The Hub at Toi Poneke

The last month has been focused on trying to source additional funding for the Hub and getting some of the systems into place so the Hub will run smoothly and effectively.

The bad news is that so far, none of our approaches to funders are turning up trumps. There is huge pressure on trusts and other funders for the arts, but we still have two funding applications to hear back from – fingers crossed.

The good news, however, is this constant rearticulating of the value of the Hub to funders combined with budget crunching is forcing us to be even more distilled in our thinking [isn’t this ever the way with arts projects?!]. What this means is that we are paring back, focusing on the needs that have been expressed and getting clearer on how we can answer them.

What has been great is that each time I meet with Sarah Adams [Hub designer] or with the Toi P?neke team we come up with even more sustainable solutions or simpler ideas – ideas that ultimately will be more adaptable in the future. So for now, we are focused at getting the space right, getting the right foundation or skeleton in place so that things can be layered and built upon over time.

We have also been looking at how the computers will function in the Hub. It turns out that having public access computers in place can be quite complicated – what with illegal downloading and ‘inappropriate material’!

And we’ve been trying to figure out how we can creatively staff the Hub – making sure there are people [and systems] in the space so that people can access the information, resources and networks they’re after. At the moment we only have two days per week of staff time that can focus on the Hub. One idea that has been suggested to us is that people from the arts sector might hot-desk in the Hub, look after people who come to the Hub and share their knowledge with them.

What do you think of this idea?

November Update

Yeehaa! Today we rubber stamped the building work on the Hub which will happen over the Christmas break. The contractors will start knocking out walls and clearing the space out on 21 December, and we are aiming for the basic building work to be complete by 11 January – ready for us to deck the space out in time for the launch.

And last month we had our ‘Naming the Bones’ session. This was really interesting – a step into the unknown for everyone involved. We started with the question ‘How do we make the hub a space that is truly bicultural?’ The discussion that followed led us to then ask ‘How can we use a bicultural framework to identify and articulate the essence of the Hub, to make it truly responsive and accessible to all users?’

With the help of Teina Moetara, a group of 30 arts practitioners, arts organisations and community groups started to explore this question. We used the processes of powhiri and pepha as frameworks to start looking at what the ‘bones’ of the space are. These ‘bones’ can be seen as the tahuhu/the ridge pole in a whare nui/the central concern of the space, and the poupou and heke/the lineage and journey to the tahuhu. As we go, the metaphors are making a lot of sense and the layering of ideas are creating much more depth around how the Hub might realise its potential.

Our next stage is to see if we’re able to group and name each of the bones so people are able to whakapapa to the space – so they can see themselves and their work reflected in the space. Please contact us if you’d like to know more about this.

This month we’re also coming to grips with the Hub’s function. With over 1000 people using Toi P?neke each week and just over three full-time staff managing everything, things can get a bit stretched. The Hub is being built with an ethos of self-directed information sharing and we have to get the systems right. Any thoughts and input is welcome. We’re also looking at how the activity in the space will be programmed – more to come on this.

And roll on summer…

December Update

Well, summer took some time to get here but here it is. And we’ve also set the date for our launch!

It’s 18 February next year – put it in your diary – we will post more details about it closer to the time.

We now have the ‘final’ shape of the Hub and programme. I say ‘final’ because this will be a constantly evolving feast – the whole kaupapa of the space is based on it being responsive to the needs of the people who use it – Toi Poneke residents, tenants and users, Wellington arts practitioners – professional and non-professional, students, arts organisations, community groups, trainers – essentially anyone interested in participating in arts activity in Wellington.

So here is the latest picture of what the Hub will be like:

The Bones of the Hub

The backbone of the Toi Poneke Hub, the tahuhu or the central concern of the space is ‘Cultural Wellbeing’. Promoting cultural wellbeing in the city is one of our key responsibilities as the City Council. The ideas of collaboration, building community, self and collective expression, participation, celebrating diversity, and listening with all our being, are key ideas inherent in cultural wellbeing. These ideas are also reflected in Rongo – and through the naming of the Bones process [see the November update] we have identified Rongo as the backbone of the Toi Poneke Hub.

The naming of the poupou and heke, the ancestory and journey to the tahuhu, is still in process.

