Apply for a free creative space

By Meg Hill

Harbour Town and Renew Australia are inviting expressions of interest to join a rent-free creative space.

Makers, creators, artists, community groups and local enterprises are encouraged to apply for a chance to utilise more than 1200sqm of vacant space at Harbour Town.

The Docklands Art Collective is the latest project by Renew Australia, a not-for-profit social enterprise that has been creating similar programs and spaces throughout Australia since 2011.

The space, located on level one of Harbour Town, will form a shared hub for artists, start-ups and other creative talents to brainstorm creative ideas and concepts rent-free.

Renew Australia’s manager Angela Simons has highlighted the readiness of Harbour Town to donate space to the initiative.

“Typically, one of the biggest hurdles for any of our projects is finding property owners willing to lend us sufficient space,” Ms Simons said.

“Thanks to the generosity of Harbour Town Melbourne, not only do we have a chance to create a really vibrant and dynamic area within the centre, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to showcase how readily the Renew model can be adapted to fit the needs of spaces undergoing redevelopment and make them viable and relevant throughout this process.”

Harbour Town Melbourne’s marketing director Kelly Jensen sees the project as an exciting opportunity for Docklands.

“We have absolutely no doubt this exciting partnership will create another incentive to inviting Melbourne’s most creative to join the Docklands Art Collective and this unique creative hub,” Ms Jensen said.

Renew Australia initiated the previous Docklands Spaces renewal project with Development Victoria and the City of Melbourne, which ran in NewQuay from 2013 to 2016.

Docklands Spaces saw 21 different creative and social enterprises find a temporary home in Docklands.

Applications to the Docklands Art Collective should be submitted by contacting Angela Simons on 9882 0785 or via email: [email protected]