Screenings of 'Secret Mall Apartment'

Press release

SECRET MALL APARTMENT
SCREENINGS & CONVERSATIONS
AT REAL ART WAYS

HARTFORD, CONN. Real Art Ways presents special screenings of Secret Mall Apartment, a new documentary directed by Jeremy Workman and executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg, followed by conversations on Saturday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 6. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street in Hartford, CT 06106.

Secret Mall Apartment is a fascinating and offbeat documentary that follows a group of artists who secretly built and lived in a hidden apartment inside the Providence Place Mall (Rhode Island) for four years—completely under the radar. Blending themes of urban exploration, creative resistance, and community, the film is both a quirky caper and a profound meditation on space, ownership, and the role of art in reclaiming the everyday.

On Saturday, May 3, after the 7 p.m. screening, we will host tape artist Michael Townsend (the main subject of the documentary) and AS220 co-founder and artist Umberto Crenca for a special conversation about their shared love of the arts, artist live/work spaces, and the power of art in cities. This discussion will be moderated by Real Art Ways' Executive Director, Will K. Wilkins. $15 General Admission / $12 Real Art Ways Members / $8 Full-time Students. Advance tickets can be purchased here.

On Tuesday, May 6, after the 7 p.m. screening, we will host “How We Living: A Q&A on Livability in Hartford w/Taneisha Duggan Director of Arts, Culture and Entertainment and Jeff Auker Director of Development Services.” Artists, creatives, and community members in the Hartford region are invited to join this conversation. This event is sponsored by the City of Hartford and is free to attend with advance registration. Community members can register here for free tickets.