A new documentary titled *Secret Mall Apartment*, directed by Jeremy Workman and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, tells the true story of eight artists who secretly built and lived in a hidden apartment inside the Providence Place mall in Providence, Rhode Island, for four years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Led by Michael Townsend, the group—including Adriana Valdez Young, Andrew Oesch, Jay Zehngebot, Colin Bliss, James Mercer, Greta Scheing, and Emily Ustach—transformed a forgotten dead zone of the corporate complex into a living space and art collective headquarters, calling the project "Malllife." The film features never-before-identified participants and footage of their discovery by mall authorities.
This story matters because it captures a moment of grassroots resistance against gentrification and consumerism in the art world, highlighting how artists repurposed a symbol of corporate development into a site of creative defiance. The documentary also connects to the broader history of Providence's artist communities, including the legendary Fort Thunder collective, and underscores the ongoing tension between urban development and cultural preservation. It offers a compelling narrative about the lengths artists will go to reclaim space and maintain their creative autonomy.