AS220 Floor3 Handbook

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Introduction
Welcome to Floor3: a work in progress. There are many important things for residents to know about their privileges, opportunities, and responsibilities here at AS220 ... that is why this handbook has been created.

Although some of the information in this handbook may seem like common knowledge, it is not intended to condescend. All of the information herein is necessary to establish a core set of principles regarding the operation of a communal household. It is not the intention of the organization to establish "rules" for resident artists, but rather to offer guidelines and be open to suggestions.

Remember, this is a work in progress! There are responsibilities that all residents must perform on a consistent basis (See Responsibilities) but it is also understood that freedom and equality are important reasons for living in a co-op. This handbook is the first attempt at providing hard copy reference material designed specifically for AS220 residents, and will need updating periodically. If something has not been sufficiently addressed in this handbook, ask a staff member or "lifer" resident. All residents are encouraged at any time to propose the addition of information to (or extraction of information from) this handbook.

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AS220 Mission Statement
We, the Citizens of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, associate ourselves for the purpose of providing a local forum and home for the arts, through the maintenance of residential and work studios, galleries, and performance space. Exhibitions and performances in the forum will be unjuried and open to the general public. Our facilities and services are made available to all artists who need a place to exhibit, perform, or create their original art work, especially those who cannot obtain space to exhibit or perform from traditional sources because of financial or other limitations.
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History
AS220 had its humble beginnings above the Providence Performing Arts Center at 220 Weybosset Street. It was 1985, and a handful of artists had a desire to create an open forum for performance and exhibition. The $800 collected to start the space dwindled quickly, but interest in participation steadily increased.

Soon the group realized there was a need to expand and establish themselves in a more accessible space. Less than a year after opening its doors on Weybosset, AS220 moved around the corner to 71 Richmond St., and became a non-profit organization. (The Weybosset St. location became the home of Big Nazo puppet studio.)

The Richmond Street space developed its programming to accommodate all local musicians, performers and visual artists as an uncensored, unjuried forum. A rich tradition of house bands and performance groups coupled with local ensembles and experiments gave AS220 the unique atmosphere of an artist collective or Temporary Autonomous Zone. Eclectic and unusual programming distinguished the space from all other area venues. Newcomers always welcome, but ... expect the unexpected!

National acts gracing the stage at this time included guitarist Fred Frith, jazz great Lee Konitz, rockers such as Jon Spencer and the Blake Babies (Juliana Hatfield), ex-Fug Tuli Kupferberg, and the virtually unknown power pop trio Green Day! AS220 began to recieve local and national attention from arts administrators, politicians, city planners and individual artists due to its unique success as an invaluable resource.

In the summer of 1991, AS220 embarked on an effort to purchase its own home in downtown Providence. After consideration of several properties and their feasibility, the goal became the acquisition of 95-121 Empire Street (our current location!) The planning began, and the "Build AS220" campaign was born.

Besides an uncommon amount of energy, determination and sweat equity, the "Build AS220" project involved:

  • hundreds of volunteers,
  • numerous professionals who discounted their services or provided them pro bono,
  • financing from both public and private sectors,
  • expansive community support involving the arts and preservation community, corporations, foundations and grant-makers.
AS220 raised over $300,000 in equity through grants and loans, and a variety of fund raising activities and events. On February 13, 1994, AS220 celebrated the grand opening of the "AS220 Complex." A very special place was born.
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About the Building
Here you are, an AS220 resident. You may be asking yourself, "What goes on in this building? Who the hell are all these people around the space, and what are they doing?" O.K., calm down ... all these questions can be answered by staff, and a little snooping around. Our home is just part of the AS220 Complex. Other tenants include three privately owned businesses (Muldowney's, Splinter's, and Roberto's Hair Salon.) Another non-profit (Perishable Theater) rents a black box theater on the ground level, office and classroom space on the second floor, and a dance studio (the former Groundwerx Movement Center) on the third floor. The rest of the building is occupied by AS220's various studios, galleries, public and private spaces.

