Arts Hub Summary
6 comments for Arts Hub.
Summary of Resident Feedback on Proposed Arts Hub
General Support for the Arts Hub
The feedback from Nelson residents indicates strong support for the establishment of an arts hub in the city center. Residents appreciate the council's commitment to supporting the arts sector and the wider community. The hub is seen as a vital facility that would not only provide physical spaces such as workshops, galleries, and office spaces but also serve as a center for connection, collaboration, and coordination within the arts community.
Benefits Highlighted by Residents
- Community and Economic Benefits: The arts hub is expected to deliver cultural and social wellbeing outcomes, increase audience engagement, attract investment, and make arts experiences more affordable and accessible.
- Support for the Creative Ecosystem: The hub would house a transformed Arts Council Nelson and support the development of a broader arts ecosystem in Nelson. This includes supporting ngā toi Māori practitioners and organizations.
Recommendations and Considerations
- Engagement and Collaboration: There is a strong recommendation for the council to continue working closely with Nelson’s creative communities through consultation and partnerships. This collaboration is crucial to ensure the hub is high-quality, fit-for-purpose, and responsive to the needs of both residents and visitors.
- Resource Allocation: Residents encourage the council to ensure adequate resourcing within the council to support the development of the arts hub. This includes investing in both the physical and 'soft' infrastructure such as skilled staff to successfully deliver services.
- Design and Location: There is a suggestion to purchase an existing central city building to establish the arts hub, emphasizing the importance of its central location to increase activity in the city center.
Divergent Views on Building the Hub
- New vs. Existing Building: While some residents see the value in repurposing an existing building to house the arts hub, the Nelson Youth Council strongly advocates for constructing an entirely new building. They argue that a purpose-built facility would better meet the long-term needs of artists and the community, fostering a stronger arts culture in Nelson. They highlight that a new building would be more sustainable, reduce maintenance costs, and provide a lasting home for artists, as opposed to the temporary solution of using an existing building.
Conclusion
The feedback indicates a unanimous support for the arts hub, with emphasis on its potential to enhance the cultural landscape of Nelson. While there is some debate over whether to use an existing building or construct a new one, the predominant view favors a purpose-built facility to best support and develop the arts in Nelson. The council is advised to consider these insights and recommendations carefully to ensure the successful implementation of the arts hub that aligns with the community's aspirations and needs.
| Comment | Point ID |
|---|---|
| Comment: 6. We welcome Council’s commitment to establish an arts hub in the city centre to support the arts sector and wider community. This mahi presents an excellent opportunity for Council to work closely with the creative community in Nelson, to successfully deliver a project that supports and meets the needs of local communities. | 976.2 |
| Comment: Arts Hub 18. It’s exciting to see Council’s proposal to establish an arts hub in the city centre to support the arts sector and wider community, as part of implementing He Tātai Whetū, Whakatū Nelson’s Arts and Creativity Strategy. 19. We welcome Council’s focus on ensuring the hub will meet the needs of the arts community by providing not only physical spaces such as a workshop, gallery and office space, but a place to connect, collaborate and coordinate the sector. 20. A new arts facility would deliver a wide range of benefits to the community. In addition to supporting and developing the creative ecosystem in Nelson by housing the larger, transformed Arts Council Nelson as a refreshed arts development agency, having a central arts facility helps build audiences, attract investment, deliver vital cultural and social wellbeing outcomes to residents and visitors, and make arts experiences more affordable and accessible. 21. We support Council’s proposal to establish a permanent arts hub and provide an improved facility and greater certainty for long term operational costs. As with other infrastructure such as transport and water, arts and culture requires secure, stable investment from Council to survive and service the city. 22. In planning for the new arts hub, we strongly encourage Council to continue working with Nelson’s creative communities, through consultation and by working in partnership with the creative sector to deliver the project. This helps ensure the facility is fit-for-purpose, high- quality and responsive to the needs of residents and visitors alike. 