Featuring Michael Casey, Caleb Neelon, Capoeira Rosa Rubra/Mestre Calango, and poet Jessica Smith. The Urban Village Arts Series (UVAS) invites artists to downtown Lowell to give short performances or talks about their work. Novelists, non-fiction writers, sculptors, filmmakers, painters, poets, and contemporary and classical musicians have given stunning performances during Lowell's three years of hosting the series. Designed to be a dynamic, compact presentation of local, regional and national talent, UVAS supports working artists by connecting them with an audience that will appreciate and support their talents. It also encourages students and faculty of UMass Lowell to come to downtown as performers and audience members while reaching out to residents and regional audiences. Members of the Lowell Poetry Network and Bootstrap Productions organize and produce between four and six UVAS shows per year.