As an AS220 resident, you are required to volunteer five hours per month. It's not really an option, since you agreed to it when you signed your lease, and if you are delinquent your lease can be terminated. (NOTE: the Kitty is also mentioned in the lease.) The good news, however, is that as long as you keep volunteering, you can get in for free to all AS220 events. A common misapprehension shared by many in our community is that residents get some kind of "special deal" for permanent free admission, but this is not the case. Anyone in the community can get the same deal; they just have to volunteer once a month and they'll get in for free too.

Anyway, this is an amazing opportunity to see all kinds of great performances and events in the Cafe. Keep in mind that there are many people who volunteer to work the door in the Cafe. You may not know all of them, and they might not know you. So don't just waltz past door volunteers; make a habit of introducing yourself as a resident to volunteers, so that they will learn your name and recognize you in the future. Keep this in mind also when it is your turn to work the door. Oh, and your friends have to pay the cover. Sorry.

As a resident, you'll have access to all public resources (computers, darkroom, print shop, etc.) during regular business hours, and sometimes even after hours. If you need to use the public-access computers in the office, just ask the friendly folks on staff, who are also available to help you with Floor3 issues, accept rent payments, and assist with computer dilemmas.

The AS220 basement offers a few things to residents. One is the house rehearsal room (familiarly known as "the Wine Cellar.") This oily-smelling room is available for noisemaking purposes every day after 6 pm (when Roberto goes home) and all day on Sunday and Monday. A copy of the rehearsal room key should be hidden in the kitchen. The community darkroom is available to all residents as well. Talk to the monitors for scheduling time. A small usage fee is made even smaller for residents. The print shop works the same way as the darkroom. Take advantage of these facilities, but please don't abuse your privileges!

Get to know the folks at Perishable Theater, especially if you are an actor, a dancer, or interested in helping with set, lighting and sound design. There are many mutually beneficial associations to be made within the complex community. Sing karaoke at Muldowney's, get a haircut from Roberto ... get to know your neighbors!

Knowing your community also includes understanding that Downcity Providence is an urban environment frequented by a variety of people from surrounding communities. As in any urban environment, downcity has its share of hobos, hustlers, vagrants, etc. Be aware of strangers who may attempt to gain access to any part of the building that is locked or otherwise off-limits. When you enter or exit the street level door, make sure that it is closed all the way. (In extreme temperatures the door may not latch on its own; give it a push or a tug.) Engage anyone trying to enter in a dialogue regarding who they are here to see. Do not allow entry to anyone you don't know. Ask them to buzz the person they are there to see. This also goes for the door at the top of the stairs. Most residents appreciate prior notice before an unexpected visitor is at their door. It's just common courtesy. Also, if you use the basement door next to the rehearsal room, please make sure it is locked behind you.

The Cafe is alarmed. When the alarm is triggered, the alarm company contacts Bert and Shawn as well as the police. These folks don't want a 4 a.m. wake-up call, especially if it is for a false alarm. Therefore, don't mess with the Cafe after it has been locked up.

The fire alarms work well and are very loud. When activated, the fire department is immediately notified. Sprinkler systems are local (they only turn on in the area where they are activated) and are activated only by heat or flame. Both stairwells are accessible in the event of an emergency. There are fire extinguishers at each end of the hall. Don't smoke in bed. No bonfires.

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The Ten Commandments of Co-oping
  1. If you open it, close it.
  2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
  3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
  4. If you break it, admit it.
  5. If you can't fix it, call on someone who can.
  6. If you borrow it, return it.
  7. If you value it, take care of it.
  8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
  9. If you move it, put it back.
  10. If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission!
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Floor3 Chores
All residents are responsible for doing a Floor3 chore every week. Some involve monthly tasks as well. It's important to keep up on these duties in order to maintain a livable space. A cluttered space is tolerable, but an unclean space is not acceptable. If you are a naturally messy person, you can be yourself in your studio. Common spaces are used by too many people to be left unkempt.
  1. Sweep and Mop Hallway and Stairwell - 1 person
    Broom and dustpan are often found in the kitchen, next to one of the refrigerators.
    Mop, bucket and floor cleaner are found in the mop closet at the other end of the hall (between the two bathrooms.)
  2. Laundry / Shower Area - 1 person
    Clean off tops of washer and dryer; dispose of empty detergent containers; sweep and mop floor; scrub shower stall.
  3. Sweep and Mop Kitchen Floor - 1 person
    (See Community Kitchen)
  4. Sink / Stove / Refrigerator - 2 people
    (See Community Kitchen)
  5. Trash and Recyclables - 1 person
    (See Community Kitchen)
  6. Blue Bathroom - 2 people
    (See Bathrooms)
  7. Orange Bathroom - 2 people
    (See Bathrooms)
  8. House Shopper - 1 person
    Someone who goes shopping for supplies, paid for by monthly Kitty fees. Ideally, someone with a car.
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Floor3 Kitty
No, it's not an animal. Everyone who lives on the third floor must pay $5 per month to a fund, held in common, which we use to purchase essential house items such as cleaning supplies, toilet paper, lightbulbs and the like. This is a basic requirement of your lease, along with volunteering for five hours per month, so in theory if you do not pay your kitty, you can be evicted.
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Community Kitchen
It's been a pool hall, a hangout, a picnic area, a demilitarized zone of potluck and good will, a gallery, a meeting space, the hub of the co-op ... it's the kitchen. It could very well be the most important room on the 3rd floor.

