{"id":26610,"date":"2025-08-24T09:33:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T13:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=26610"},"modified":"2025-08-27T19:08:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T23:08:07","slug":"dirt-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2025\/08\/24\/dirt-palace\/","title":{"rendered":"Dirt Palace: Providence\u2019s Feminist Art Collective Celebrates 25 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Twenty-five years ago, in a derelict library in Providence\u2019s Olneyville neighborhood, a group of women came together to found a feminist art collective \/ feminist artist-run space that they came to call Dirt Palace<\/a>. This weekend, they\u2019re celebrating how it has survived to become one of the inspiring, mysterious, magical underground landmarks of the region\u2019s art scene. For the occasion, I made a photographic tour of the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Dirt Palace began as a self organized collective,\u201d they write on their website, \u201cthat supported feminists artists by providing affordable studio space, facilities, shared resources, opportunities, a culture of cooperation, and by maintaining visibility in the community through a committed public arts presence and long term relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was an experiment in being a separatist\u00a0space,\u201d explains\u00a0Pippi\u00a0Zornoza, a co-founder and now co-director, with Xander Marro, of Dirt Palace Projects, the nonprofit that owns and manages Dirt Palace as well as their second facility, the Wedding Cake House, a bed and breakfast that also hosts artist residencies. \u201cOur concept of gender is much more expansive now. But at the time, it started as an experiment of what would happen if women artists lived and worked alongside each other. What would come out of that organically?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dirt Palace is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a fund-raiser brunch<\/a>, \u201cDirt Palace Pancake Breakfast style,\u201d on the lawn of the Wedding Cake House at 514 Broadway, Providence, on Sunday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Suggested donation $25, \u201cbut if you donate to our library come for free\u201d (see details on their website).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After the library shut down, the building at 14 Olneyville Square had housed jewelry manufacturing and a church, but when the Dirt Palace launched in 2000, the structure had been empty for some time. Windows were boarded up. The roof leaked. \u201cOver the course of many years we self-performed most carpentry and routine repair work including replacing floors, adding bathrooms, subdividing space and  building walls,\u201d the Dirt Palace website explains. \u201cWe managed subcontractors to replace the roof, windows, install a fire alarm system and paint the exterior.\u201d They created a band room\/rehearsal room, printshop, woodshop, animation studio, library, and storefront windows gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What came out of their experiment is the creativity of 65 artists who have lived at Dirt Palace since its founding. \u201cIt\u2019s an artists live-work space. We work on the first floor and living on the second floor,\u201d resident Naffisatou Koulibaly says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dirt Palace has hosted live music, movie screenings, Spanish classes, puppetry, brunches, the Olneyville County Fair, and lots of other shenanigans. \u201cAs a resident, I like that I can make whatever big sounds and do whatever dances I feel inclined to do and nobody minds,\u201d Natalie Robertson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ziggy Smith, who moved in two months ago, describes Dirt Palace as \u201cOne of those \u2018I Spy\u2019 books where you find all these things in the nooks and crannies. I feel like Im finding stuff every day. This treasure chest of all these artists in all different generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Providence\u2019s fecund underground scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s could feel very \u2026 boy. \u201cWe came up in that scene and that was very beloved to us and it was us trying to carve out our own space,\u201d Zornoza says of Dirt Palace\u2019s origins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow we identify as a feminist space, not a women\u2019s space,\u201d Zarnoza says. \u201cNow we\u2019re asking if you\u2019re interested in feminism and we\u2019re self-selecting in that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ses Houghton describes Dirt Palace as \u201ca band of scary ladies who make art and are now letting people who aren\u2019t ladies make art in their spaces and opening up opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many other Providence underground spaces have been demolished, shut down or disappeared, Dirt Palace has persisted\u2014in part because they own the building. It was only in 2015 that the building \u201creceived a certificate of occupancy as a legal live\/work space,\u201d their website says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did they come up with the name Dirt Palace? Most of the current artist residents have no idea. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s a play on sand castle?\u201d Ses Houghton ventured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe probably made 30 to 50 pages of lists of names,\u201d Zornoza recalls. \u201cAnd it was the only one that someone in the group wasn\u2019t \u2018Over my dead body.\u2019\u201d Zornoza admits she had several suggested names that she\u2019s glad they didn\u2019t pick because they would be mortifying to her now. The name Dirt Palace also, she notes, \u201chas connotations: Making something good out of modest means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, occasional newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting. (All content \u00a9Greg Cook 2025 or the respective creato<\/em>rs.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Xander
Xander Marro in her live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Xander
Xander Marro’s live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ses
Ses Houghton in their studio at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ziggy
Ziggy Smith in his live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ziggy
Ziggy Smith’s live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Natalie
Natalie Robertson in the Dirt Palace library, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"John-Francis
John-Francis Qui\u00f1onez in their studio at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Naffisatou
Naffisatou Koulibaly in her storefront window gallery exhibit at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pippi
Pippi Zornoza in her live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pippi
Pippi Zornoza’s live-work space at the Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The Dirt Palace, Providence, August 2025. (\u00a9Greg Cook photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twenty-five years ago, in a derelict library in Providence\u2019s Olneyville neighborhood, a group of women came together to found a feminist art collective \/ feminist artist-run space that they came to call Dirt Palace. This weekend, they\u2019re celebrating how it has survived to become one of the inspiring, mysterious, magical underground landmarks of the region\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,582],"tags":[420,1324,72,1323],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26610"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26629,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26610\/revisions\/26629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}