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Omni Commons in Oakland is at a critical juncture in its history and we may lose the building in 2024. I was just at a rather passionate three hour meeting abou

Omni Commons in Oakland is at a critical juncture in its history and we may lose the building in 2024. I was just at a rather passionate three hour meeting about it yesterday. And then there was American Steel… You’re not imagining things. It’s hard to sustain places like this when private equity firms are buying up all the land to build high end apartments.

fragmede 3y ago
While the loss of American Steel was a huge loss to its community, it wasn't a maker space in the style of Techshop. The biotech labs that now live under its roof pay much more in rent than the artists who were there before ever could.
- TaylorAlexander 3y ago
  I was at the opening day of the first Techshop, so I know that space well. What I have heard from my burner friends is that American Steel was a place where regular people could (I assume through renting space) store their project materials and fabricate their metal art, even very large scale metal art. That sounds like exactly the kind of place where the OP could work on an LED industrial piercing. It sounds like there were some differences in the membership structure, but American Steel was bought by a private equity firm, the existing tenants were kicked out, and now as you say the new VC funded firms bring in far more income than poor artists ever could. That sounds like exactly the kind of loss to our community that we suffered when Techshop went under.
  - fragmede 3y ago
    Techshop you could go in the front door and take lessons and just use their equipment. American Steel was home to a number of burner art collectives, which, while friendly, weren't groups you could just go in and rent equipment time from without already knowing somebody. If OP knew the right people they could definitely work on an LED industrial piercing, though as as large warehouse of a metal shop, it was dirty place simply due to metal shavings and oil in the air, and not someplace I would want to work on jewelry at unless I had a container to work in. I was being nitpicky that AmSteel got biotech put in place rather than housing, not that it didn't get gentrified.
    - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
      I see that there are some differences in access. Another way of looking at it is that both places allowed a large number of local people to work on their art or engineering projects, and that a loss of such places is a loss for people who want to make things. I’ve done a lot of metal working. It’s a messy process using cutting oils etc. But once you’ve cut and shaped the metal as desired you wash it with soap and water in the sink before assembly.

fragmede 3y ago

While the loss of American Steel was a huge loss to its community, it wasn't a maker space in the style of Techshop. The biotech labs that now live under its roof pay much more in rent than the artists who were there before ever could.

TaylorAlexander 3y ago
I was at the opening day of the first Techshop, so I know that space well. What I have heard from my burner friends is that American Steel was a place where regular people could (I assume through renting space) store their project materials and fabricate their metal art, even very large scale metal art. That sounds like exactly the kind of place where the OP could work on an LED industrial piercing. It sounds like there were some differences in the membership structure, but American Steel was bought by a private equity firm, the existing tenants were kicked out, and now as you say the new VC funded firms bring in far more income than poor artists ever could. That sounds like exactly the kind of loss to our community that we suffered when Techshop went under.
- fragmede 3y ago
  Techshop you could go in the front door and take lessons and just use their equipment. American Steel was home to a number of burner art collectives, which, while friendly, weren't groups you could just go in and rent equipment time from without already knowing somebody. If OP knew the right people they could definitely work on an LED industrial piercing, though as as large warehouse of a metal shop, it was dirty place simply due to metal shavings and oil in the air, and not someplace I would want to work on jewelry at unless I had a container to work in. I was being nitpicky that AmSteel got biotech put in place rather than housing, not that it didn't get gentrified.
  - TaylorAlexander 3y ago
    I see that there are some differences in access. Another way of looking at it is that both places allowed a large number of local people to work on their art or engineering projects, and that a loss of such places is a loss for people who want to make things. I’ve done a lot of metal working. It’s a messy process using cutting oils etc. But once you’ve cut and shaped the metal as desired you wash it with soap and water in the sink before assembly.