Index is the sequel space of XXXI. From 2015–2020, XXXI was a shared studio and a public event space for the design community at 411 E. 9th St.

In a previous life, we were called XXXI and were based in the very IRL epicenter of New York City, where we shared a studio, opened a store, hosted a residency program for our community abroad, produced exhibitions of self-initiated projects for our community in New York, and offered workshops where peers could teach peers different tools and skills. We didn’t set out to build a community space, but by providing a public center for folks to gather, that’s what we found ourselves doing.

Then our lives were changed in two ways: First we teamed up with our friends at Sanctuary Computer, and then society as we knew it ended — businesses were paused, people got sick, and, just as the darkest April in our New York lives was over, the lease expired for our storefront on Ninth Street.

In the months that followed, many things happened. Coworkers used to sharing bathrooms suddenly no longer shared time zones. Our studio mates were a nebulous web immaterially connected by software and good (and some bad) memes. We left the house for groceries and little else, but our friendships and working relationships endured, and in some cases, thrived.
 

In May and June, the protests for racial justice brought many of us out of our physical solitude for the first time in months. Taking to the streets, we remembered what it felt like to be around people — around strangers — who believed in what we believed in. We reflected on our practices as designers and developers and how they relate to and interact within the broader human ecosystem of power dynamics, justice and equity: In short, we concluded that it was time we addressed the accessibility of these creative professions, and built an intentional community around the principles of shared knowledge, fair exchange, and camaraderie.

We’re launching with an exciting session of spring programs designed to bring the community together virtually until we can gather IRL again. Our offerings include peer-led workshops, books and other goods, as well as public conversations, activities and events. 

Intro to Coding for Designers MEGUMI TANAKA April 17 – May 22, $500

Pasta At Home Adriana gallo April 18 & 24, $25 each or both for $40

Animation Tasting Menu Elliot Keeler April 20 – May 11, $100

Code Writers’ Workshop Jake Brussel Faria April 22 – May 22, $295

Programming announcement artwork by our amazing artist-in-residence Sam Jaramillo.

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