News
Are you or someone you know looking to do a project? Find a studio? Take over an empty shop?
For those interested in getting access to a space Renew Newcastle is now looking for projects to be part of our second group. We've been a little preoccupied with getting this first group of projects up and happening over summer. Now they have their keys and have been let loose in their spaces we are looking out for about 10 more projects to be part of our next group.
If you have put in or are consiidering putting in a project application we invite you to come along to our information night for applicants.
It's on WEDNESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY at 6:30pm at Renew New HQ - it's in the small former Catholic Church at 3 Morgan St Newcastle.
City makeover (from The Newcastle Star)
Newcastle’s renewal has started with seven sets of keys handed to keen artists to properties in the Hunter Street Mall area as part of the Renew Newcastle project . . .
Newcastle’s art scene is ready for a rebirth.
In the next couple of weeks Newcastle will have a new photography gallery, a sound digital – media gallery, an animator’s studio/production house, a shopfront for children’s art and craft classes, an installation exhibition and a gothic and web-design business.
And that’s just the start.
The art renaissance is due to Renew Newcastle.
The not-for-profit organisation started last year by Marcus Westbury aims to revive Newcastle’s inner city area by matching artists and community groups with vacant buildings.
Within three months, the organisation received more than 100 submissions from local artists and groups, which wanted to become involved in its project.
Renew Newcastle secretary Marni Jackson said the organisation’s unique difference was its lease agreements with property owners.
Agreements allow for a 30-day notice period, so artists would have 30 days notice if the property owners had an interested commercial tenant.
“This way the property owner isn’t losing any money.”
Pro-bono help from Sparke Helmore made it possible for Renew Newcastle to develop this unique licence contract.
So far only seven projects have been given the go ahead, although the organisation has close to 30 properties available.
Ms Jackson said submissions would be worked through and matched where possible to available properties.
“It (the seven successful projects) is only a sample of the diversity – we would like to work with all the artists and groups – to get their projects into one of the spaces available.”
It is hoped the next lot of successful submissions would receive keys within the next month.
The organisation is still on the lookout for more interested artists or community groups as well as property owners and white paint donations.
For more information you can go to www.renewnewcastle.org
Today, Renew Newcastle is very pleased to announce that we have signed up our first major property partner, The GPT Group.
From GPT's media release today:
Revitalising Newcastle
The GPT Group announces its support of the Renew Newcastle project today in line with its commitment to revitalise the Newcastle CBD.
At 3pm today, GPT will handover the keys to the first of a series of buildings it owns, to be managed by the not-for-profit company Renew Newcastle, which has been established to find short and medium term creative, artistic and community uses for vacant buildings.
Renew Newcastle will today move in to the former chapel on Morgan Street, which it will use as a base as it continues to match artists and small businesses with vacant buildings within the CBD.
The GPT Group’s Newcastle CBD Development Manager David Sleet said Renew Newcastle provided an excellent medium for contributing to the revitalisation of the CBD while it goes through a transitional phase. We also see a similar range of activities continuing as an element of the re-developed centre.
“GPT owns a range of properties within the Newcastle CBD and it is important to us that these properties are utilised to the best of their ability as we continue with our plans for GPT’s Newcastle CBD retail project. We are also undertaking other activities to improve the ambience of the area, such as installing the Christmas decorations in the Mall and Market Square.
A series of vacant shops on the Hunter Street Mall are set to become galleries, exhibitions and retailers. GPT has also identified space in Market Square that could be used as studio space.
“We are currently working with Renew Newcastle to fill any vacant shops we own that are clean and meet necessary safety codes.
“Our hope is that artists can begin moving in before Christmas,” said Sleet.
Renew Newcastle are very pleased that GPT have offered us the use of their properties. They are one of the largest property owners in the city and their buildings alone will give us the capacity to place dozens exciting projects over the next few months - until their site is redeveloped in 2010.
GPT has also provided us with a building, a former Church in Morgan St from which we hope to be able to run our operations and (hopefully) even an Artists in Residence program in the new year.
While the support from GPT has been outstanding and vital to getting our project off the ground, Renew Newcastle is still keen to work with every other major and minor property owner in Newcastle who may have a space where we can place a project.
Our call for proposals was an outstanding success! At last count we had over 50 proposals submitted from artists, craftspeople and community groups with amazing ideas that will start to bring some life back to Newcastle's CBD.
