Artists secretly lived in a Providence mall for years

A group of artists turned a hidden area of a shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island, into a secret living space for four years. This unusual story started in 2003, when a few young artists decided to explore the newly built Providence Place mall. They took inspiration from a radio ad about a mother wishing she could live at the mall. The artists found a forgotten 750-square-foot space in the mall's upper floors. With creativity and persistence, they built a makeshift apartment, furnishing it with couches, a TV, and other home essentials. They even managed to smuggle in construction materials to add walls and a door. They were about to install plumbing when security discovered them in 2007. A documentary titled Secret Mall Apartment shares their story. Director Jeremy Workman highlights the experiences of the artists, who were mostly unknown until now. The mall, constructed in 1999, took over a lower-income neighborhood where many artists lived. The project aimed to gentrify the area and often excluded the local community. Michael Townsend, one of the artists, became known as the leader of the group. He used the secret apartment to protest against being pushed out of their creative spaces. The film features footage shot by the artists themselves, showing their struggle to adapt to their unusual living situation while evading security. Workman effectively combines these home videos with interviews from the artists today, emphasizing how their creativity and spirit shaped their lives. The filmmakers remind viewers of the deeper significance of their project and how it stands as a critique of urban development and isolation. The documentary will premiere at the Showcase Providence Place Cinemas, allowing Townsend and the other artists to revisit the space they once called home.