Fort Thunder, Underground music venue in Olneyville district, Providence, US
Fort Thunder was an art venue on the second floor of a former textile factory in the Olneyville neighborhood, hosting live music, art installations, and experimental events between 1995 and 2001. The space functioned simultaneously as a concert hall and living quarters for the collaborative artists who occupied it.
The venue began in 1995 within a pre-Civil War mill building and closed in 2001. Demolition followed shortly after to make way for retail and parking development.
Fort Thunder served as a gathering place for experimental artists and musicians who created alternative comics, noise rock, and video installations within its walls. The venue attracted creative people working outside the mainstream and shaped the underground art community of Providence during that era.
Visitors came not just for concerts but experienced art installations and performance exhibitions in a highly accessible, open environment. Regular events were promoted through handmade posters that reflected the DIY ethos of the place.
Several artists from this space were later invited to show their work at the prestigious Whitney Biennial in New York. This recognition proved that experimental work being created in this modest factory room deserved international artistic attention.
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