RezaRitesRi.com

By Reza Corinne Clifton

(This article appeared in the August 31 edition of The Providence American Newspaper.)

(Artist and Loom Gallery/Studio co-founder, Marie Popko; artist and Straight Mixed Culture co-founder, Sidney Tillet)

PROVIDENCE, RI - Although I like to consider myself a thoughtful and moderate, if not mild merrymaker, not the strangulation of critical air conditioning on a humid mid-August night, the gnawing, shooting pains on the balls of my feet, nor the look pleading a goodbye in hostess Marie Popko’s eyes could stop me from wiggling, grinding and swaying on the dance floor on a recent Saturday night.

This was not the scene of a strobe light-engulfing, high-energy dance club, nor a classic, explosive house party. This was Straight Mixed Culture V (Five) at Loom Studio/Gallery at 64 Eagle Street in Providence, on August 19. It was an event that started at 7:00 PM on Saturday that saw people leaving a few minutes short of sunrise on Sunday, and the fifth in an explosive art series.

The first Straight Mixed Culture (SMC) took place at Monohasset Mills and it featured artists Tet Pwav, Damian Ewens, and Sidney Tillet, as well as poet Christopher Johnson and critically acclaimed local hip hop group, Riders Against the Storm (RAS).

Explains Tillet, SMC cofounder and artist:

“SMC started with a conversation between [artist and former colleague of Tillet’s] Damian Ewens and I. He saw my work—which was not as crisp then as it is now, and this led us into a conversation, and then follow through. We put it together on a whim, and all of the expenses came out of pocket.

“It really came together at SMCIII (three),” continues Tillet, “which was at the Ron Wexler Studio. It was people who really understood the mission, who understood how much hard work it takes; people who said we’re all here because of SMC. It’s not about the money, but the art and getting people together to enjoy it.”

(During a perfromance at SMCV, two members of Didakan, Brian DiMartino and Zack Jaebar, look toward the group’s lead drummer, Issa Coulilaly, who is not shown. Didakan is a RI-area drum troupe that performs in a West African style.)

SMCIII was significant financially, though, for many pieces were sold. But there was a clear impact for the development of what is not just art series, but a “grassroots organization providing a culturally aware forum for the celebration of art and life.”

One of the featured artists in the show was Shane Flox, who was later selected by one of the founders to co-manage SMC alongside Tillet. One of the attendees seeing Flox’s work for the first time was future cofounder of Loom Studio, Andy Trench. Explains Trench:

“Shane and I met at SMCIII. I remember seeing Shane’s stuff and just being so impressed and thinking ‘where did this guy come from.’ Then we met [there] and started talking, and soon after SMC, we started working together.

“SMCIII really rekindled my belief about the Providence art scene. [Contrary to what he has witnessed with SMC,] The art scene here is very exclusive.”

Popko also attended SMCIII, and she recalls having a similar reaction as the one of Trench: “I already know Andy, but I arrived at SMCIII late, after Andy, Shane, and others had left. When I saw Shane’s work, and the other works, I thought, who is this?” As an arts and mentoring coordinator at AS220, Popko remembers being plagued with the question of “How can I help?” and the thought, “They need to meet the people I know!”

Not long after SMCIII, Trench and Popko finalized the vision and plans for Loom Studio/Gallery to, as their mission states, “exhibit art, create art, and meet artists,” with an emphasis on local and lesser-known artists. Flox and Trench were working together as they had since SMCIII, and earlier this year in March, Popko, Trench—and Flox—moved into the Loom space, on Eagle Street. The building’s use, they report, dates back as far as the late 1800’s, when it was used as a “wool dying and weaving factory that manufactured material used in Union Army uniforms during the Civil War.”

By March, Flox was also working full time with Tillet on organizing SMCIV (four), which was slated to take place again at Ron Wexler Studio.

Almost immediately after Popko, Trench, and Flox moved in, and about a week before the March 10 SMCIV show, Flox and Tillet received word that the show could no longer happen at Ron Wexler Studio. Without hesitation and with goods still boxed Trench offered up use of the Loom space, which sent him, Flox, and Popko accelerating the moving and refurbishing. Explains Popko, “We literally painted all night for 3-4 days straight—after full days of work!”

