Any ideas for an Arts Centre in East Dulwich?

[Sue]

As if I didn't already have enough to do with The Goose Is Out! :))

Several of us (well, five in a discussion in Chener's wonderful Bookshop this afternoon) think East Dulwich would be a perfect place for an Arts Centre, to combine exhibition space, music/film/theatre venue, meeting place etc..

Sadly in the current climate we would be highly unlikely to get Arts Council or any other public funding.

So - we need a) a suitable existing building or one which could relatively easily be converted and b) a rich sponsor or sponsors :)

Anyone got any suggestions?

[Huggers]

Great idea. We did have something like it upstairs at the EDT in the old days- a theatre space, film club, rehearsal space, public readings of new plays, and workshop space with an admin office. It was well used too.

[Townleygreen]

Great idea! Why not have a chat with Alleyn's School - their new building has just that sort of space. Might not be feasible, but surely worth a try?

[Sue]

Huggers Wrote:

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> Great idea. We did have something like it upstairs

> at the EDT in the old days

xxxxxxx

Blimey, when was that?

We used to run gigs Upstairs at the EDT before they chucked us out to make it The Lodge, but that must have been later?

Would the space be big enough? What's happening at The Lodge at the moment, is it still a restaurant or what?

[camberwellbeauty]

I recently saw a flyer for exactly that sort of thing. Someone is proposing to turn the old gala bingo place off Camberwell Green into a community arts place .. more info here:

http://camberwellcommunitycinema.webs.com/

[Huggers]

It was the orginal ED Comedy which was one of the major influences to put East Dulwich on the map, culminating in the East Dulwich Festival on Goose Green-then they moved to The Mag, then Camberwell and then The Hob in Forest Hill which they bought so they would never again be kicked out in favour of a restaurant. The original Ed comedy at the EDT went on for about ten year and was started by Jan Prince, partner of Steve Frost. Steve Coogan premiered his show there with Patrick Marber that then went on to win the perrier in Edinburgh and catipult him into stardom.

They were halycon days and was what introduced me to the area in the first place.

[Sue]

camberwellbeauty Wrote:

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> I recently saw a flyer for exactly that sort of

> thing. Someone is proposing to turn the old gala

> bingo place off Camberwell Green into a community

> arts place .. more info here:

>

> http://camberwellcommunitycinema.webs.com/

xxxxxxx

An idea whose time has come, obviously!

Hooray!

[Sue]

Huggers Wrote:

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> It was the orginal ED Comedy which was one of the

> major influences to put East Dulwich on the map,

> culminating in the East Dulwich Festival on Goose

> Green-then they moved to The Mag, then Camberwell

> and then The Hob in Forest Hill which they bought

> so they would never again be kicked out in favour

> of a restaurant. The original Ed comedy at the EDT

> went on for about ten year and was started by Jan

> Prince, partner of Steve Frost. Steve Coogan

> premiered his show there with Patrick Marber that

> then went on to win the perrier in Edinburgh and

> catipult him into stardom.

> They were halycon days and was what introduced me

> to the area in the first place.

xxxxxxxxx

I saw Eddie Izzard at the EDT, must have been in the early nineties :)

Couldn't get a seat and had to sit on the floor throughout.

He was brilliant :)

[Hare]

Went this afternoon to the new cafe opp the Rye, The Gardens (lovely, since you ask,) and they seem to have a large space to the rear that is still undergoing renovation, but nearly finished, that will be available for activities from art exhibitions through to rehearsal space and networking groups - at least, that's what the chap working there told us. Worth going to talk to them, maybe?

Sue, I'll see your Eddie I. at the EDT and raise it with sitting on the cobbles watching him busking in Covent Garden. You and I are either dead hip or dead old - shall we settle for "ahead of the curve"?

[Sue]

Hare Wrote:

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> Went this afternoon to the new cafe opp the Rye,

> The Gardens (lovely, since you ask,) and they seem

> to have a large space to the rear that is still

> undergoing renovation, but nearly finished, that

> will be available for activities from art

> exhibitions through to rehearsal space and

> networking groups - at least, that's what the chap

> working there told us. Worth going to talk to

> them, maybe?

>

> Sue, I'll see your Eddie I. at the EDT and raise

> it with sitting on the cobbles watching him

> busking in Covent Garden. You and I are either

> dead hip or dead old - shall we settle for "ahead

> of the curve"?

xxxxxxxxx

Sadly in my case I think it's dead old :)) but at least that's better than just dead :))

I'll go and check out what's happening at the Gardens, but doesn't sound like there will be space for music/theatre/film activities, but another art exhibition space is good.

Am I dreaming, or didn't there used (grammar) to be a gallery near that estate agent on the corner of Barry Road?

[Alec John Moore]

I suppose you can think of an arts centre as a one stop culture shop. Just from reading some of the threads on EDF and from knowing the area a bit there seems to be a lot going on and a particular interest in live music. What's not clear is just what is going on, where and when. There's lots of sources of information but an arts centre is somewhere you can go with the expectation and knowledge of getting a culture fix.

