Dirt Palace

The Dirt Palace is a feminist art collective in Providence, RI. We were founded in 2000 in an abandoned library building at 12-14 Olneyville Square. There are currently 7 members of the Dirt Palace that work in a variety of media, including printmaking, audio and performance art, film/video, lace making, writing, puppetry & painting.

Each member has their own studio, as well as shared printmaking facilities, film/animation studio, computer office, textile studio, band rehearsal space & a grand ballroom. As a co-operative, we support each others’ creative work, the community and the environment through collective, affordable, low-impact living. We provide a space that promotes our personal growth as individuals, and an environment conducive to challenging thoughts and radical actions. We are continously building and improving our facilities and structure in order to actualize our ideas. Our collective fosters the growth of strong, throughtful, independent women who use their creative awareness of the world to change it.

Dirt Palace members co-curate the "Dirt Palace Storefront Window Gallery" – a storefront window space that faces the busy Olneyville Sq. intersection. Here you may find a new installation each month by a variety of local and international artists.

Staying true to the original intent of the building, S.S.C.O.W.L. (Shivering Shelves Collection of Weirdness Library) resides on the second floor of the Dirt Palace. S.S.C.O.W.L. houses an extensive collection of rare and independently published comics and zines as well as antique, arcane and unusual books, periodicals and videos on a wide variety of subjects. Guest librarians can currate theme days, where a section of the collection is highlighted and the library is open to the public.