Creative spirit alive and well in New Brighton
Artists and community services are breathing life into a site at the heart of Christchurch’s eastern suburbs.
Central New Brighton School closed after the Government decided in 2013 to shut down or combine various schools across the city.
Sue Davidson co-ordinates The Old School/Te Kura Tawhito, a project of community development organisation Renew Brighton. She said the closure of the Seaview Rd school left a ‘‘gaping hole’’. ‘‘It was really devastating for the community and we started to think what we could do with this school that is so precious to the locals,’’ she said.
The Ministry of Education offered Renew Brighton a two-year lease on the site and they officially opened in September 2017. Concerned the venue was hard to navigate, the organisation recruited Te Pu¯ tahi, the Christchurch Centre for Architecture and City-Making, to help rejuvenate the old school site.
The school is always open to the public, but an event on Saturday unveiled painted way-finding dots and signage to make it an easier site to navigate.
‘‘When we knew the site was coming up because the school was moving out, we started public meetings to find out what the community thought should happen on the site,’’ Davidson said.
Artists and people running health and wellbeing workshops and classes came out of the woodwork during the meetings, particularly those needing space to operate from.
‘‘So many of the artists in particular were working from their little dingy garages, so there was such a demand for space,’’ Davidson said.
Rooms at the school were still emblazoned with names and numbers, but are now filled by people like Piri Cowie, an artist, printmaker and sculptor whose work can be found in public places across the city. Stich-o-Mat is next door, sewing bags for the community from recycled curtains.
In the old dental clinic, impasto oil painter Holly Zandbergen has paint splattered across the room, producing work for an upcoming Auckland show. In another space, Pregnancy Help offers support, clothing and clinics for families expecting children or experiencing the challenges of newborns.
The school was due to put on the market, Davidson said.
However, local frustration with a lack of consultation led the ministry to ‘‘pause’’ the process..