How the Hub will function

The Hub is all about sharing of arts information. There will be casual meeting space, more formal [but still open] discussion space, computers which will provide access to online information sharing spaces, discussion boards and other resources to support information sharing.

The Hub will be staffed by the City Arts team, and we are also working with WINZ to have a young, unemployed budding arts manager based in the Hub – hosting people, explaining to them how they can use the Hub, sharing information and growing the activity. But we also hope that once people know how the Hub works that they will look after newcomers to the space.

What will happen in the Hub

The programme will be a mix of regular and spontaneous activity. This activity can be proposed and run by anyone. Activity which promotes the sharing of knowledge, skills and resources through discussion and collaboration will be prioritised. The City Arts team will work alongside the activity to support its set up and marketing. At times the activity in the hub will be themed, at others it will be an eclectic mix reflecting the diversity of our creative city. All activity in the Hub will be open access – with anyone able to attend – so anything expected to attract large numbers of people will have to be booked into other Toi Poneke spaces.

There will be three regular sessions

-          Open space – What do you feel passionate about? Any practitioner, group or organisation can host a discussion or series of discussions in the Hub based around a particular theme/idea/issue.

-          Skill sharing – Do you have a skill you can share? Do you have particular knowledge about a creative process, running community events, arts marketing, playing a particular instrument, running a business, getting funding, making devised theatre, developing websites or any of the other many, many aspects of developing arts projects, careers and businesses? Will you give an hour of your time to share some of this knowledge with others?

-          A2A – these sessions will be regular and irregular presentations and conversations with visiting or local artists. Ideally these will be facilitated discussions/presentations or a collaborative discussion between two or more artists. The focus of these discussions will be on the artist’s practice/work/work-in-development – more of a ‘show and tell’ than the ‘Open space’ discussions. We will be relying on those with their ears to the ground to let us know who will be in town, who has something to tell and to bring these people to the Hub.

Irregular activity

-          Conversation boards – there will be five ongoing conversation boards at a time. These boards will host live discussions about arts activity and work-in-progress.

-          Over to you – Do you have a networking group you want to set up, a project you want feedback on, an idea you want to chat about, information you want to share, something you want to seed? Can you see some way you could use The Hub to do this?

-          Anything else… the door is open. Activity will be prioritised that enhances the connections between people who want to participate in the arts.

If you want to use the Hub, participate in any of the regular sessions or propose other activity for the Hub, please email me at briar.monro@wcc.govt.nz

So watch this space… We’ll post details of the launch here.

In the meantime, have a great Christmas and summer holiday.

Well, there we are … it’s done!!!

Tonight we have put the finishing touches to the Hub – paint, signs, a lot of aroha. It’s quiet at Toi Poneke now. Most of the artists have gone home. Tawata Productions were here working late on their presentation to take to APAM. Marcus McShane opened his show NAG in Toi P?neke Gallery. The art class has packed up and gone home. The extremely agile dance troupe over in the dance studio have flitted off into the night. Now it’s just me, the cleaners and an occasional echo.

At 6.30 tomorrow morning we have our dawn ceremony. And then at 8am the Mayor will open the Hub. We’re expecting a lot of people.

The space is amazing and I have to thank Sarah from Sarah Adams Design again and again for the extraordinary work she has put in here. The foundations are solid – thanks, a profound thanks, to Teina Moetara and his guidance and generosity and illumination.

I’m not going to describe what the Hub is now – you’ll understand some of that if you go to our new and wonderful website – designed by Rob Appierdo from DNation – http://toiponekehub.wcc.govt.nz. And you’ll understand even more when you come here. And I think it will keep changing and evolving.

It has been a great process – this work in progress – a lot of refining, a lot of heart, the constant engagement by so many people. From the initial conversation with a group of producers 2 years ago to this, via BSIDE, via Mapping the Future, via Naming the Bones.

We’re signing off this work in progress and have started a new WIP called “Toi P?neke Hub – Your Voice” http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/show/work-in-progress/65963-toi-poneke-hub-your-voice

Please add to this discussion and keep shaping the Hub, keeping it relevant and useful.

Nga mihi,

Briar [on behalf of the City Arts Team]