Not long ago, the folks at Gang, hosted The Big Friendly Developer and the Artist in Habitat. I’m reminded that the problem of finding affordable space for creative activities is not unique to Australia when I hear the story of Fort Thunder, an artist run live/work/social space that was housed in collection of old mill buildings. Fort Thunder was the epicentre of a vibrant DIY culture in Rhode Island from 1995 until 2001. The ending to the story now sounds predictable: big developer buys building, evicts artists and tears down the building to make way for a strip mall. Paving paradise indeed.
But that’s not really the ending. The Fort Thunder story continues through the art and music that grew out of the scene that the people who lived and worked there nurtured and developed. It’s also the subject of a retrospective, Wunderground Providence, 1995 to Present at the RISD Museum, running until January 7, 2007.
Curator Judith Tannenbaum’s first impressions of the space were noted in a recent this article about the show in The Providence Journal:
“There were literally hundreds of people packed into this cavernous old mill building. There was art everywhere — on the walls, the floors, hanging from the ceiling. There was music playing. People were dancing. And I remember thinking: ‘I have never seen anything quite like this before.’ ” Sounds like a dream.
Not only does the show look fantastic (about eight of the Fort Thunder artists were involved in its conception and execution) with over 2000 screenprinted posters for music and art shows, sound works and site-specific collaboration but for me it really drives home the importance of celebrating the success of such moments even if they reach disappointing conclusions. Storytelling doesn’t have to be hype, it can also be a powerful form of existence and ownership.
