OPEN is a Best of Rhode Island Editor’s Pick, 2026!
OPEN has received a plaque with the phrase “Culture Cube” on it in; a gift from our friends at Rhode Island Monthly. As part of their 2026 Best of Rhode Island program, we were given the honor of being an Editors’ Pick. Their words:
“Artist and organizer Ben Sisto wasn’t content bemoaning the loss of Rhode Island’s third spaces - parks, coffee shops and the like where people can gather and socialize - so he set out to create his own. Nestled inside a building in Providence’s Valley neighborhood is OPEN, a 200-square-foot experimental space that’s hosted everything from exhibits with pounding bass notes that shook the room, a one-night review of works by RISD interior architecture students, and garments celebrated for their stains, discoloration, and tears.”
Now, this is all great and, we don’t mean to nitpick but OPEN is not a cube. It is a Rectangular Parallelepiped. We would also accept Cuboid. But really, our thanks to Dana and the whole team for this kind acknowledment as we wrap up the very first year of being OPEN.
At the awards ceremony, we met up with one of our state’s true treasures, Matthew Lawrence who taught us that:
The Cavanagh Company, based in Greenville, Rhode Island, is the dominant producer of communion wafers in the U.S. 80% market share.
Gregg’s Restaurants in Warwick, Rhode Island invented POSitouch.
