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J. Tillman at the Mohawk - Giveaway
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According to collective members, the code inspections and eviction notices came quickly and unexpectedly. City inspectors showed up at the space on March 3, and Rhizome received notice of its code violations on March 5. The city gave the Rhizome fourteen days (extended to thirty days after an appeal to City Council) to pull permits and begin the work of repairing serious structural problems and other safety hazards. As the space was deemed unsafe in its current state, however, the evictions were immediate. The Rhizome is currently assessing the costs of repair, uncertain whether it will even attempt to save the space.
Susannah Cummins, a collective member for both Inside Books Project and the Rhizome Collective, estimates that the structure had been inspected about a dozen times over the past ten years, with no reports of violations. It’s likely no coincidence that the breaking point came this year. Stringent code enforcement typically accompanies gentrification, and collective members report troubled relationships with their two nearest neighbors--a private household and Armadillo Clay, a depot for fancy home décor.
The Rhizome and its tenant non-profits have found some sympathetic ears on City Council. In addition to the extension of the deadline to pull permits, the office of Councilman Mike Martinez has indicated that it will try to find Inside Books Project a new space at a rent close to what it was paying at Rhizome. Until something comes through, the books for donation will be stored in boxes in a few garages around town. “We’ve gotten many offers for storage space and short term operational space, but we’re still completely without a long-term solution,” says Cummins. “In the long term, we would prefer to again be part of a space that is community-owned and -operated and committed to social justice.”
In the end, that opportunity for cross-pollination of activist groups may be the biggest loss in this whole debacle. Other displaced groups (most of which have already found at least temporary homes) are Food Not Bombs, Bikes Across Borders, and KPWR. An art space in the Rhizome warehouse will also be forced to shutter. And of course the Rhizome’s gardens and various urban sustainability projects will have to move or be abandoned. Ironically, a plumbing system that the Rhizome developed to use greywater to feed fruit trees was listed among the code violations served by the city. While other violations were serious and warranted, certain forms of urban sustainability do seem to be against the strictest interpretation of the law.
We’ll be interested to see how Austin’s activist community responds to this setback. As all areas of Central Austin become more expensive and more gentrified, it’s becoming more and more difficult for alternative spaces to stay in operation and remain accessible to most residents. Treasure City, the activist thrift store on East 12th, has offered smaller spaces to a few of the displaced organizations, but a community solution with the sheer square footage of the Rhizome might not be possible again. All-volunteer projects like Inside Books, which attempt to address deep-rooted social problems (like the prison-industrial complex) that are unappealing to foundations and other typical sources of non-profit funding, could be hit hardest. Without more support from the city and from its engaged residents, we could be witnessing the high-water mark for activism in Austin.
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What a sad time for Austin to lose such an incredible place...It figures that they would cite the grey water filtration system. What a harmful thing to do...making your grey water clean enough to water your garden with...the blaspheme! /sarcasm
I'm crossing my fingers that somehow Rhizome can make it through this, I just think it's ridiculous...
What a sad time for Austin to lose such an incredible place...It figures that they would cite the grey water filtration system. What a harmful thing to do...making your grey water clean enough to water your garden with...the blaspheme! /sarcasm
I'm crossing my fingers that somehow Rhizome can make it through this, I just think it's ridiculous...
Hey, I just read this article and I feel very strongly that the Rhizome Collective is a greatly needed institution for Austin Texas. Their efforts in sustainability are really admirable and something that every person should try to emulate. Especially when our environment is in the kind of peril it is currently in. However, as a former employee of Armadillo Clay I can tell you that the Gallery is a very new addition to the store. Armadillo Clay is (primarily) a manufacturer and distributor of clay and seller of products for creating ceramics. They have been in their location for over 25 years. They are the only small business in the Austin area doing this and they manufacture clay for all of the local schools and independent crafts people. Just go to any ceramicist here in Austin and ask them where they get their clay from and I guarantee they will say Armadillo Clay. So you see by painting Armadillo Clay as a gentrification of the East side you are completely losing sight that they are a small business with over 25 years in their space and manufacturing clay for the local schools and artists. That gallery is there to showcase the local artists that support Armadillo Clay.