Kingston Arts Precinct


Creating a new arts precinct in Kingston

The future arts precinct in Kingston will become the definitive destination for Canberra’s visual arts and culture. It will bring together a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art space, six visual arts organisations (Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra Glassworks, Craft + Design CanberraM16 Artspace, Megalo Print Studio and PhotoAccess) as well as resident artists, and a dynamic program of creative activity.

artsACT, as the ACT Government’s arts agency, is working closely with these founding residents, the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network, and the sector to ensure the precinct meets the evolving needs of Canberra’s arts community.

For updates on engagement, design and delivery please refer to the project's YourSay webpage.

Reference Group for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Space

30 January 2024

Applications are now open for the inaugural Reference Group for the future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Space at the Kingston Arts Precinct (KAP)! This is an important step to grow our local and national arts landscape and expand opportunities for First Nations artists.

The Reference Group will be responsible for determining the governance model and shaping the strategic direction and objectives of the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Space. The group will also contribute to the design of the purpose-built facility at KAP and prepare for the independent First Nations led operation of that space.

To capture a variety of voices and intersections from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural arts sector, members should be:

Applications close Monday 19 February, 2024.

For more information and to apply visit the Diversity Register or contact Ellanor Webb (Project Officer, Kingston Arts Precinct) via ellanor.webb@act.gov.au

Arts and Culture Advisory Panel

25 January 2024

Submissions for the Kingston Arts Precinct (KAP) Arts and Culture Advisory Panel are now open via the online artsACT grants portal. Individuals may register to be on the Panel at any time until 31 December 2024.

The Panel will provide advice to artsACT on the selection and commissioning of artworks at the KAP. artsACT is seeking members with professional experience in visual arts and crafts and arts management, including skills such as sector development, producing, curating, commissioning, and artist development.

Specifications have been developed for the Panel which outline its purpose and operation as well as expectations on Code of Conduct and managing Conflict of Interest.

KAP Arts and Culture Advisory Panel Specifications

KAP Arts and Culture Advisory Panel Specifications
Image: KAP Arts and Culture Advisory Panel Specifications

Arts, Cultural and Creative Plan

24 March 2023

The Kingston Arts Precinct Arts, Cultural and Creative Plan positions Ngunnawal culture as the central focus for the site’s arts, cultural and creative opportunities. The Plan identifies eight strategies for engaging artists in the precinct:

  1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First – prioritising Ngunnawal and First Peoples’ cultural arts practices.
  2. Integrated Art – incorporating artworks into building and landscape design.
  3. Construction Activations – stimulating the site with temporary commissions during construction.
  4. Former Transport Depot, Fitters’ Workshop and Public Realm – utilising the heritage assets on site to showcase site specific artworks and events.
  5. Arrival Experiences – drawing visitors into the precinct through creative interventions.
  6. Residencies – supporting the research and development of new work and collaborations by local, national, and international artists.
  7. Capacity Building – supporting local artists to build skills and capacity.
  8. Communications – utilising the digital realm to support artists working in new media and promote local arts and culture.

Each strategy includes opportunities that could be implemented throughout the design, construction, or operational stages. The opportunities identified in the Plan are aspirational and provide a framework for future creative and cultural activity on site.

Read the Kingston Arts Precinct: Arts, Cultural and Creative Plan

The Kingston Arts Precinct Place Brief, developed with extensive consultation with community and stakeholders, has also been finalised and is available to view on the project's Your Say page. The Place Brief is a blueprint for the future design,  development, and management of the Precinct, documenting the community’s aspirations for the site.

Together, these documents will guide artsACT, SLA and the design team over the next stage of this important project.

Image: Kingston Arts Precinct: Arts, Cultural and Creative Plan

Listening to Country

2 December 2022

On Friday 2 December resident organisations and the project team attended a walk on Country with Ngunnawal Knowledge Holder Richie Allan. At the National Gallery of Australia Sculpture Garden, Kingsborough Village and the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, the group learnt of the importance of landscape in sustaining life and cultural practices. Richie shared stories of the Molonglo River floodplain, land management, navigation systems, and the many cultural, culinary and medicinal uses of plants. Richie tasked the group to think about and their shared responsibility to create a sense of belonging for all at the Kingston Arts Precinct.

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

Ngunnawal Knowledge Holder Richie Allan

Images: Pew Pew Studio/Ash St George

A ten-year Founding Strategy

1 September 2022

A new Founding Strategy for the Kingston Arts Precinct was released today, outlining the vision, purpose, values and high level governance structure that will guide the future arts destination over the next ten years.

Commissioned by the ACT Government, the Strategy was developed by Test Pattern as the result of a series of workshops with the six founding organisations and members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network. The Strategy was further refined with contributions from artists, arts workers and the community.

To realise the vision, the governance structure takes a facilitative approach, and respects the autonomy of the founding organisations. It shares the principles of elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural arts activity, hospitality, access, capacity building and collaboration.

Facilitating an annual Artist-Run-Initiative-in-residence, connecting artists to national and international curators, sharing resources, coordinating education programs, and creating a network of casual tech and production staff who are available for work across Canberra are ways to ensure outcomes for artists, organisations and audiences that go beyond the founding organisations.

The Strategy also demonstrates a commitment to observe industry best practice on artist payment and terms of engagement and consistent pricing across the precinct for comparable spaces with different rates for community and commercial hire.

The Strategy is high-level and designed to evolve to the changing needs of Canberra’s visual arts sector. Further and detailed five-year strategic plans will be developed prior to the precinct opening.