23. In developing the proposal, we encourage Council to carefully consider: • how to provide adequate resourcing within Council to support the development of this proposal • how Council might work with the creative sectors to invest a hub that will develop a broader arts ecosystem in Nelson • how the hub supports the contributions and needs of ngā toi Māori practitioners and organisations in Nelson • the scale and type of facility best suited to the Nelson community • how it might support grassroots and mid-career artists, and organisations, to increase their capability to support a professional arts facility. 24. Council’s investment in the ‘soft’ infrastructure that supports these cultural facilities is equally as important as the physical infrastructure. This includes ensuring these facilities resource and support staff who have the skills, knowledge and experience to successfully deliver services and activities to Nelson’s communities and visitors. | 976.4 |
| Comment: Similar to physical activity, we believe involvement in the arts can create social connectedness and wellbeing for communities. We therefore support the opportunity to establish an arts hub that supports the arts sector and wider community. We encourage any innovative approaches and solutions that see sport, recreation and arts work together for the community, rather than in isolation, particularly when competing for funds and considering sustainable approaches | 1027.11 |
| Comment: Support Multi-Purpose Arts Hub. | 1073.7 |
| Comment: Purchase an existing central city building and establish an arts hub. It’s absolutely vital that this is right in town to increase activity in the central city. | 1077.8 |
| Comment: Long Term Plan Submission (Beyond the Storm - Kei tua i te āwhiā) Te Kaunihera Rangatahi o Whakatu would like to commend Nelson City Council for its open communication (and openness to feedback) regarding the Long Term Plan, as well as the continued support you give to allow us to provide an effective and diverse voice for the rangatahi of Whakatu. We have chosen to focus our submission on the following key issues and sections of the plan: Arts Hub The Nelson Youth Council recognizes Nelson’s need for a new arts hub in order to support and invigorate art in the region going forward, and we believe that an entirely new building needs to be built to fully realise this goal. While an existing building in the city centre being used to fit the role of an arts hub would provide a workable space, to truly allow arts to thrive we need to build a for-purpose building that can truly cater to the needs of artists. This will not only allow artists a space built specifically to help them thrive, but it will create more modern facilities that will result in Nelson being a haven of the arts for years to come. The heightened costs and the time taken to develop such a building will be worth it to transform Nelson into a more beautiful, interesting city. The following points outline the importance of building an entirely new building rather than buying an existing one. Long-Term Viability If we simply jump from used building to used building, we will have a much quicker turn-around time on needing to find a new arts hub as these buildings degrade and technology progresses. Meanwhile, an entirely new arts hub will serve Nelson for much longer, causing the costs of the two options to become much closer. This new building will also be able to be developed with more modern, sustainable practices that can help reduce maintenance costs from old, unwieldy architecture. Usefulness to Artists Any existing property available to be bought could be outfitted to become an arts hub equal in utility to our current arts hub, but developing a building specifically for purpose would actively cause arts in Nelson to thrive. Having to re-outfit a not for-purpose property would only serve as a hindrance to council and artists in Nelson. Conversely, if we brought together artists and architects from across Nelson to decide what is most needed in such an important building, we could actively aid artists in creating and spreading their art, forming a strong community that will surely become a powerful new draw to Nelson nationally and internationally. Culture The creation of a new building to house the arts hub fosters the culture of the arts we have created here in Nelson while simply using an existing building dampens it. If we decide to settle for less, we are pushing our artists to the side, refusing to aid in the oft-underappreciated beauty that they provide to our region. A new building allows artists of all walks of life to forge new bonds with each other throughout the entirety of the building’s life, bonding themselves to each other and Nelson as a city, fostering art to be inspired by and created for Nelson. An older building is simply a placeholder to put the arts hub in until it needs to be replaced again. If we continue to only choose the placeholder option, we will never have a true home for our artists. Due to the above reasons, we propose building an entirely new arts hub rather than buying an existing building to house it in. | 1147.2 |