Their hard work paid off, though. SMCIV was a great success, in terms of the diverse makeup of the crowd, the financial gains for displaying artists, and the broad array of works displayed, while Loom successfully subsequently hosted several other exhibits. “SMCIV was the very first show here at Loom, and it was a great way to open and introduce the space,” explains Trench. “People were so impressed with the quality of the art and the quality and diversity of the content. There was no better way to introduce the space.”

(The trombonist from the New York City-based Salsa band, Grupo Sazon, shows his might or blows his might in a corner of the stage area in Loom Gallery.)

Yet SMCV proved that the SMC-Loom marriage is still in a honeymoon phase. Expanding its repertoire of art, the summer event featured not only the astounding work of SMC mainstays—paintings, photographs and prints by Tillet, Flox, photographer Jack Lenk and others—but also original jewelry by Alex Aponte and Katie Scudieri, film by people like Darcie Hanaway and Bruce Kaplan, performance art by Christine Hajjar and sculptures and other works by a total of 21 artists—including Trench and Popko.

It was an art extravaganza that brought out everyone: white, black, brown; high-heeled, low-heeled, and shoe-laced; students, laborers, and performers.

And the dancing till sunrise? Well there were the opening performances by SMC regular, Chris Johnson, and his spoken word poetry group, Spittin’ Images; and hip hop artist—and featured painter—B-more 7. There were the DJ’s—The Spindlers, Blade Mon and other guests—whose selections never betrayed the dance-intoxicated attendees. But perhaps most aligned with the vivid visual surroundings were performances by the vivacious, rhythmic wonders of West African and American drum troupe, Didakan, headed up by leader Issa Coulibaly, and the foot-tapping, hip-swaying sounds of New York City salsa band, Grupo Sazon.

It was a night where every type of artist bared her soul and illustrated his craft, and where in return, with admiration and solidarity I and others danced till dawn.

Reza Corinne Clifton is a community organizer for high school reform at RI Children’s Crusade for Higher Education. She is also a freelance writer whose articles can be seen in The Providence American Newspaper, Motif Magazine, The Warwick Daily Times, The Kent County Daily Times, and at www.RezaRitesRi.com. She can be reached by emailing rezaclif@aol.com.

RezaRitesRI.com EXCLUSIVE

By Reza Corinne Clifton

(Artist and Straight Mixed Culture cofounder Sidney Tillet stops preparation to smile. He sits in front of a self-portrait.)

“…I can honestly say that if you miss this, you suck.” With its abrupt and aggressive directness and the use of the pop culture-friendly ‘suck’, this statement could easily be chalked up to a traditional, Generation X (or Y) marketing statement. But in reference to the upcoming Straight Mixed Culture V (Five), I urge you to take heed to the message and consequence that artist and AS220 arts and mentor coordinator, Marie Popko delivers.

Straight Mixed Culture V (SMCV), scheduled for Saturday, August 19 from 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM at Loom Studio/Gallery, 64 Eagle Street in Providence, is the fifth in a series that provides the ultimate art show experience by, as their mission indicates, “showcase[ing] a kaleidoscope of culture” and “bring[ing] the visual artist, performer and audience together to engage in a conversation of contemporary themes.”

Featuring paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry and other works by 17 artists, live performances from hip hop artist, B-more 7, Spoken word poetry group, Spittin’ Images, and West African and American Drum troupe, Didakan, and records spun by DJ’s The Spindlers, Blade Mon and others, SMCV has evolved quite a bit from its humble beginnings in 2004.

The first SMC took place at Monohasset Mills and it featured artists Tet Pwav, Damian Ewens, and Tillet, as well as poet Christopher Johnson—a member of Spittin’ Images—and critically acclaimed local hip hop group, Riders Against the Storm (RAS).

Explains SMC cofounder and featured artist, Sidney Tillet:

“SMC started with a conversation between [artist and former colleague of Tillet’s] Damian Ewens and I. He saw my work—which was not as crisp then as it is now, and this led us into a conversation, and then follow through. We put it together on a whim, and all of the expenses came out of pocket.

