Feature: Gather RI Slated to Open in Providence This Year

During the pandemic, Amanda Strauss noticed silos among women and among gender-expansive people – the faces you’d see at the gym, at church, during your routine coffee run on the way to the office disappeared. Although gathering spots opened again, habits had changed. “There aren’t many spaces for community,” she says. “The loose ties that bound us together before the pandemic frayed. We need a physical space – a haven – where we can connect and feel safe, find respite and rejuvenation. A place where we can also find inspiration to move forward in our lives.”

According to executive director Strauss and her founding board (all pictured), that space is Gather RI, a meeting spot for women and gender-expansive folks – those who don’t fit into traditional gender categories – currently under renovation in the West End of Providence and slated to open in September of this year. Gather RI leaders were very deliberate about their chosen location, which is in an up-and-coming part of the city, but also close to the freeway, which Strauss hopes means accessibility to the whole state. “It’s going to be beautiful,” Strauss says. “It’s going to be a serene place with gorgeous colors, art, and plants. We’ll have indoor and outdoor fountains with a patio for our members. We believe that beauty is important for people seeking respite.”

Gather RI is a membership-based organization, and fees allow the group to underwrite its planned programming, but a sliding-scale model makes it accessible to as many people as possible. Members will have access to the second floor of the building, known as The Haven, which features an atrium conservatory full of plants and art, and a terrace with a pergola perfect for meetings. There are plans for clustered, intimate seating and closed meeting rooms where members can hold a book club or board meeting.

Every detail of Gather RI’s space is intentional. It’s not just about beauty – it’s about creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, and inspired. That sense of belonging is at the heart of Gather RI’s mission. Planned programming is open to the community and includes peer circles – facilitated structured discussions about different topics, such as career development or ideas important to the community – and guest speakers. “This won’t be a place where you’ll hear academic talks,” Strauss says. “You’ll hear real women and gender-expansive people talk about their lives. Maybe it’s a politician or a business person or someone talking about something cool they did, sharing their interior world and inspiration. We want to hear their story.”

The first floor will incorporate this facet of their vision – hearing people’s stories. Open to the public, it will house a portrait gallery of notable women, with 60 percent of the work done by Rhode Island artists. “It’s going to be very important for people to see the faces of women and gender-expansive people of note,” Strauss says. Also on the first floor is a biographical reading library with space for 6,000 volumes. “I once read a quote that said, ‘Biography is to history what a telescope is to the stars,’” says Strauss. “Biography helps us see both the particularities of individuals and understand their lives but also their historical context. I think it’s going to be very powerful to have access to these rich, full-life stories of people who did incredible things.”

The timing of Gather RI’s debut is interesting against the backdrop of a political landscape that seeks to further marginalize those traditionally marginalized. “We know that women and gender-expensive people have historically faced systemic challenges, and we continue to face them, particularly in this moment,” says Strauss. “These challenges have a strong impact on career choices and on civic engagement. It also has an impact on how we move through the world.”

Strauss and her board want to destroy the myth that women and gender-expansive people move through the world alone in their struggles. “Dedicated spaces like Gather RI have historically existed,” Strauss explains. “There have always been cohorts and networks. There was the women’s club movement, consciousness-raising groups, and women’s centers that now tend to be geared toward medical care.”

In a particularly challenging time for these populations, Gather RI is meant to be a safe space, but it’s also meant to provide education, both historical and practical. “One of the things we think about is the concept of wisdom,” Strauss says. “When we’re siloed, we don’t have the ability to listen to our peers or meet people outside of our age demographics. But creating community and supporting each other is so important because we’re enriched by each other’s presence.” 

Strauss says that leading Gather RI is exactly where she belongs because documenting women’s lives is always where her heart has been. “When I think about my own path, I imagine this long chain of women to my left and my right. I think of it as a sisterhood – people who have inspired me and pushed me when I needed it.” Strauss is looking forward to helping others create those same types of connections that profoundly impacted her life. “Creating ties that bind and allow us to have momentum in the world is exciting,” she says. “When I talk to people about Gather RI, one of the first things I do is ask them to tell me their story. And as I gather those stories and people, I’m impacted as a person. When we put all of those individuals in rooms together, in community, it will amplify the reach of those stories and provide us all with peace and solidarity.” GatherRI.org