Skip To Menu
Skip To Content
Skip To Accessibility Options
Skip To Language Options
Providence Commemoration Lab

A collaboration of the Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism and the Rhode Island Historical Society. Funded in part by the Mellon Foundation and the American Rescue Plan.

Photo by Cat Laine, Painted Foot Studio

Shey Rí Acu Rivera Ríos

Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos (they/them/elle) was born and raised in Borikén/Puerto Rico and is rooted in community in Providence, RI, land of the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples. Rivera is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker who uses storytelling across mediums to create immersive worlds of magic and liberation. They have 15 years of experience in the arts and culture sector, interweaving community development, urban planning, and racial equity. Rivera is Creative Catalyst Director of One Square World, a racial and environmental justice organization that builds liberatory structures alongside communities. Rivera is also founder of Studio Loba, a storytelling lab for art and culture projects that support social change. Past leadership roles include: Director of Inclusive Regional Development at MIT CoLab, Dept of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT. And Artistic/Co-Director of AS220, a renowned arts organization and creative incubator in Providence, RI. Rivera is committed to art as a catalyst for social change and honoring community stories and lived experience as the knowledge that can help us craft more just and sustainable futures. Notable projects include: Lead curator for public art projects El Corazón de Holyoke and Mi Gente Public Art in Providence; transmedia artworks MoralDocs (2020-21) and FANTASY ISLAND (2017-2020), Luna Loba performance series, theatrical productions Antigonx (2022) and Fire Flowers and a Time Machine (2020); and co-curator of PORTALES: Reimagining the Future (2022), an exhibition of the role of artists supporting communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement against racial injustice.

Photo by Cat Laine, Painted Foot Studio

Shey Rí Acu Rivera Ríos

Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos (they/them/elle) was born and raised in Borikén/Puerto Rico and is rooted in community in Providence, RI, land of the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples. Rivera is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker who uses storytelling across mediums to create immersive worlds of magic and liberation. They have 15 years of experience in the arts and culture sector, interweaving community development, urban planning, and racial equity. Rivera is Creative Catalyst Director of One Square World, a racial and environmental justice organization that builds liberatory structures alongside communities. Rivera is also founder of Studio Loba, a storytelling lab for art and culture projects that support social change. Past leadership roles include: Director of Inclusive Regional Development at MIT CoLab, Dept of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT. And Artistic/Co-Director of AS220, a renowned arts organization and creative incubator in Providence, RI. Rivera is committed to art as a catalyst for social change and honoring community stories and lived experience as the knowledge that can help us craft more just and sustainable futures. Notable projects include: Lead curator for public art projects El Corazón de Holyoke and Mi Gente Public Art in Providence; transmedia artworks MoralDocs (2020-21) and FANTASY ISLAND (2017-2020), Luna Loba performance series, theatrical productions Antigonx (2022) and Fire Flowers and a Time Machine (2020); and co-curator of PORTALES: Reimagining the Future (2022), an exhibition of the role of artists supporting communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement against racial injustice.

Photo by Cat Laine, Painted Foot Studio

Shey Rí Acu Rivera Ríos

Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos (they/them/elle) was born and raised in Borikén/Puerto Rico and is rooted in community in Providence, RI, land of the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples. Rivera is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker who uses storytelling across mediums to create immersive worlds of magic and liberation. They have 15 years of experience in the arts and culture sector, interweaving community development, urban planning, and racial equity. Rivera is Creative Catalyst Director of One Square World, a racial and environmental justice organization that builds liberatory structures alongside communities. Rivera is also founder of Studio Loba, a storytelling lab for art and culture projects that support social change. Past leadership roles include: Director of Inclusive Regional Development at MIT CoLab, Dept of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT. And Artistic/Co-Director of AS220, a renowned arts organization and creative incubator in Providence, RI. Rivera is committed to art as a catalyst for social change and honoring community stories and lived experience as the knowledge that can help us craft more just and sustainable futures. Notable projects include: Lead curator for public art projects El Corazón de Holyoke and Mi Gente Public Art in Providence; transmedia artworks MoralDocs (2020-21) and FANTASY ISLAND (2017-2020), Luna Loba performance series, theatrical productions Antigonx (2022) and Fire Flowers and a Time Machine (2020); and co-curator of PORTALES: Reimagining the Future (2022), an exhibition of the role of artists supporting communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement against racial injustice.