Ragged Wing & The Flight Deck Transition
Frequently Asked Questions
Will The Flight Deck close? If so when?
If another group does not step up to take over the lease by the end of 2019, The Flight Deck will close at the end of March 2020. And even if another group steps up, the space will likely not be “The Flight Deck” anymore. It may or may not be available for shared use, depending on the plans of the new tenant.
Why can’t The Flight Deck continue on without Ragged Wing Ensemble?
The Flight Deck is not and has never been its own organization. It is officially a program of Ragged Wing Ensemble. RWE is the entity that holds the lease and there is no legal entity called The Flight Deck.
What will happen to the building?
If another group steps up to take over the lease, than it may be able to continue on as a cultural space. If not, the future of the space is up to the landlord.
Where will Ragged Wing, The Lower Bottom Playaz, and the other artists and groups that have been regularly presenting at The Flight Deck go?
Unless another tenant steps up that specifically wants to continue the shared space, all of these artists will need to find alternate space. Ragged Wing and The Lower Bottom Playaz are currently looking for co-working, rehearsal, storage and performance space. We are hoping that these needs will eventually be fulfilled through the developing Cultural Space Cooperative, but this is still in the design stage and will not begin immediately.
Will this impact my upcoming rental at The Flight Deck?
Upcoming rentals will not be impacted. The Flight Deck is open for business and booking rentals through the end of March 2020. Book your events, holiday parties, art and performance programs at The Flight Deck and celebrate this community one more time while supporting the transition.
What are Ragged Wing’s future plans?
Our ensemble embraces a multi-disciplinary approach in our process and presentation. We train as a group and create plays, gallery shows and immersive experiences. We are starting a new chapter that is about creating a thriving business model and increasing our visibility and impact. Up and coming projects will include:
Can’t the foundations help? What about individual donors? How about the City?
Foundations and our dedicated donors have been, and continue to be, very generous. But the ongoing amount needed to keep the space going is way beyond the capacity of grants—which are typically for specific projects, not maintaining spaces—and what our current contributors can support.
The Cultural Affairs Department at the City of Oakland is very supportive, but they also don’t have access to the type of ongoing capital that could solve this problem. And the building is privately owned, so the City doesn’t have much sway in negotiations with a private landlord. Oakland needs a black box theater with more long-term stability. And we need more innovative, resilient structures for stewarding cultural space (see next question.)
Why does this keep happening? What can we do about it?
Well, the short answer is: a brutal real estate market, lack of funding for the arts, and broken business models.
There have been so many stories of arts organizations being displaced over the past several years. As market rate buildings go up and people struggle to hang on, how do we maintain our cultural spaces and make sure there are safe havens for POC and queer artists and experimental art that feeds the community?
Well, we have one idea. Through our “Reimagining Business Models in the Arts” research project, we are developing an Oakland Cultural Space Cooperative. This business will network, preserve and activate cultural spaces, with the goal of sustaining culture makers of color facing displacement. Cooperatively owned by artists and cultural workers, the enterprise will increase access to space while providing opportunities to build wealth and collective advocacy power. Throughout 2020, a cohort of Oakland cultural organizations will meet to collaboratively design this enterprise. The research team will produce the invOAK podcast to share this process and bring voices from around the country into dialogue with our Oakland cultural leaders.
How can I help?
Click on these links to:
Send an email to [email protected] with the indicated subject line to:
If another group does not step up to take over the lease by the end of 2019, The Flight Deck will close at the end of March 2020. And even if another group steps up, the space will likely not be “The Flight Deck” anymore. It may or may not be available for shared use, depending on the plans of the new tenant.
Why can’t The Flight Deck continue on without Ragged Wing Ensemble?
The Flight Deck is not and has never been its own organization. It is officially a program of Ragged Wing Ensemble. RWE is the entity that holds the lease and there is no legal entity called The Flight Deck.
What will happen to the building?
If another group steps up to take over the lease, than it may be able to continue on as a cultural space. If not, the future of the space is up to the landlord.
