As you might imagine, I was a tad intrigued. The vision for the King Edward School site, as spelled out by the CADA project’s leader Reid Henry, was for an integrated, mixed-use hub. It’s aim? To provide a dynamic and collaborative environment focused on the incubation and advancement of professional arts practice, social innovation and community development. And it just so happened that the arts, social innovation, and community development are three of my favourite things.
It was a committee position made in heaven. And really, what are the chances of that?
If you aren’t familiar with the project, the repurposing of the King Edward School is to turn the building into an arts-focused, multi-tenant facility that co-locates a range of office, programming and collaboration space for not-for-profit arts and community organizations. It is also envisioned as a dedicated studio space for inpidual artists and creative entrepreneurs working in and across multiple sectors.
In theory, bumping or third spaces such as cafe and event areas are also planned for the building with the goal that they would provide arts-infused gathering places for the facility and broader community, providing opportunities for small-scale performances and community events.
And it doesn’t stop there! The idea for the remainder of the site around the school is a possible cluster of live/work residential uses, amenities and public spaces that reinforce the purpose, and enhance the sustainability, of the art incubator itself. This might mean the first-ever (in Calgary) affordable housing opportunity for artists and their families. Hurrah!
The benefits of restoring and adapting the King Edward School as a mixed use, arts-focused facility focuses on three key scales - each delivering a range of social, economic, environmental and cultural outcomes.
These three areas are, in a nut shell: 1) The Building – focused on the community of artists and non-profit organizations that are tenants or that access the building’s services and spaces 2) The Neighbourhood - the immediate local communities in proximity to the site and 3) The City - the broader community of artists and citizens across the city/region.
By establishing a critical mass of secure, affordable, stable and functional spaces for artists and arts-focused not-for-profit organizations, the rejuvenation of the King Edward School could:
- Provide a thriving and sustainable environment that meets the critical space needs of many artistic disciplines and arts organizations in Calgary’s challenging real estate market
- Promote synergies and connections between tenants to maximize their productivity, creativity and impact (e.g. project collaborations, networking, sharing equipment, resources, knowledge, and skills)
- Help small organizations financially grow or stabilize, supporting their capacity to advance their charitable or non-profit mission
- Cultivate a culture of professionalism and entrepreneurship
- Enhance artists’ financial wellbeing and quality of life
- Enhance the quality of life of the community physically surrounding the King Edward site
- Put Calgary’s art scene on the international map
Now you might have noticed my use of the word ‘could’, ‘might’, and ‘aims’. This is because this is still a process in the works. CADA is currently in its due diligence phase, working to see if this project can/will be embraced by both the geographical community it affects (as in south Calgary) as well as the larger arts community at large.
I am dying to hear your thoughts on the matter. What would an arts incubator mean to your community?
To find out more about the potential arts incubator project in Calgary see: http://www.transformkingedward.com/
2 comments:
Jane Jacobs once said "Old ideas can use new buildings, but new ideas need old buildings"...what a great example! Thanks for sharing.
WOW! What a great concept, Janet. Thanks for helping me to see what is possible!
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