As you can imagine it takes a bit of time to sort through 50 proposals. We've been busily trying to match these ideas to properties that we think might be suitable. As Renew Newcastle doesn't actually own or control any of the properties ourselves, we've spent the last few weeks trying to convince sympathetic property owners that they should lend us spaces for some of these projects. The good news is that we are pretty sure that some of them will be finding homes soon.
Right now we're matching our first properties to projects and notifying people as we go.
Unfortunately, the majority of projects are not going to be in a space in a hurry. There is no way we are going to find spaces for all 50 projects overnight but as we get ourselves a little more established will be working closely with everyone who has submitted an idea to us to refine their concepts and seek out spaces.
We'd ask everyone to be a little patient and understand that the process will take a while. It's taken many, many, many years for Newcastle's CBD to get this way so don't be surprised if it takes a little time to turn around - particularly givent that Renew Newcastle is still run 100% by volunteers who are squeezing it around their day jobs.
Stay tuned for some exciting announcements!
Thanks to all of you who put Expressions of Interest in!
Renew Newcastle has received over 40 projects and we are taking some time over the next couple weeks to look at them and see if we can convince the property owners that we have been working with to take on some of the specific proposals.
If you are interested in doing a project with us and haven't put in an expression of interest in yet, then don't hesitate to contact us. We remain open to proposals and ideas on an ongoing basis.
One of the ways that Renew Newcastle came to life was via our facebook group.
The Facebook group was founded when Renew Newcastle was just a pipe dream. We had no support, no staff, no money and weren't all that confident that anyone would get behind our proposal for activating Newcastle's CBD.
Yet, less than 48 hours after the group was founded Renew Newcastle had attracted over 500 members. Within a few days that had topped over a thousand, and at last count our group was on 1750 members! The success of the Facebook group was one of the biggest single factors in convincing us that the time for this idea had come and for demonstrating to the rest of the community that we had a wide range of local, national and intentional support.
Renew Newcastle would like thank all of our Facebook members - particularly those only ones. If you're a member of Facebook and not yet a member of the Renew Newcastle group, we'd encourage you to join our supporters group.
Renew Newcastle is currently calling for the first round of expressions of interest from artists, community groups and creative enterprises with ideas for projects in the empty shops and offices in Newcastle.
Proposals will be prioritised, shortlisted and then taken to property owners and business groups who are interested in partnering with Renew Newcastle to host initiatives.
If you think you have an idea that is suitable, then visit our propose a project section to find out what you need to do.
There is no fixed deadline for applications but projects submitted by Sunday 2nd of November will be considered for the first round. We realise this is very soon but the sooner we have projects, the sooner we can start placing them.
Welcome to the Renew Newcastle web site.
We are pleased to say that we have finally got this site up and running. Thanks to those who helped with the site and thanks to everyone that has supported this project so far.
Renew Newcastle has now been legally constituted as a not for profit company and we are now ready to accept proposals and take submissions from people interested in doing a project in one of Newcastle's vacant buildings.
We are also very keen to hear from anyone who might be willing or able to help us find properties to use for the project.
If you want to know more about Renew Newcastle, visit our FAQ section for more information. We will update it as questions come in and as the project evolves.
Otherwise, we encourage you to have a look around the site and get involved in the project.
Sunanda Creagh, Urban Affairs Reporter, The Sydney Morning Herald:
BOARDED-UP shops will be leased to artists for use as studios for little or no rent under a proposal that has attracted the attention of the City of Sydney council.
The idea is the brainchild of Marcus Westbury, host of ABC TV's Not Quite Art and founder of the This Is Not Art festival, who has assembled an "unholy alliance" of property developers, businesses, state and local government authorities and artists.
"Basically, we are setting up a trust or an official body to broker empty space to people who can use it. It would be a combination of people you trust with your building." Mr Westbury said. "These are buildings that are boarded up or their windows are kicked in but our custodians will be cleaning them up and bringing some life to the city."
Read the full story on The Sydney Morning Herald web site.
Callan Lawrence, The Newcastle Star:
The state of Hunter Street and the CBD is regularly described as a disgrace and an embarrassment to the city.
However, an initiative being floated by some in the arts community could breathe new life into the city centre.
The initiative would see the city’s vacant shops used by not-for-profit organisations and artists in exchange for tax or rate concessions for the property owners.
Read the full story at The Newcastle Star web site.