Where will Ragged Wing, The Lower Bottom Playaz, and the other artists and groups that have been regularly presenting at The Flight Deck go?
Unless another tenant steps up that specifically wants to continue the shared space, all of these artists will need to find alternate space. Ragged Wing and The Lower Bottom Playaz are currently looking for co-working, rehearsal, storage and performance space. We are hoping that these needs will eventually be fulfilled through the developing Cultural Space Cooperative, but this is still in the design stage and will not begin immediately.
Will this impact my upcoming rental at The Flight Deck?
Upcoming rentals will not be impacted. The Flight Deck is open for business and booking rentals through the end of March 2020. Book your events, holiday parties, art and performance programs at The Flight Deck and celebrate this community one more time while supporting the transition.
What are Ragged Wing’s future plans?
Our ensemble embraces a multi-disciplinary approach in our process and presentation. We train as a group and create plays, gallery shows and immersive experiences. We are starting a new chapter that is about creating a thriving business model and increasing our visibility and impact. Up and coming projects will include:
- Festive, artful house parties to engage with our community
- Outdoor, site specific, immersive events
- Gallery shows with performance elements
- Compact ensemble plays that tour regionally, nationally or internationally
- Remounting and publishing the original work we have created and presented over the past 15 years so it can reach the widest possible audience
- Growing our education programs and promoting our unique pedagogy of FIERCE PLAY that focuses on artistic agility and mindfulness - we'd like to start bringing these trainings to colleges and businesses
- Connecting with new supporters and cultivating new leaders
Can’t the foundations help? What about individual donors? How about the City?
Foundations and our dedicated donors have been, and continue to be, very generous. But the ongoing amount needed to keep the space going is way beyond the capacity of grants—which are typically for specific projects, not maintaining spaces—and what our current contributors can support.
The Cultural Affairs Department at the City of Oakland is very supportive, but they also don’t have access to the type of ongoing capital that could solve this problem. And the building is privately owned, so the City doesn’t have much sway in negotiations with a private landlord. Oakland needs a black box theater with more long-term stability. And we need more innovative, resilient structures for stewarding cultural space (see next question.)
Why does this keep happening? What can we do about it?
Well, the short answer is: a brutal real estate market, lack of funding for the arts, and broken business models.
There have been so many stories of arts organizations being displaced over the past several years. As market rate buildings go up and people struggle to hang on, how do we maintain our cultural spaces and make sure there are safe havens for POC and queer artists and experimental art that feeds the community?
Well, we have one idea. Through our “Reimagining Business Models in the Arts” research project, we are developing an Oakland Cultural Space Cooperative. This business will network, preserve and activate cultural spaces, with the goal of sustaining culture makers of color facing displacement. Cooperatively owned by artists and cultural workers, the enterprise will increase access to space while providing opportunities to build wealth and collective advocacy power. Throughout 2020, a cohort of Oakland cultural organizations will meet to collaboratively design this enterprise. The research team will produce the invOAK podcast to share this process and bring voices from around the country into dialogue with our Oakland cultural leaders.
How can I help?
Click on these links to:
- Participate in The Art of Leaving project
- Donate to support The Art of Leaving and Ragged Wing’s transition out of The Flight Deck
- Donate to support The Lower Bottom Playaz, Oakland’s only African American Theatre Company, who will also be spaceless again without The Flight Deck
- Book an event at The Flight Deck through March
- Subscribe to the invOAK podcast to follow the development of the Oakland Cultural Space Cooperative
Send an email to [email protected] with the indicated subject line to:
- Inquire about taking over the lease at 1540 Broadway; subject line: 1540 BROADWAY LEASE
- Offer space for RWE or another Flight Deck group after March; subject line: NEW SPACE
- Get involved with the Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation (BAMBD, CDC) which is producing BAMBDFEST 2020 in August; subject line: BAMBD
- Host The Art of Leaving after it leaves The Flight Deck; subject line: HOST THE ART OF LEAVING
- Bring media attention to this story; subject line: MEDIA
- Join the Ragged Wing Ensemble Board of Directors and/or become an advisor; subject line: BOARD
