Editing Fort Thunder

{{Short description|Art & music venue/studio in Providence, Rhode Island}}
{{redirect|Eagle Square|Eagle Square in Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia|Kuah#Dataran Lang}}
[[File:Fort Thunder Sign Comparison.jpg|thumbnail|Fort Thunder sign comparison]]
'''Fort Thunder''' (1995–2001) was a warehouse on the second floor of a pre-Civil War former textile factory in the [[Olneyville]] district of [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. From 1995 through 2001, the space was used as a venue for underground music and events, as well as a living and working space for the artists.<ref>{{cite book |last=Salkind |first=Micah |author-link= |chapter=Scale, Sociality and Serendipity in Providence, Rhode Island's Post-Industrial Renaissance |chapter-url=https://books-google-com.revproxy.brown.edu/books?id=bxspDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA33&lr&pg=PA33#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2016 |title=Creative Economies in Post-Industrial Cities: Manufacturing a (Different) Scene |editor1-last=Breitbart |editor1-first=Myrna Margulies |url= |location= |publisher=Routledge |pages=33–58 |isbn=9781317158325}}</ref> Fort Thunder was started by [[Mat Brinkman]] and [[Brian Chippendale]], who were the space's original residents along with Rob Coggeshal and Freddy Jones.<ref>Spurgeon, Tom. [http://www.tcj.com/256/e_thunder.html "Fort Thunder Forever"], ''The Comics Journal'' #256, retrieved March 3, 2009 [https://web.archive.org/web/20061026072449/http://www.tcj.com/256/e_thunder.html archived]</ref> Fort Thunder was known for its colorful posters promoting shows posted on walls around Providence. At various times they hosted costumed wrestling and Halloween mazes. The group of artists who lived and worked there is also sometimes referred to as "Fort Thunder." 

In 2000 it was announced that the mill building where Fort Thunder was located would be demolished.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Gregory |date=November 24, 2000 |title=Plan to raze mills worries artists |url= |work=Providence Journal |location= |access-date=}}</ref> This led to protests and court challenges by both artists and historical preservationists.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Gregory |date=February 21, 2001 |title=Mill-razing opponents win round in court |url= |work=Providence Journal. |location= |access-date=}}</ref>  In 2002 the collective was forced to leave.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Gregory |date=January 11, 2002 |title=Through the mill |url= |work=Providence Journal |location= |access-date=}}</ref> The building was then demolished by Feldco developers to make way for the parking lot of a [[Shaw's Supermarkets|Shaw's]] grocery store and a [[Staples Inc.|Staples]], both of which closed soon after opening.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Megan |date=October 5, 2007 |title= Outlook remains murky for vacant Shaw's in Eagle Square |url=https://thephoenix.com/article_ektid48650.aspx |work=The Phoenix |location= |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> This has caused a debate about development and gentrification in Olneyville, the poorest neighborhood in Providence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jerzyk |first1=Matthew |date=Summer 2009 |title=Gentrification's Third Way: An Analysis of Housing Policy & Gentrification in Providence |url=https://harvardlpr.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2013/05/3.2_9_Jerzyk.pdf |journal=Harvard Law and Policy Review |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=413–430 |doi= |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref>

Since the closure of Fort Thunder, former residents and friends of Fort Thunder have received acclaim in many areas, particularly in the genres of [[noise rock]], [[alternative comics]], and contemporary art. Members of [[Forcefield (art collective)|Forcefield]], a collaborative project started at Fort Thunder,<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Ken |date=September 25, 2014 |title=Recognizing a Vibrant Underground |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/arts/design/what-nerve-at-the-rhode-island-school-of-design-museum.html |work=New York Times |location= |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> had their artwork included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. In 2006, the [[Rhode Island School of Design Museum|Museum of Art]] at [[Rhode Island School of Design]] exhibited ''Wunderground: Providence, 1995 to the Present'', an exhibition focusing on the underground art and music scene of Providence, with major reference to and inclusion of artists connected to Fort Thunder.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Roberta |date=December 16, 2006 |title=Looking for Graphic Lightning From Fort Thunder |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/16/arts/design/16wund.html |work=New York Times |location= |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities held an exhibition in 2019 featuring Fort Thunder concert posters, recordings of bands, and ephemera.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rihumanities.org/calendar/fort-thunder-lightning-bolt-old-mill-new-music/2019-04-29/ |title=Fort Thunder & Lightning Bolt: Old Mill / New Music |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=April 29, 2019 |website=Rhode Island Council for the Humanities |publisher= |access-date=30 May 2022 |quote=}}</ref>

Footage at Fort Thunder, including concerts, art events, as well as its eventual demolition, are prominently featured in the 2024 documentary [[Secret Mall Apartment]].<ref> https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/inside-secret-mall-apartment-the-true-4-year-story-of-domestic-life-in-a-shopping-center</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book |last=Rinder |first=Lawrence |author-link= |date=2005 |title=Art Life: Selected Writings, 1991-2005 |chapter=Fort Thunder, Forcefield and the New York Art World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ShbuO9YmpUC |location= |publisher=G.R. Miller & Company |pages=65–74 |isbn=9780974364827}}

== External links ==
* [http://mudboymusic.com/wunderground.html ''Some Thoughts on RISD's WUNDERGROUND from someone who was here and there.''] The online version of a print essay by [http://freematterfortheblind.com/ Raphael Lyon ] on the subject.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091025093813/http://fortthunder.02909.com/ Fort Thunder Archive] Archive of photos from old Fort Thunder web site.

{{Fort Thunder}}

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[[Category:Music venues in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Former music venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Social centres in the United States]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island]]