So Far

OPEN is a loose set of strategies for finding, documenting, and sharing things, with things defined in the loosest ways possible. Ideas, handhelds, memories, and monuments. OPEN is searching for new ways of searching; looking for new ways of looking. The project was established in 2025 by Ben Sisto, an artist and community organizer living in Providence, Rhode Island.

OPEN’s in a bit of a curious position—seeking to both present defined collections of specific things, while also working against the notion that realms of knowledge should be broken down along rigid boundaries. What to do? One thought is to establish a physical location that regularly hosts exhibitions, classes, and events in a rather freeform fashion. Not quite a gallery, library, museum, or archive—but a place to unite the worlds of everyday archivists and academics, of folk practices and institutional methodologies—to celebrate research and cultural production in all its forms.

Some Values

Being founded by an individual cisgender white man, OPEN acknowledges that in the presentation of objects and histories, we’re going to get some things wrong. The hope is that by demonstrating a commitment to supporting, listening to, and learning from the QTBIPOC+ community, the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples, emerging forms of intelligence, and all others marginalized and oppressed by state violence and capitalism, any missteps are viewed as non-malicious—as opportunities for conversation and growth. We are made from stories, and OPEN’s goal is to let those stories be brought forth in ways that minimize harm and maximize joy for all, through all mediums and systems known to exist and those yet to be understood, across all space and time.

What Comes Next

2025 is a bit of an establishing year; getting the word out that OPEN is even a thing. This includes:

  1. This website

  2. Participating in citywides, book fairs, libraries, etc.

  3. Move into our new physical space / office at 50 Sims Ave in Providence, Rhode Island

  4. Host a fundraiser event to support the development of our first three-year strategic plan