The Preface.
I can't believe it's been seven years since I met Reji. More than that, I can't believe I was only 19 when I set out to capture a person as significant as this. A lot of sentiments arise reading it now...
I'm only here to be a mere editor of my past, to keep the innocence alive but to also contextualize more, especially regarding the politics of Reji's situation that I did not yet know how to speak on. Maybe this time I'll even share my work.
My memories of collegiate assignments are at this point hodgepodge of vague themes and outlines (tests barely passed) but I do remember wanting this particular assignment to matter, and it wasn't just because it was the only assignment of the semester. The assignment in question? Find a subject on your own— no familial ties, distant friendships, estranged uncles, ancestral hints, clues etc.— but find them, and when you do, and integrate into their life over the semester. Take photos. Now this was the real assignment of a journalist, given to us by Dennis, a photojournalist whose work I admired deeply, and my professor throughout school. I wanted to do this right, merging into the life of my subject as seamlessly as Dennis did, who recalls stories of times he found himself genuinely a part of something he had no invitation to, say a member of a traveling circus or in a Appalachian church amidst a pentecostal serpent ritual. I wanted to understand someone else's world, their circles, their struggles like mine—in real time. I wanted to wonder how I got there, and not be sure. I wanted to try on a different life. What could I witness through the lens? What magic could I find in Austin Texas? I was I was a nineteen year old girl with a camera.
To preface more, I had already (at this ripe age) developed slight trust issues after my first photo story attempt, where all was going well until my subject stood me up at bingo underneath the highway, vanishing midway through the assignment. I learned under I-35, that it wasn't enough to be interesting, your subject needed to be willing— an open door to you, and I wasn't sure one would.
Things quickly changed with my meeting of Rejina Thomas, a 63 year old artist occupying the unique lot on Mary St., next to my best friend’s brother.
These photos document the preparation and the opening of her show "State of Ascension" at the George Washington Carver Museum. They give peek at the people in her life and her persistent buoyancy throughout time. However, more than that, I want people to know her impact on this city, how she has shaped the Austin people speak of fondly. I hope to offer glimpses of how she poured her heart not only into her work, but her people. She built something real and good. The city offered the opposite in return.
The beginning of Austin's capitalistic demise happened earlier than you think and often in swift movements. In a matter of days, Reji's world was turned upside-down by Austin politicians and Capital Metro: her livelihood swept clean under the rug, as they sat in the capital building adorned by her notable glass work.
It was the time to get away with things. There were no racial justice and historical activists in the palm of your hand, telling you to 'show up and show out'. Online activism was not yet born. We hadn't been taught the word gentrification in our Texas high schools. GenZ had not been awaken. People weren't talking, or even listening.
In 2015, Austin was just shy of one million residents, but there weren't enough of us to hear the injustice. The displacement of an artistic icon, a disabled veteran, a creator of community and culture, a Black woman. She gave and created. She was told to exit.
I'd like to think if this happened today things would have been different. I'd like to imagine my friends and I riding our bikes to Pine Street Station (in this imagination I am not afraid to ride my bike), lounging on the beautiful wood floors. One of us would get up to help Reji hold a larger piece as she welds it into place, we'd light a joint. There would be music over the sounds of drills and sparks and laughter. It would be a mess, a result of every scattered brain in one location. I'd know how to blow glass in this world, among many other crafts I'd learn. Making art, growing, moving together, we would arrive to the capital in a peaceful assembly, with undeniable intimidation by sheer number.
To all the Austenite’s who participate in the art/music scene without understanding its roots; you and I are indebted to Rejina Thomas. Someone who is much more than this one aspect.
Let's go jump back to my 2017 rendition of the story,
I'll start from the beginning of our friendship, and the statement that first sparked my curiosity in meeting Rejina Thomas.
"Drew's new neighbor lives in an upside down swimming pool"
My best friend Leslie was describing her brother's neighbor one evening,
The way Leslie talked about her made her seem like a mythical being. You hear about Austin being weird all the time, but seldom do you find the weird that refuses to be capitalized. I knew I had to get in contact with her. So, I did.
I arranged to meet with her one Sunday afternoon, just to chat and get to at least meet this legendary neighbor. To my pleasant surprise, this meeting came sooner than I had planned.
