Diva Haus Archive
Since the demise of Diva in 2015, many members, including myself, have felt overwhelmingly displaced. And yet, many of us remain extremely close, no mater how far we scatter--forming a Diva Haus collective unbound by physical limits. The aim of this archive is to preserve Diva relics and love notes that once adorned the Diva main living room.
From regular house dinners, weekly meetings, a zine library, and a show space for traveling and local bands (many of whom were Diva members), the house was pivotal in serving as a radical feminist oasis in the often conservative Midwest. Of course, Diva Haus was no utopia; it was a dirty punk house sometimes punctured by dissent. there were indeed certain members who were asked to leave for not upholding safe Haus ethics. While we would joke that Diva Haus 'was the place where vacuum cleaners came to die," it was very seriously dealt with overt public ridicule, wherein members were called femi-nazis and dirty divas, among other demeaning slurs. That ridicule subsequently contributed to our feelings of isolation from the greater Columbia community. That being said, more than sixty people lived at Diva Haus over its lifespan and learned important lessons of empowerment and resistance to patriarchy through its "do-it-together" mentality.
In 2015, when the house was bought by developers who turned the feminist haven into an 'upscale' dwelling for university students. Diva became yet another radical community evicted from its space due to gentrification and monied interest.
Diva Haus was an experiment with implementing feminist principles in real life. Within those walls we confronted misogyny, transphobia, ableism, racism, and more. Inherently a feminist project, this reconstruction carves out a space for those who struggle to create alternatives to mainstream society and give voice to a decade's worth of experiences that would otherwise be relegated to memories deemed inconsequential by dominant society. Diva Haus was a project of feminist praxis. Sharing it extends this praxis, hopefully inspiring others to make or maintain spaces for the transformation of wherever they call home and the resistance to those who would hinder them from feeling at home there.
Special thanks to Tobi Coffee