The kitchen is equipped to facilitate 12 residents (providing they don't all get hungry at once) with a place to cook and eat. Typically, the ratio of resident artists who cook for themselves is low, but the spirit of self-sufficiency is always prevalent. All residents use the kitchen in some manner and all must take part in its maintenance. There are, however, specific tasks that are delegated as floor chores. They are as follows:

  • Kitchen "Left" and Kitchen "Right" Cleaners fuss over a refrigerator, a stove and a sink, one for each side of the kitchen. (Left and right are determined by facing the sinks.) Like all house jobs, cleaning of stoves and sinks should be done once a week. Extraction of unwanted items from fridges is an ongoing task, whereas deep cleaning of fridges may only need to be done once a month or so. (Use your discretion!)
    Sponges at sinks are meant to be used for washing dishes only. Due to a sponge's superb ability to grow mildew, especially in the sultry summer months, thoroughly rinsing out sponges is recommended after each use. Sponges located on the fire-suppression hoods over each stove are meant for stove, sink, counter and table cleaning. Counter and table cleaning is the responsibility of all residents. Remember #8 of the Ten Commandments of Co-oping: "If you make a mess, clean it up."
  • Trash and Recyclables: There's a resident responsible for removal of trash and recyclables. This is done whenever necessary. Sooner, rather than later, is a good policy. Our dumpster and recycling bins are located in the parking lot behind AS220, which is accessible during Cafe hours by going out the back door. After the Cafe is closed, you must go all the way around the block to reach the dumpster.
    Garbage Guidelines: the trash and recyclables are one of the most demanding chores on the third floor, so have compassion and follow a few simple guidelines:
    1. Rinse out recyclables before putting them in the bin. The liquids slushing around at the bottom of your cans and bottles are a fertile breeding ground for pantry pests -- and it's a bummer when the bin you are carrying drools all over your clothes.
    2. Take out your own trash. When it's time to empty the garbage can in your own room, take it to the dumpster. It's very rude to put your personal trash in the kitchen and expect someone else to take it out for you. (This also goes for bathroom cleaners -- don't just put the bathroom trash in the kitchen!)
    3. Smelly stuff: sour milk, rotten eggs, moldy food, etc., should go to the dumpster right away. Don't leave such items in the kitchen garbage for long.
  • Recycling is not going to save the world, we can be sure of that. We can avoid purchasing any pre-packaged materials and skip the whole dilemma. Since that is too much work for the average urban citizen, recycling is the next best thing. AS220 is a progressive space that is a model for alternative living. It is only natural that AS220 residents acknowledge the environmental benefits of recycling and put it into practice. All residents may not agree with this philosophy, but it is important that we are aware of the proper recycling receptacles. Cans, glass bottles and plastic beverage containers belong in the large bins under the "Kitchen Right" counter. Under the "Kitchen Left" sink there's places to put plastic bags, brown paper bags, and drink boxes. The newspaper box is in plain view. Please recycle.
  • Sweeping and Mopping the Kitchen Floor is another assigned task. If this is done every week, as it very well should be, the kitchen will be much more comfortable for residents, and far less appealing to pests.
  • Some Kitchen Issues
    1. Use only communal (or your own) pots, pans, etc. Communal items should be located in cupboards marked with a "C." If you find things in any other nook of the kitchen there's a good chance they belong to someone for their sole use. As always, don't use others' personal possessions without their permission.
    2. Be aware of your leftovers and any other perishables you put in the refrigerators. Fridges are not meant to be laboratory cold storage, and plastic leftover containers are not petri dishes! Label any communal food in fridges accordingly, and throw out whatever is yours that you no longer want. Cooperation in this matter makes the fridge cleaner's job much easier.
    3. Washing dishes after use is muy,muy, importante! Dealing with piles of festering, unclean dishes can be avoided with a simple three-step process: Cook ... Eat ... Wash! Washing dishes immediately after use is essential in ensuring that the cleaning will, in fact, occur. "Soaking" is often a euphemism for "hoping someone else will do it for you." Luckily, now that we have a dishwasher, many items can simply be rinsed thoroughly and left in the dishwasher.
  • Pantry Pests can always be avoided by keeping the kitchen clean. Roaches love food on the floor, stove and counters. Meal moths love unsealed bags of bread, nuts, grains, flour. (They lay eggs which turn into larva, which in turn spin web -- a tell-tale sign of infestation.) Fruit flies love anything sweet, especially unrinsed cans in the recycling bin. If you create a favorable environment for these little guys, you're bound to see more of them.
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Potluck
Monthly Floor3 meetings are nicely accented by good ol' potluck dinner. Eating together is a great way to spend time with your fellow co-opers, as long as your fellow co-opers are into cooking something up for the event. It's not about showing up with a package of Twinkies out of guilt. It's about making your own creations, your own taste sensations -- cooking for the fun of it, experimenting with food. Besides, twinkies will kill you faster than cigarettes. Potluck happens every Sunday evening, around dinner time. [NOTE: This is not currently true, but wouldn't it be nice? --MO]

