Thanks so much for forwarding the article on to your colleagues (I was actually in the Valley last week and ran into your colleague, Jeremy, who mentioned your post too).

You (and the rest of the readers of Creative Cities) may be interested in this blog post which rounded up a forum discussion last month “Creating a viable future for a creative Brisbane) at http://www.briscreativeindustries.com/blog/2009/11/3/creating-a-viable-future-for-a-creative-brisbane-guest-post.html

I have a great interest in the insertion of creative endeavours into spaces made redundant or vacant as a result of pending development, economic circumstance or other influences that create a stasis or inertia in places.

Kerryanne, your interest in Stones Corner is particularly pertinent as our company, Verge, is located there. We are a firm of landscape architects who, amongst many other things, look at the activation of urban (and non-urban) places through creative mechanisms — particularly those available locally. Since early this year, we have been formulating a plan of attack for Stones Corner based on the use of vacant shopfronts, in particular, to accommodate installation art from emerging artists to assist in activating the centre and generating a bit of a spark with the locals — community members, traders and property owners alike.

This is not a new idea by any means, but an achievable one in the context of this particular place. Since pulling together a proposal earlier this year, we have been liaising with the Stones Corner Community & Development Association (SCCEDA) to get the project up and going. Lauren Hadler, a former employee and a Masters student at QUT Creative Industries has been instrumental in giving the endeavour — “Creative Outlets” (a working title) some curatorial backbone and lining up a number of emerging artists for a pilot launch early in December — hopefully!

Brisbane City Council are keen to partner with SCCEDA to get the pilot project going and we envisage at least a six month duration of cycling exhibitions in at least some of the more longstanding vacant shopfronts. Jeremy and Athol from BCC Community Services have been instrumental in this endeavour and continue to contribute some great ideas as well as some financial support to start the ball rolling — at least. Lauren is working on grant funding and Verge will be working with SCCEDA to get financial and in-kind support from locals and whoever we can. I hope it’s obvious, but our company is doing this for the local community and to promote an arts/creative culture locally — our input and time on this project is at no cost to anyone but ourselves!

There are other “pay-offs” as well and these relate directly to the development of a proactive SCCEDA and to create some interesting dialogue to move the centre forward at a time when a lot of change is proposed locally with infrastructure and development.

It would be great to occupy vacant buildings with cretaive ‘businesses’ to generate new and different enterprise in the area as per “Renew Newcastle” — and this may possible to a small extent — but the emphasis at the moment is on activation and creative insertion. It’s a start and a spark to ignite some local interest and thinking about “what could be…”.

Kerryanne — let me know if you or your network would like to look at some sort of ‘insertion’ at Stones Corner. I can set you up with Lauren and Jeremy to explore some possibilities there.

Hannah, we saw your presentation at ‘Creative Drinks’ a couple of months ago. Deb Robbins and I presented at the following and most recent one — small world!

Cheers
Peter