I wonder what people think of a virtual arts centre for ED that will at least collate information about what is going on where and when. This happens already in a way with the Dulwich Festival but there's stuff going on all year and from reading the thread about ED needing a live music venue, it seems that there are gaps in the collective knowledge about the cultural life of ED.

Of course, the key thing that an arts centre/venue has is an identity formed by its artistic direction/policy. This is not necessarily something you would get from an objective collation of information about what's already going on. It is something that you could do by creatively selecting and linking music, visual art, performance etc events that a variety of independent venues are already organising. It could be a start.

[SeanMacGabhann]

There aren?t many places that lend themselves to the type of venue under discussion ? pretty much all of the properties are the standard shoebox affair

That said, if I had the money I would look at the Locale restaurant as a potential arts centre ? with space for reception, stage/cinema and small caf? area

What was Mad Meg?s restaurant in Exeter has recently been converted (and is still underway) into something similar and is proving popular and I reckon the Locale location is just about right as well

[Sue]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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>

> What was Mad Meg?s restaurant in Exeter has

> recently been converted (and is still underway)

> into something similar and is proving popular and

> I reckon the Locale location is just about right

> as well

xxxxxxxx

That's interesting - I used to live just outside Exeter in the eighties, and there was a well-used arts centre in Exeter then, I used to go to all sorts of things there - did it close down?

Where was Mad Meg's? After my time I think!

[SeanMacGabhann]

Nope ? the actual arts centre itself is still going strong ? I used to do bar work there in the mid 90s and it closed for a couple of years in the late 90s to be refurbed ? now open as the Phoenix. But that is the sort of building that ED lacks ? a big old proper unit

The new artsy theatre space where Mad Megs was (and I first went there as Mad Megs in 1990 ? it was an institution then so I?m guessing there for many years) is on a smaller scale but exactly the kind of space people are talking about here

It?s at the top of Fore St (the town one, not the Heavitree one) next to the chuch ? it?s down some steps into a cellar, beneath what was an old record shop

Website is here:

http://www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk/about/

[kford]

There must be room for pop-up arts spaces in the empty shops opposite Iceland.

[SeanMacGabhann]

going to be a Kinleigh FH estate agent tho - it's being worked on so not vacant

[jollybaby]

You could try applying for lottery funding. A family friend recently got a grant for ?7000 to set up a cinema club in their village hall.

[SeanMacGabhann]

thanks jollyb - but if that was in response to my "if i had the money" I think it'll tale more than lottery money to even shift Locale from that spot. It was more of an "if I had a blank canvas" rather than something I personally want to do

[Jeremy]

Police station.

[Sue]

kford Wrote:

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> There must be room for pop-up arts spaces in the

> empty shops opposite Iceland.

xxxxxxx

Pop-up is great but I was thinking of something more permanent for East Dulwich.

[Sue]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Police station.

xxxxxxxx

Yeh great idea, someone at Cheners suggested that and I'd forgotten, or in fact she suggested the stable block round the back, do you have any idea who owns the building?

[Bellenden Belle]

I would never say never, but this is quite a difficult time to be opening a new arts venue. Arts funding is scarce at the best of times and many arts venues are going to be facing tough times ahead. Overheads for such venues soon mount up.

I think you might be better off looking around at existing venues/ facilities and seeing where you could join forces. Union Chapel in Islington is a brilliant example of a multi-purpose building that is both a working church; social project; and arts venue to boot.

[Sue]

Bellenden Belle Wrote:

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> I would never say never, but this is quite a

> difficult time to be opening a new arts venue.

> Arts funding is scarce at the best of times and

> many arts venues are going to be facing tough

> times ahead. Overheads for such venues soon mount

> up.

>

> I think you might be better off looking around at

> existing venues/ facilities and seeing where you

> could join forces. Union Chapel in Islington is a

> brilliant example of a multi-purpose building that

> is both a working church; social project; and arts

> venue to boot.

xxxxxxxx

Good idea - but the Union Chapel doesn't have much of an exhibition space, does it? Unless I missed it.

It also has a curfew - I think 10.30pm - which isn't that great for music gigs (I was at one there recently).

But obviously all that would have to be negotiated.

Anyway, I'm just floating the idea at the moment, so don't get excited people :))

[karter]

Forget about the video shop and i really don't think it will be a pound shop.;-)

You could try the police station if it gets cut.

You could speak to ED warehouse as they have availabilities from time to time, depending on the space required.

[Alec John Moore]

Re BB's comments about arts funding, that's partly why I was suggesting a virtual space where you could scope out current activities and gauge the scale and type of interest as well as gather ideas for the kind of "project" it might become. Whatever kind of funding might be sought, there will always be a need to make the case for support and a virtual presence would help gather the information to make that case.

Finding the running costs for a building is always a major, ongoing concern.