“It really came together at SMCIII,” continues Tillet, “which was at the Ron Wexler Studio. It was people who really understood the mission, who understood how much hard work it takes; people who said we’re all here because of SMC. It’s not about the money, but the art and getting people together to enjoy it.”

But for Tillet and the life of SMC, the third event was even more significant, for fate would wield its magic needle stitching fortune out of the multiple fabrics of coincidence.

(Works by artist and Loom Gallery co-owner, Andy Trench. It includes his new “Red”.)

One of the featured artists in the show was Shane Flox, who is now managing SMC alongside Tillet—and displaying work at SMCV. One of the attendees seeing Flox’s work for the first time was soon-to-be cofounder of Loom Studio, Andy Trench. Explains Trench:

“Shane and I met at SMCIII. I remember seeing Shane’s stuff and just being so impressed and thinking ‘where did this guy come from.’ Then we met and started talking, and soon after SMC, we started working together. SMCIII really rekindled my belief about the Providence art scene. [Different from what he witnessed with SMC,] The art scene here is very exclusive.”

Popko also attended SMCIII, and she recalls having a similar reaction as the one of Trench: “I already know Andy, but I arrived at SMCIII late, after Andy, Shane, and others had left. When I saw Shane’s work, and the other works, I thought, who is this?” Thinking about the connections she was making through her work at AS220, she kept thinking, “How can I help? They need to meet the people I know!”

It was not long after Trench and Flox had met and begun working together that Trench and Popko—whose work will be displayed at SMCV—founded Loom Studio/Gallery to, as their mission states, “exhibit art, create art, and meet artists,” with an emphasis on local and lesser-known artists. At this point, Tillet and Flox had also begun working on SMCIV, which was slated to take place again at Ron Wexler Studio.

Earlier this year, in March, Popko, Trench, and Flox moved into the Loom space on Eagle Street. Almost immediately afterwards, and a week before SMCIV, Flox and Tillet received word that the show could no longer happen at Ron Wexler Studio. Right away Trench offered up use of the Loom space, which meant also meant that Popko and Trench had to suddenly accelerate moving in and refurbishing. Explains Popko, “We literally painted all night for 3-4 days straight—after full days of work!”

(Artist and SMCV organizer, Shane Flox looks toward the broad canvass that is the wall, while Loom Gallery co-owner, Marie Popko, and artist Sidney Tillet talk and mull over details.)

Their hard work paid off, though. SMCIV was a great success surpassing the triumph of the third, with even more diversity represented in the quality works displayed, more sales, and more people who all seemed to understand the SMC—and Loom—missions. “SMCIV was the very first show here at Loom [with several shows having taken place since March], and it was a great way to open and introduce the space,” explains Trench. “People were so impressed with the quality of the art and the quality and diversity of the content. There was no better way to introduce the space.”

And with the concerted addition of other art mediums—jewelry, video installation, sculptures—and a line up of new and returning performers, you just don’t know what to expect and you just might suck if you don’t catch it.

Parking for SMCV will be available across the street from Loom in the Eagle Square shopping plaza and a $10 donation is suggested. For more information, call (401) 241-9272.

Reza Corinne Clifton is a community organizer for high school reform at RI Children’s Crusade for Higher Education. She is also a freelance writer whose articles can be seen in Motif Magazine, The Warwick Daily Times, The Kent County Daily Times, The Providence American Newspaper, and at www.RezaRitesRi.com. She can be reached by emailing rezaclif@aol.com.

By Reza Corinne Clifton

(This article appeared in the August 3rd edition of The Providence American newspaper)

(A beautiful summer sunset in RI. For many, the cost to live in a house with this view is far beyond imaginable.)

RHODE ISLAND-Coalitions, senators, governors, developers, CDC’s, HUD: these are the people and structures often referenced in a discussion about providing and protecting affordable housing options. Well when legislation is passed, organizations are mobilized, and housing plans are updated, what is left for individual citizens and residents to do? Plenty.

