Here at Rhubarb we like to make friends. sometimes friends turn into partners. One of Rhubarb’s partners this year is [color]Hub 14[/color], an artist-run dance studio and performance venue. We asked one of Hub 14’s Artistic Directors, [color]Meagan O’Shea[/color], to tell us a little about what it’s like running a space that is dedicated to creative development.
Hub 14 is a space for creation, it’s also an idea, and hopefully a community. Over the eight years it’s existed we’ve produced performances but more often we’ve offered ways to develop art and art making practice. We’ve run series that seek to illuminate the creative process and artistic motivation (Pick 7), and training classes (Public Works) and Residency program. Currently we offer Incubator, for when you just have an idea, Leg-Up for when you have a gig confirmed but don’t have all the needed resources, Live-In, which is typically for national or international artists, with the option of living at hub 14 for two weeks! In order to stimulate activity and exchange in the community we offer a Community Chest program for artists to propose to facilitate or curate an activity. We also partner with other organizations – Rhubarb and Series 8:08 currently. These partnerships underline our belief in the development of artists and the evolution of contemporary work.
We founded hub 14 in December 2004, and became an incorporated not-for-profit in 2009. We are an artist run centre and are now looking to expand our leadership.
I think we forget what a benefit having space is. In some ways I hope we take it for granted. When I’m in other cities and want to book some space, I am often shocked by how prohibitive it can be. I think accessible space has a lot to do with where we choose to live. For creating artists it’s in the same category as cost of living and paying rent when making decisions about where to live. I am happy that we can add some accessibility to the equation.
Hub 14 has partnered with Rhubarb to present How Can I Forget? Febrary 22-23.
Visit Hub 14’s blog.