Food Co-oping is a great idea for Floor3 that hasn't quite taken off yet. Food co-oping involves the purchasing of communal food staples, and assigning residents to cook on certain nights. It could be that the artist's unorthodox schedule prohibits a successful implementation of food co-oping. It could be that, thus far, there have not been enough Floor3 residents interested at once. In the past, Floor3 residents have purchased shares in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where a local farmer supplied people in the Providence community with fresh, organic, herbicide- and pesticide-free produce. Food co-oping takes organization, but it's cheaper and more fun than trying to keep yourself fed on your own!

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Bathrooms
Both bathrooms are maintained at all times by two residents. The tasks involved in bathroom maintenance are split between the two residents at their discretion. Since cleaning must occur once a week, the two cleaners could switch off from week to week, or they could assume specific tasks to do every week.

Cleaning the Bathrooms includes:

  • Clean sink and toilet with cream scrub and sponge.
    There should be separate sponges for both of these. Please, for hygenic reasons, don't mix up these sponges!
  • Clean mirror with citrus spray and rag.
  • Clean toilet bowl with toilet bowl cleaner.
  • Sweep and mop floor.
  • Empty trash; replenish toilet paper if necessary
  • Wash rugs and shower curtains once a month; replace as necessary.
  • Clean shower stall with cream scrub and brush. Black residue is mildew. You should be able to eliminate mildew from the shower stall with enough elbow grease.
  • Spot clean walls.
All cleaning products used are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. [NOTE: While this was true when Mark Pedini wrote it, this is not necessarily the case these days. Rather than altering the text, I decided to annotate it here, because I think it's a good goal to strive for. --MO] Use only amount of cleaner recommended on the bottle. Alert the resident responsible for purchasing cleaning supplies if any are needed (the resident in charge of kitty funds usually buys supplies.)

Some suggestions:

  • Flush whatever you put in toilets.
  • Sink in supply closet is for cleaning of brushes, disposal of mediums / solvents, etc. Don't use bathroom or kitchen sinks for this!
  • Towel off in shower, or spread towels across floor, to avoid leaving lakes on the bathroom floor.
  • Replace toilet paper in holder when it runs out
  • Fix toilet paper holder when it is broken, or alert someone who can (ditto goes for holes in walls and broken fire door closers, recaulking showers, cleaning sink traps and unclogging toilets as needed.)
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Responsibilities
In addition to Floor3 chores, residents are also responsible for paying $5 per month to the communal Kitty fund, and for five volunteer hours per month. Volunteer hours usually manifest themselves as working the door for one event per month in the Cafe. There is a Staff member is charge of organizing volunteers -- and no matter who the Volunteer Coordinator is, their email address is always volunteer@as220.org. Other methods of satisfying the monthly volunteer requirement can be proposed to the Volunteer Coordinator, Artistic Director or Managing Director. (Computer graphic, clerical or general maintenance chores have been used.)