What is the problem anyway? Rhode Island is approximately thirteen thousand units short of what is needed for its bursting population of workers and families, a shortage that is affecting the cost of housing. “RI is not building enough homes for every one who needs one. That’s why rents and real estate prices are so high,” explains Jessica Rutledge, Communications and Outreach Director of HousingWorks RI, a coalition of more than 120 member organizations, institutions, corporations, agencies, and advocates.

Closer inspection of data reveals the breadth of the problem as evidenced in a May media release from HousingWorks RI announcing the release of its 2006 Fact Book. The book documents changes and disruptions in housing prices and affordability from 2004-2005. One daunting passage cites: “Households earning up to $100,000 can afford to buy the median-priced single family home in less than half the state’s cities and towns.”

Affordability falls even further away for households earning $75,000 or less, according to the release and the Fact Book, which cites a 50% reduction from 2004-2005 in the number of affordable communities. “In 2005, only Central Falls, Pawtucket and Providence are affordable as housing prices put Warwick, West Warwick and Woonsocket beyond reach.” And these discrepancies impact rentals too, not just homeownership, which makes more worrying the Housing Works determination that unchanged from 2004 to 2005 is that “[T]here is no community in which the median-priced single family home is affordable to households earning up to $50,000.”

Considering the number of affected households, not shocking is the fact that people are no longer accepting the situation, as evidenced in the June 1 Providence American article by PA contributor, Nancy Kirsh, entitled “The Journey Home: Walking the walk for Rhode Island’s Homeless Population.” In it, Kirsh refers to the Civil Rights-style, fifty-seven mile march from Westerly, RI to the statehouse in Providence, which was organized to draw attention to the affordable housing shortage in RI. Right before the final leg of the march to the Statehouse, “[S]ome 200 people,” reports Kirsh, “including the homeless, homeless advocates and church, mosque and synagogue leaders” attended a Providence rally.

Support in the campaign to create and secure affordable housing has also surfaced from within state government, for example to protect established homeowners—who are also impacted by rising prices and, accordingly, higher taxes. In late July, Governor Donald Carcieri signed into law the RI Home Loan Protection Act, which is designed to protect borrowers from predatory mortgage lending practices. Introduced by Senator Juan M. Pichardo of Providence and Representative John J. McCauley Jr., also of Providence, the legislation was created to protect families and individuals, especially lower-income earners, who are disproportionately affected by predatory lending practices and practitioners.

Yet this work is not accomplished exclusively by elected officials—who themselves often need nudging from the community—nor even by housing advocates as Providence City Council candidate Alex Moore of Ward 8 will tell you. “An advocate speaks on behalf of a group. An organizer does outreach and education to help people empower themselves…it is more effective when people at-risk do the work.”

Moore would know. Before leaving the RI HUD Tenant Project to run for the City Council seat, Moore worked with Section 8 tenants, primarily from the Barbara Jordan subsidized housing complex in South Providence. The owner of Barbara Jordan had informed the tenants of her intention to leave the Section 8 program at the end of her contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to convert the apartments into market-rate units. The result would have been the elimination of almost three hundred units and the displacement of hundreds of residents. “We held a series of educational workshops to begin, on topics like how project-based section 8 works and steps tenants can take if an owner wants to leave the program.”

The educational series was an important first step in mobilizing the tenants, who are primarily women, children, and people of color who “for the most part hadn’t been involved in direct action,” explains Moore. The next step was supporting the tenants, who decided to take action against the owner for violating the state’s opt-out notification law, which requires owners to send a two-year advanced notice of intentions to leave the program. “As organizers, we present all the options available—if you do this, A may or will happen, if you do that, B will happen.” Of the options presented, tenants chose to approach Rhode Island Housing to push the agency to enforce the state law. “Tenants attended educational workshops, held series of meetings, gathered signatures for petitions that were delivered, and lobbied for the legislation.”

Their work paid off. Listening to the persistent, unified cry of Barbara Jordan and other Section 8 tenants, and following their leadership, the General Assembly passed updated legislation requiring owners of project-based Section 8 contracts who want to leave the program to first attempt selling the property to tenant’s associations, RI Housing, and other agencies or offices committed to keeping units at affordability regardless of the length of an owners contract and regardless of an owner’s desire to sell at market-rate. This legislation directly impacts the Barbara Jordan complex, whose owners announced at the end of last month a commitment to maintain affordability of the units.

