WaterFire is a sculpture by

Barnaby Evans Barnaby Evans (born 1953) is an American artist who works in many media including site-specific sculpture installations, photography, film, garden design, architectural projects, writing and conceptual works. Evans is best known for WaterFire, a ...

presented on the rivers of downtown

Providence, RI Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. It was first created by Evans in 1994 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of First Night Providence, and has since become a free public art installation. WaterFire's symbolism and interpretation reflects on the recognition that individuals must act together to strengthen and preserve their community. On WaterFire evenings, downtown Providence is transformed by eighty-six burning braziers (each with approximately 33 pieces of wood); some float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through

Waterplace Park Waterplace Park is an urban park situated along the Woonasquatucket River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island at the original site of the Great Salt Cove. Finished in 1994, Waterplace Park is connected to 3/4 mile of cobblestone-paved pedestrian ...

(the

Woonasquatucket River The Woonasquatucket River (pronounced , Algonquian for "where the salt water ends") is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...

) and the middle of downtown Providence (the Moshassuck and

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

rivers; others are mounted on the piers of former bridges. The public is invited to come and walk the riverfront and enjoy the flickering firelight, the fragrant scent of aromatic wood smoke, the changing silhouettes of the volunteer fire tenders, and the music. Average attendance is 40,000 a night, ranging from 10,000 to 100,000. WaterFire is held May through November, with lightings typically on Saturday evenings once or twice a month. The rivers are tidal, so events are normally scheduled to take place when sunset coincides with an incoming high tide.

WaterFire Providence

WaterFire Providence WaterFire is a sculpture by Barnaby Evans presented on the rivers of downtown Providence, RI. It was first created by Evans in 1994 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of First Night Providence, and has since become a free public art installation. ...

is the independent 501(C)(3) non-profit arts organization responsible for presenting WaterFire.

consists of about 15 staff members and relies heavily upon volunteers for the production of WaterFire. On a given night, up to 160 volunteers make the entire event possible.

History

Evans created the first WaterFire, named ''First Fire'' on New Year's Eve 1994 as part of the tenth annual of

First Night First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors ...

Providence. ''First Fire'' consisted of 11 braziers on steel tripods stretching from WaterPlace Basin to Steeple Street. In June 1996, Barnaby created ''Second Fire'' for the Convergence Art Festival and the International Sculpture Conference. Through the support of volunteers, WaterFire returned as a seasonal event. WaterFire gained regional attention and a coordinated effort to fund the project began. In 1997, WaterFire expanded to 42 braziers, and had an estimated attendance of 350,000 people over the entire season. Evans received The Renaissance Award for his effort to revitalize downtown Providence, and WaterFire became the symbol of the city's renaissance. For the 1998 installation, WaterFire expanded to include 81 fires, with expansions up the

Moshassuck River The Moshassuck River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 from the town of Lincoln to the city of Provide ...

and into the basin at

. WaterFire now enjoys national and international renown.

Proliferation

* In June 1998 Barnaby Evans installed WaterFire in Houston, Texas on the Buffalo Bayou. * In July 2005 Barnaby Evans designed a WaterFire installation in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, called WaterFire Columbus. * In 2007, Barnaby Evans created a new installation in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

on Brush Creek near Country Club Plaza and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. * On September 24 and 25, 2011, Barnaby Evans installed WaterFire in Singapore. The flame from Singapore was sent electronically to Providence to light WaterFire there. The next day, the flame from Providence was sent electronically to Singapore to light WaterFire there. * On September 21 and 22, 2012, Barnaby Evans installed WaterFire in Rome on the Tiber River between Ponte Sisto and Ponte Giuseppe Mazzini on the Vatican side of the river near the old city. * In August 2013, Barnaby Evans designed a WaterFire installation in

Sharon, Pennsylvania Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest o ...

on the Shenango River, called WaterFire Sharon.

References

External links

WaterFire website

by Carlo Rotella
The Butterfly Effect blog entry
about WaterFire
thisplaceiknow.com entry
for WaterFire {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterfire Festivals in Rhode Island Culture of Providence, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Providence, Rhode Island Arts organizations based in Rhode Island Fire in culture 1994 establishments in Rhode Island Recurring events established in 1994