Read the Founding Strategy

Representatives of the Kingston Arts Precinct

Image: Representatives of the Kingston Arts Precinct. From left: Georgia Hobbs (artsACT), Irena Sharp (Suburban Land Agency), Emerson Radisich (M16 Artspace), Stephen Payne (Megalo Print Studio), Elizabeth Rogers (Canberra Glassworks), Jodie Cunningham (Craft + Design Canberra), Jenni Kemarre Martiniello (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network), Kirsten Wehner (PhotoAccess), Arts Minister Tara Cheyne, Samantha Faulkner (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network) and Esther Anatolitis (Test Pattern). Photo: Richard Poulton

Community Survey

August 2022

We need your help to build on the proposed Place Design Principles for the Kingston Arts Precinct and finalise the Place Brief! Take our 10-15 minute survey and go into the draw to win one of five $50 e-gift cards.

To demonstrate how the Place Design Principles could be reflected in the precinct we have provided some images and statements. All you have to do is let us know which ones best capture the opportunities that can be created at the future arts precinct in Kingston.

The survey closes on Sunday 4 September 2022.

Paste Your Place

July 2022

‘Paste Your Place: Kingston Arts Precinct’, a socially engaged project led by artists Kate Matthews and Fred McGrath-Weber has now been installed outside the Former Transport Depot in Kingston for all to enjoy.  Over two days in July, the community came together to visualise the public spaces of the future Kingston Arts Precinct and create a large photographic mural.

On Saturday 2 July, locals and young people photographed what they love about public space and created a collaged mural of their neighbourhood. On Sunday 3 July, Kate and Fred set up a portraiture booth at the Old Bus Depot Markets, inviting passers-by to join in the fun and add their face to the mural. Go and check it out for yourself!

Paste Your Place Kingston Arts Precinct

Image: Paste Your Place: Kingston Arts Precinct

Creative Panel Discussion

May 2022

On Saturday 7 May we held a Creative Panel Discussion that provided opportunities to review and refine Place Brief concepts, celebrate the future precinct and the character and culture it is set to provide. Six panellists led this discussion:

Through their discussion the following key themes were considered:

Kingston Arts Precinct Creative Panel

Image: Panellists. From left: Richie Allan, Ketura Budd, Judith Nangala Crispin, Catherine Townsend, Dr Hanna Hoyne and Dr Kenneth Heffernan.

Kingston Arts Precinct Place Brief

March 2022

The ACT Government, Suburban Land Agency and artsACT, are taking a co-design approach to realising this project. A Place Brief, developed in partnership with community and stakeholders, will drive the next phase of development, drawing on key pillars to ensure the precinct becomes a leading arts destination, celebrating the rich living history and vibrant community life, through discovery, connection and collaboration. The Place Brief is a decision-making tool that will integrate the ideas and ambitions of the diverse Kingston Arts Precinct community - the people who live, work and play in the precinct - in a way that brings the precinct to life.

Creative Panel Discussion Live Scribe Drawing Devon Bruce

Image: Live scribe drawing of the Creative Panel Discussion by Devon Bunce.

Founding Strategy Consultation Sessions

March 2022

A new vision for the arts precinct was launched last year, developed in consultation with members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network and the six founding arts organisations. We also received valuable community feedback on the strategy, addressing opportunities, needs and concerns.

To finalise the strategy we held four identical sessions on 15 and 16 March 2022. Each session recapped what we heard last year, presented the draft strategic plan, and sought your responses. We are now finalising the strategy and look forward to sharing it with you soon.

Feedback from arts sector focus groups 2021

Image: Feedback from arts sector focus groups 2021

Organisations’ vision for new arts precinct is grounded in Country

December 2021

On 8 December 2021, members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network and the arts organisations who will call Kingston home, gathered together on Ngunnawal Country for an important cultural ceremony.

Ngunnawal Knowledge Holder Richie Allan presided over the ceremony, welcoming guests onto Ngunnawal Country and cleansing the site.

The ceremony grounded the project's next steps and demonstrated a renewed commitment to a shared set of values which prioritise First Peoples, collaboration, and community. Following the ceremony, the organisations’ new vision for the precinct was launched.

Jodie Cunningham, CEO & Artistic Director of Craft + Design Canberra said, “As a united group we are so excited about continuing to work together over the coming years. We promise to listen, learn, engage and grow to ensure the future precinct is inclusive,  meets the needs of the sector, respects the heritage values of the site and contributes to Canberra’s growth as a creative city.”

The event was attended by Minister for the Arts Tara Cheyne MLA, members of Canberra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, members of the project’s Community Panel, local residents, representatives from the Suburban Land Agency and Heritage ACT. Each of these stakeholders will play an important part in realising this vision and by joining the arts organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Network on site, have promised to share in the journey.

Read the new vision for the future arts precinct here.

Kingston Arts Precinct Smoking Ceremony

Image: Smoking Ceremony marks new chapter in the delivery of the Kingston Arts Precinct. Photo: Richard Poulton

Taking the Kingston Arts Precinct forward

November 2021

The ACT Government has made the decision to deliver the Kingston Arts Precinct project through its own agencies.

As a result of this decision, the Suburban Land Agency (SLA) will work with artsACT and other delivery arms of Government on a new delivery model for the precinct.

This will result in some delays to the project, with completion now likely in 2025.

The ACT Government is committed to delivering a precinct of the highest standards that is sensitive to its surroundings. We want to ensure this is a space that will enable the arts and creative industries to flourish in the Canberra region and accommodate a number of Canberra’s leading arts organisations. We also need to ensure that it is built for purpose and allows arts organisations to excel in delivery of their programs as well as provide opportunities for future growth.

The SLA will review and continue the design development of the current proposal and community consultation will recommence in the coming months.

We will work through the changes directly with the arts organisations and our local arts community more broadly. We thank you for your continued engagement in this important project and look forward to sharing more information with you shortly.