RIBA Journal’s Post

Its great to see City of Launceston secure $12.7 million in Federal Government funding for the Princess Theatre and Earl Arts Centre Redevelopment Project. The funding was secured with a comprehensive and compelling proposal from Council, and included a cost-benefit analysis and business case prepared with the assistance of SC Lennon & Associates #arts #community #economicimpact #economicdevelopment #prosperity #cities

Glassworks: Sunderland finds Sunniside home “Glassworks: Sunderland is a hugely ambitious project that will unleash the creative potential of Sunniside, a place that is already brimming with creativity.” Sunderland’s creative community has welcomed plans for a “hugely ambitious” £5 million glassmaking hub in Sunniside, with the historic former Peter Smith antiques warehouse earmarked as its future home. The funding, secured by Sunderland Culture from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will help establish Glassworks: Sunderland as a nationally significant centre of excellence for glassmaking and “unleash the creative potential of Sunniside”. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eTghw-6g Nick Malyan Theatre Space North East Corinne Kilvington

Restoring a historic theater requires balancing its original charm with modern updates. A critical step? Conducting a historic paint study to uncover original colors and finishes for accurate restoration. Check out our latest blog to discover five signs it's time to start this process in your theater. https://lnkd.in/eJSaaBmT #historictheater #historicpaintstudy

Mark the date..... An exciting line up of expert panelists for the Explore Offsite in Education. Looking forward to all of the presentations and importantly the resulting discussions and renewed thinking on the key subjects across our sector. #innovareoffsite #mmc #offsiteconstruction #timberconstruction #sustainablearchitecture #biophilicdesign #schooldesign #netzerocarbon #netzeroinoperation #sharedlearning

Sunday ruminations... In some of my doctoral research I note the intentional theatricality of the modern international school 'experience'. I pose this is a hypernym of a number of contributing factors such as: uniform, ritual, architecture, branding, 'story' and more. I argue this is ultimately produced to ensure and increase profitability. I have just started Helen Nicholson's fantastic 'Theatre & Education' which details Howard Barker's (interesting bloke) 1997 cultural manifesto (pp. 7/8/9). There are, in my opinion, some immediate comparisons to be drawn from his reflections on theatre and iterations of education today. As you read the following quotes, I wonder if you, like I, could imagine international education being labelled the same way. Replace theatre with education, let me know what you think... "He states that today's theatre is sterile because it has become, respectively, either an industry with a market, or a social service with a popular obligation" "Barker paints a picture of a contemporary theatre that is responsive to a society 'obsessed with profit and enlightenment''" "he remains critical of a culture industry that is regulated by the power of the conscience or the demands of commerce" "a theatre that is driven by commerce...can succeed only in reproducing life as it is already known and understood" Professor Colin Beard Stephen Larsen David Willows Tristan Bunnell Kevin J Ruth #edchat #education #philosophy #theatre #experientialeducation

Creativity, in its many forms, is at the heart of the Genesis Foundation’s programmes and projects, all devoted to nurturing the careers of exceptionally talented artists from a diversity of backgrounds.    Through their participation in Genesis programmes creative professionals gain access to training, mentoring, networks and practical experience that will stand them in good stead throughout their working lives. Whether working within an organisation or independently as freelancers and entrepreneurs, they will find themselves more agile and resilient, readier to seize opportunities and tackle challenges, and better placed to derive maximum benefit from their talents. More than that, they will enhance their contribution to society and to the fund of cultural memory.    Each of the Genesis Foundation’s partnerships holds a distinctive place and serves a specific purpose in the cultural ecosystem. On the Almeida Theatre’s schedule for 2025 is a production of 1536, a prizewinning play by Ava Pickett, an alumna of the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays programme. Through the Genesis Theatre Design pilot programme, a cohort of black and global majority students are learning from some of the leading scenographers in the world. The winner of the biennial Genesis Foundation Prize for an outstanding mentor, Nancy Medina, has invested her prize money in a new programme to develop British writing for the stage at Bristol Old Vic, where she is Artistic Director. Genesis Sixteen welcomed its 14th cohort of young ensemble singers, while alumni of the programme continue to make their mark in the musical world – among them tenor Matthew McKinney, winner of the 2024 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, who in January goes to New York to participate in Carnegie Hall’s Song Studio programme. Over at the Royal Academy of Arts, the two Genesis Future Curators are now halfway through their two-year contracts.     Everyone has talents. They might not always be as shiningly evident as the talents of the people who participate in the Genesis Foundation’s programmes, but that makes them no less valid. In 2024 the Genesis team continued to develop its talents for cultivating partnerships and for convening experts from different fields and disciplines to generate debate and activate ideas.      Inevitably, the implementation of those strategies will not be immediate, but in the meantime each one of us can continue to play our role in encouraging and nurturing creativity in our society: by participating in culture, by buying tickets, books, music, subscriptions and memberships, and through giving – certainly by making donations of treasure (in other words, money), but also by devoting time and our particular talents to nurturing the creative endeavours that mean the most to us.     As we enter the new year 2025, I wish you happiness and good health and let us all pray for peace on earth and good will towards all. 

Lauren and the Circle have been working on 'A Map To Thrive'—a visionary document for the Circus and Physical Theatre sector. This resource will include a series of recommendations to support growth and sustainability in the sector, paired with 'Pop the Kettle On'—a reflective tool for embedding best practices when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 'A Map To Thrive' will be released in the new year.

Adaptive reuse projects are becoming an increasingly popular approach to construction. Project teams are bringing new life to structures that no longer serve their original use: https://lnkd.in/eAs8QF9r In this video, SGH’s Amy Hackney, Kevin O'Connell, S.E., Chris Norton, and Nate Wittasek discuss the types of buildings that can be used, what makes a structure a good candidate, how these projects give back to the community, and how the Tower Theatre project invigorated a historic theater. #adaptivereuse #southerncalifornia #socal #losangeles

The adaptive reuse efforts at the Ramova Theatre were the focus of a case study piece in Buildings magazine. Take a look at the on-line article below.

Investment in culture is investment in sustainable community and societal well-being. Not billions of public funding for privately owned “unicorns” with average life of 3 years. This is where we need to change the “investment” narrative while even social impact funds are still making decisions based on the speed of financial return overlooking the real sustainable return: What culture and investment in culture does is at least: Encouraging creativity  + Advancing education and skills + Increasing happiness, health and wellbeing  + Supporting innovation and technology  + Animating our villages, towns and cities  + Growing our economic prosperity  + Enhancing our reputation for creative and cultural excellence on the global stage