A dose of art and culture can inject more than just new life into a declining neighbourhood. It can actually change the reputation of a whole city. Simone Anderson, founder and director of The Incubator Creative Hub, sees huge opportunities for Tauranga’s Historic Village and the city. Here’s why.
Today, it’s a busy, buzzing place. House fronts have been repainted, roofs replaced, and there’s uplifting music that makes visitors walk with a hip-swing as they explore the cobblestone streets of Tauranga’s Historic Village.
But it hasn’t always been that way. At some point the Village was on the brink of being divested and potentially put back to ground. In 2013, when The Incubator came in, it was low hanging fruit. “Nobody wanted to be there. That’s why we were able to afford renting the barn”, says Simone Anderson, the face behind the Village’s creative hub. “We said: if you let us keep growing, you won’t need to divest anymore because arts gentrify whole neighbourhoods.”
The idea was to help grow and revitalise the Village. Part of what had gone into founding The Incubator was research into what artist-run spaces and creative clusters did in other cities. Simone mentioned places like Soho or Berlin, Melbourne or, closer to home, Wellington and Auckland.
From drab and derelict to hot and hip
There are many more examples around the world where colonies of artists moved into disused, industrial complexes or derelict neighbourhoods, and turned them into hothouses for art and creative talent. As a result, over time these areas became some of the most sought-after neighbourhoods in the cities that had allowed and supported them to flourish.
The relationship between artists and the co-option and redefinition of vacant spaces is a fruitful one. “Gentrification follows: cafés open, boutiques come, different levels of occupancy occur. Consequently also the faith of a city’s elected members grows when they see that these changes have happened,” Simone explains.
Affordable physical spaces are key to the magic
The Incubator’s intention is, among others, to create physical places such as studios for creatives. This is critical because one of the flipsides of urban development is that artists are squeezed out of affordable space to work, socialise and cross-fertilise each other, and at the same time opening access to the arts to the community. “Yet such spaces are a magical thing, and the magic is already happening in the Village.”
Simone refers to an example in west Auckland, the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, a former winery. “They’ve been a great influence and reassurance to me that you can take something and completely change the landscape of it. The Corban Estate manager once said to me that they brought Auckland to Henderson because they created this destination.”
Corban Estate Arts Centre
The Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson is home to artist studios, its own cafe, art classes for adults, youth and children, and an ever-changing programme of exhibitions and events. It is set within park-like grounds amongst historic winery buildings.
Open seven days a week; free entry.
ceac.org.nz
Ethnic expression beyond the stereotypical
She also wants The Incubator to focus more on supporting Tauranga’s large and diverse ethnic communities. “There’s so much under the surface that’s not being represented in terms of the arts and culture, not just the stereotypical.”
Simone adds that what has happened with Covid-19 socially – the effects lockdowns and social distancing had on people – is also getting more important.
“Not everything is about spreadsheets. it’s about social capital. It’s about doing things together. I think people have decided that they need to go back to being kind to each other, that there is a real strength in connecting because you need support, you need friendships.”
In the Village, with the Village, for Tauranga city
She is adamant that there are enormous artistic, social and economic opportunities for development – not just for The Incubator and the Historic Village by creating synergies, but for Tauranga as a city to become a destination beyond just the beach.
“We are so fortunate to be in the Village and to work with the great team there who help us to activate our projects”, she is keen to point out. Their strategies for growth are well aligned. After all, doing it together is a key principle of The Incubator.
