The Rhythmix is gonna get you

Even though some folks would have you believe that the opening of the new Rhythmix Cultural Center aka Clamp Swing Building is a sign of the coming of the end of the world (coughdonrobertsbarbarakerrcough) you can check out for yourself on the grand opening day if the Cultural Center is going to be as horrible as they project. 

On Saturday, June 2 from 11 – 4 p.m. there is a FREE family event for the community to come and see what all the fuss is about.   There are a few photos on the website that give you a taste of what is to come.  And even after a long struggle including a protracted lawsuit and numerous appeals, Janet Koike’s vision has finally come to fruition to the benefit of Alameda.   And while those that have pooh-pooh the project may never set foot into building (much like the new main Library) and may never admit that it has been a rousing success and a valuable addition to Alameda — it will further show how out of touch these folks are and that the pulse of Alameda that they feel as though they have a lock on may be in danger of flatlining.

But more about the building!   Bay Area Business Women Online has the story, highlights:

…Once a factory that pumped out plastic supermarket pricing tags, this old brick building has been on track to becoming Alameda’s only visual and performing arts community center, Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW), thanks to Koike.

…Koike bought the building in April 2003, determined to create a community space where artists could share their ideas and talents.

…

After three years of renovations, including a new roof, foundation and windows, the 4,000 square foot community art center, which will have its grand opening on June 2, will offer every kind of artistic medium imaginable — art classes for children and adults, dance and musical performances in its 250-seat theater, an art gallery and a book arts store.

Art classes will also be offered throughout the week, everything from a parent/child class on circus skills to hoolahoop classes.

The upstairs theater — complete with a moveable platform stage, professional sound and lighting, and springy hardwood floors to make it easier on dancers’ feet (more than 1,000 rubber cushions are hand-stapled under the floor) — will host Capoeira ensembles, Taiko and Brazilian drumming, mime troupes, theatrical performances, and storytellers, among much else.

Attached to RCW will be six artist housing units, a living situation, Koike says, that can really facilitate a sense of community.

…

Despite the blood, sweat and tears she has invested into the Center, Koike doesn’t really consider it a personal project — it’s for the community. “It’s something I’m facilitating, and I’m happy to do that,” she says. “But I hope one day I can pass the torch on to somebody.”

And highlights from the Alameda Magazine story:

Her project, scheduled to open the first weekend in June, is a multimillion-dollar warehouse conversion on the northern waterfront in Alameda, the first work/live conversion approved under Alameda’s 1998 ordinance. In the former site of the Clamp Swing factory, a small manufacturing company on Blanding Avenue, RCW will house a 16,000-square-foot combined-use space that Koike hopes will attract artists and art lovers from all over the Bay Area—and the world.

The building contains seven work/live units, a 200-seat theater, an art gallery and a multipurpose classroom. The living units each have an attached garage, along with office space on the ground level. The second level has artists’ lofts with high ceilings, exposed-brick walls and large industrial-style windows. There is already a waiting list for the units, which were rented out before construction was completed. Koike sees the center becoming an “artists’ community,” similar to those in which she lived in Oakland and Berkeley while she honed her craft.

…

The grand opening, scheduled for early June, will begin with a Friday night donor reception at the new facility. Food vendors and food artists will be on hand to display their works with a gallery show entitled the Art of Food. After the Alameda Chamber of Commerce holds an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, free performances and workshops for families and kids will fill out the day. Vendors from the nearby Alameda Marketplace will serve food and refreshments. In the evening, paid performances will take place in the theater.

…

Proposing to partner with other Alameda arts groups, including the Virago Theater Company and the Alameda Children’s Musical Theater, Krummel promises activities for everyone from preschoolers to adults. In the summer months, Alamedans will be able to rent the theater when it’s not in use.

Koike’s vision to “create a place that gives people the opportunity to experience art on a daily basis” is an ambitious one, to be sure, but she looks forward to joining and enhancing the Alameda arts community.

More press for the opening from the Alameda Journal and the Alameda Sun.

Hopefully what will come out of this public grand opening of the newly transformed Clamp Swing building is that adaptive reuse is a valuable and viable option in Alameda and should not be stymied and challenged at every turn.   Folks can try to justify their opposition any way they so choose, but nothing will be able to take away what this project will add to the community, a vibrant addition to Alameda’s arts community and the city as a whole.