A few more important things for residents to know:

  • Personal belongings that linger in the hallway are a nuisance to your fellow co-opers, and constitute a fire hazard (especially when clutter is piled up against the emergency egress from the dance studio at the end of the hall.) Residents are discouraged from leaving unwanted possessions in the hallway for a brief period of time with a note proclaiming them up for grabs. The problem is that the floor3 corridor is an official emergency egress, and as such it's illegal to have anything in the hall -- including art on the walls. The Fire Marshall will probably never ask us to take down the art in the corridor, but it's important to understand that you're getting away with something already as soon as you put a poster on the wall. As far as piles of junk go, they should be donated to the Salvation Army or put to rest in the dumpster.
  • Please mind your fumes. When using chemicals and sprays, try not to subject the rest of the hall to them. Same goes for decibels. Know when to say when. Cooperate with other residents when they need quiet.
  • Resident studios are single-occupancy units. If your sweetheart spends the night, no big deal. If your sweetheart is "staying" with you while in a period of domestic transition, the issue needs to be addressed to the rest of the floor, and consensus should be met.
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Some Closing Thoughts on the Co-op Lifestyle
The AS220 Studio applications include an informational sheet that gives it to you straight up: "The AS220 Studio Program offers residential and work space to artists who seek a diverse, stable and affordable studio environment. The Studio Program encourages a community of ideas rather than simply a community of tenants. Our goal is to create a communal arts center inspired by the artistic energy of its inhabitants." In other words, Floor3 is not a hotel, it's a community of people who share a desire to express themselves artistically. It is a "family" of individuals -- not linked by blood and unconditional love, but brought together by the love of art and the experience of sharing this love with like-minded people.

Communal living rejects the concept of the nuclear family and replaces it with the "band." Whereas a nuclear family is dependent on itself and its security, a band can remain in flux and always maintain itself as a resource. Sharing space and materials can be seen as a more realistic alternative to the idealism of private property.

AS220 is the result of a grass-roots effort to occupy property abandoned in part as a result of the movement of middle- and upper-class Americans to the suburbs. AS220 has reclaimed what the nuclear family has rejected. Due to the organization's success, Floor3 residents have a wealth of resources that would otherwise be difficult to attain individually.

With the closing of two of Brown University's co-ops not far in our past, it's clear that not everyone recognizes the intrinsic value of providing cooperative housing. For the time being, Floor3 remains what Mark Pedini called an "anomalous supported collective," setting a standard in the "rehabilitation" of downtown Providence.

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"In our own post-spectacular society of simulation many forces are working -- largely invisibly -- to phase out the nuclear family and bring back the band. Breakdowns in the structure of Work resonate in the shattered stability of the unit-home and the unit-family ... the nuclear family becomes more and more obviously a trap, a cultural sinkhole, a neurotic implosion of split atoms -- and the obvious counter-strategy emerges spontaneously in the almost unconscious rediscovery of the more archaic and yet more post-industrial possibility of the band."
-- Hakim Bey
"It is quite unclear that industrial capitalist development of the kind that exists today was preordained by history. That capitalism greatly accelerated technological development at a rate that has no precedent in hystory hardly requires any detailed discussion. But capitalism, like the nation-state, was neither an unavoidable 'necessity'; nor was it a 'precondition' for the establishment of a cooperative or socialist democracy. Indeed, important forces tend to inhibit its development and ascendancy. As a bitterly competitive market system based on production for exchange and the accumulation of wealth, capitalism and a capitalistic mentality, with its emphasis on individual egoism, stood very much at odds with deeply ingrained traditions, customs, and even the lived realities of precapitalist societies. All precapitalist societies had placed a high premium on cooperation rather than competition ..."
-- Murray Bookchin