Two days before our scheduled meet up, I get a call from Reji. I immediately thought she was going to cancel and began to rack my brain for a plan B. What she told me surprised me in the best way. (Keep in mind, we have not met at this point.)
"Hey. What are you doing right now?"
"Reji...what's up. I'm on my way to the municipal court to contest two parking tickets."
She laughed, and told me to turn around.
Looking back at this instance, I think of how much this first encounter is a testament to her character. The welcome mat at the gate is essentially there for everyone who wants to come inside. Even without knowing me and what I was doing, she was already wanting to help me and let me in to some very personal parts of her life. I learned that she had done the same for many others back when she owned and operated Pine Street: a warehouse on E. 5th and Waller that served as as her personal studio and gallery, but over the years turned into a community hub for artists of all kinds. Most importantly, it was her home.
"There was a painting section, ceramic section, glass section, wood work, photography...every trade she had set up there. It was our playground."- Victor Angelico, an artist that Reji housed after he left college.
"Thomas established Graphic Glass Studios at 1101 E. Fifth in 1979. Friends were dubious about the dilapidated warehouse, but the space was perfect for Thomas: unconventional, rough around the edges, but bursting with potential. She has worked in photography, painting, drawing, metal, and stonework, but is best known for her glasswork." -Kate X Messer Nov 7th, 2014: Austin Chronicle
In the mid-Nineties, she won the bid to replace all of the intricate, etched glass in the Capitol, creating more than 500 panes; her art has been collected by Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, B.B. King, the Queen of England, and Steven Spielberg.
In 1987, less than ten years after Reji purchased the property, Capital Metro buys rights to the land underneath from Southern Pacific. Their relationship was cordial for the years after; Reji would just pay the rent to the new land tenants as expected.
In 2009 she established her studio as Pine Street Station, opening its doors to the community where she hosted the east side's first Hope Farmer's Market, AIDS Services of Austin by ArtErotica, and the annual Queer Bomb festival. She also brought SXSW to the east side by hosting artists such as Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Ponty Bones, Lee Edwards, and Claudia Voyles in her warehouse.
She called her event Fader Fort and managed the bookings, hired security, and had roads blocked off long before the city had learned how to manage SouthBy. They looked to her for how she handled these free shows while managing to keep everyone safe.
"Yeah so one day I get a call from some management people. They wanted to use some of my warehouse for a concert during SouthBy a while back. They were real upset because the prior venue had dropped them. So, I agreed...then I get a call back and they want even more of my space. I say, yes–whatever. They keep calling, asking for more space, and eventually my entire warehouse is booked out! Well, it was for Kanye West."- Reji Thomas
In 2007, Reji's rent was $400 per month. By 2012 it had increased to $1,088 and would increase to $4,125 by the year 2015– which was ten times more expensive than 2007.
The city held a Historic Land Commission on behalf of Pine Street Station, with over fifty people in attendance to plea for this center to be preserved. The evidence that this building was historic, and worth being preserved was undeniable.
However, it was not enough, and capital greed obtained her property, with promises to relocate parts of her building. They did not keep their word.
Post Pine Street:
Now located South of Austin, Reji continues to make art and be happy.
This is where I meet Reji, three years after the entire fiasco with Capital Metro. One of the first things I noticed about her was that she always had people over.
Aside from art, music is another big passion of hers. Now that Drew and all his bandmates live next door, Reji always has someone near to jam with.
I want to stress that I met someone new almost each time I went.
If I didn't meet this person physically, it was over the phone, which she seemed to be on the phone at all times. It was usually just catching up with friends or delving into drama for the show. I am fairly positive that they never knew I was there, but I guess this made for a pretty genuine impression of the people that called her on my part.
The Friends
One thing I didn't really understand in the beginning was the depth of a lot of these friendships, and why these people volunteered their time and labor to help her organize her life for the show. But with the hindsight I have now, it makes sense that people will do anything to see her prevail.
.
Meanwhile...
Show Night
Post Show
Special thanks to Regina Thomas, the Carver Museum, Dennis Darling & Kyser Lough.
Be sure to check out her exhibit, which will remain in the Carver till February. 1165 Angelina St, Austin, TX 78702
To contact Reji Thomas for any art inquiries or collaborations, she can be reached at : 512-496-3269