While the direct and ultimately victorious tactics of the Barbara Jordan tenants and the RI HUD Tenant Project presented significant challenges to the owners of the complex, grassroots community organizing can also impact developers directly. In the Olneyville section of Providence, for instance, neighborhood residents waged a fierce battle of words and images with Baltimore-based company, Streuver Brothers, Eccles & Rouse, after an amateur video appeared documenting what residents called proof that the company was attempting to displace low-income community residents from the neighborhood.

(For many, the ability to afford housing anywhere in RI is moving out of the picture.)

Despite the a partnership it has with Streuver Brothers to work on a mixed-use project called The Plant, Providence-based, non-profit real estate development organization, Puente, is not afraid of community participation. As a matter of fact, Real Estate Director and President of the RI Black Political Action Committee, Julian Dash, embraces it. “Olneyville is a very engaged and active community, which is a good thing for development. To make progress? It’s becoming involved; it’s joining community neighborhood organizations that work to increase affordable housing, or starting your own! I think that at the end of the day, this community voice in housing will result in more housing.”

For Dash, there are other, more formidable barriers that he as a developer and struggling residents in general face in trying to create and sustain affordable housing. “[Affordable] Housing plans are problematic in some cases, or it’s the local municipalities in charge of enforcing them that is sometimes the problem. Some cities need more enforcement and some need to ease up on some of the zoning and planning to make it easier to actually build affordable units. But some of the biggest barriers to production are land costs and land acquisition.”

Even these last barriers can be worked on by neighborhood residents and individuals, though. Land costs and acquisition is one of the issues Dash feels the people at Housing Works had in mind when they crafted and updated their campaign platform, specifically a $50 million housing bond—that was originally slated at $75 million—that was approved by the General Assembly to be added to the November ballot. According to Rutledge of Housing Works, “This bond is the booster shot that will jumpstart the production of enough affordable homes. The $50 million will go entirely to producing affordable apartments and starters homes. Families earning from about $30,000 to $60,000 will be eligible.”

The bond—which amounts to a loan the state takes out to pay for the immediate creation of additional affordable housing—will mean nothing, though, unless individuals vote for it on the November 7 election day. And what about the people making less than $30,000? According to Rutledge, other aspects of the Housing Works platform and what the General Assembly eventually passed, included investments in the Neighborhood Opportunities Program and in the Supportive Serves Pilot Program, which help very-low income residents—the disabled and those collecting SSI—and the homeless.

But directly and indirectly, both Rutledge and Cynthia Langlykke, Executive Director of Providence Community Development Corporation (CDC), Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services (GENS), agree that more needs to be done to educate people on the bond and to mobilize potential voters to come out on Election Day. As of mid-July, for example, Rutledge was reporting that “we are in the process of finalizing our campaign.”

Langlykke, whose organization does design and develop housing for households earning less than $30,000 and is a member of HousingWorks, is a little more straightforward: “We did a number of things to help get the bond on the ballot in the first place. We distributed information to tenants, boards and organizations. Basically we did a lot of networking. [With the approval of the bond on the ballot] We’re all kind of patting ourselves on the back, but we need to step up to the next part of the campaign. We need to get voters to understand the issues, to understand the bond, and we need to get them out.”

In the end, the campaigning will be about what individual people and collectives of people decide to do. Will the coalitions, politicians, and organizations convince individuals that creating affordable housing is as easy as one participant and one vote? Will the outcries of individuals in one community teach lessons to developers considering projects in others? There is an abundance of work still needed to move forward the state’s affordable housing agenda, and it might include politicians and coalitions, but it will also include individual residents and families.

Reza Corinne Clifton is a community organizer for high school reform at RI Children’s Crusade for Higher Education. She is also a freelance writer whose articles can be seen in The Providence American Newspaper, The Warwick Daily Times, The Kent County Daily Times, Motif Magazine and at www.RezaRitesRi.com. She can be reached by emailing rezaclif@aol.com.