ALAS) program supports juniors and seniors as they navigate college, internships, and job applications, and provides microgrants for creative and educational endeavors. In the summer, ALAS and Art Inquiry internships immerse youth in four-week thematic projects, complete with field trips, public exhibitions, and stipends upon completion.

Since 2017, the NUA Knights partnership at Central High School has brought youth-led programming directly into the school, offering over 20 after-school activities from a cooking club to eSports.

For Codianni, the heart of NUA’s success lies in its team of dedicated staff. “Everyone here cares deeply and genuinely for the students in the space and the community we steward,” she explains. “All staff understand how vital it is for students to feel empowered, accepted, and supported by trusted adults. That experience stays with them long after they leave, shaping their work, their futures, and the communities they are part of.”

Under Codianni’s leadership, and in the face of challenges to community, support systems, and core values such as freedom of expression, NUA has focused on expanding and strengthening its network. The organization is planning collaborative events with fellow high school youth-serving organizations in Providence and finding new ways for alumni to stay involved through creative events and casual gatherings. In every brushstroke of paint, developing photographs, and thoughtful conversation, its mission endures: agency, connection, and belonging through creative expression.

“My goal for the future of NUA is that it continues to be an accessible, safe space where young people feel empowered to be and express themselves,” says Codianni. “Our students deserve our belief in their promising futures and our determination to protect their right to be free, expressive, and authentic. I’m excited for a future created by the clear, inspired vision of today’s young people.” 705 Westminster Street. Learn more at NewUrbanArts.org.