Founder and Executive Director Yarrow Thorne developed his passion for art and design in urban spaces growing up in a design-based family in Northampton, Massachusetts. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and for the last ten years has been learning how to support public art programming in the urban environment. While a student, Yarrow established RISD’s first public art policy to create revolving walls for artists to showcase their work.
 

In 2012, he was selected to receive one of twenty SEED Grants from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, which he used to found The Avenue Concept, a platform for a scalable and sustainable public art programming in Providence, Rhode Island. Yarrow’s vision for The Avenue Concept is a private organization that leverages support for public art projects to get off the ground, to jump-start excitement and recognition for art and its value in Providence and everyday life.
 

Yarrow believes his dyslexia is his greatest asset because through it he has developed his ability to work outside the box in many venues, particularly in finding creative solutions to urban challenges using public art. Yarrow has installed over 150 pieces of public art since 2012.