Place Activation

We’re painting a new picture of Maitland and the canvas is the streets, laneways, parks and gateways that exist between the historic structures of our city.

Place activation creates a sense of place, encourages social connections, improves safety and brings life to the streets. It will be expressed in diverse ways through art, food, play, performance and renewal activities. Activation projects bring energy to the streets, create new community connections and build the story of a place.

Initiatives will be guided by the Maitland Place Activation Strategy. Find out more about previous place activations here.

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Vibrant City Creative Opportunities 2019/2020

Over the next 12 months Maitland City Council will be seeking expressions of interest from artists and makers on a range of creative opportunities. These projects will transform the selected spaces from underused or empty walkways to places that can be used by people for performance, leisure or to create intrigue and enjoyment. This booklet is an outline of planned projects and contains information on the submission process.

View below or download here.

 

'IGA Laneway East Maitland' Expression of Interest

East Maitland IGA Laneway runs from Lawes Street to a public carpark at the rear of the shopping precinct. This Laneway is a direct and easy walk to the rear carpark and could become a significant local laneway once activated with a unique and visually appealing project. This project is directed by the Place Activation Strategy and guiding principles of ‘After Dark’, ‘Repurpose’ and ‘Street Art’.

This project invites creatives to develop a project to activate the East Maitland IGA Laneway recognised as a site in need of revitalising. The project could include a lighting element, greening, performance space and furniture to encourage people to use the space differently. The completed work will contribute to the overall cultural identity of the city and increase use of the space both day and night. It should reflect contemporary values and use of public space as adding to the vibrancy of the city

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are open 19 September for the project. Submissions will be open until midnight 13 October 2019.

Budget: $10,000 to $30,000 (plus GST if applicable) depending on the complexity of the project.

For more information on new Place Activation projects and the submission process. Download the Creative Opportunities booklet and the 'East Maitland IGA Laneway' EOI here.

Start application

'New Years Eve Participatory Activity' Expression of Interest

Maitland City Council is seeking submissions from artists, creatives and makers for a new Place Activation participatory activity for New Years Eve in 2019.

The concept is to create and facilitate an interactive installation and activity that will take part on the banks of the Hunter River throughout the evening. The installation should include large scale visual elements and encourage crowd participation that could progress throughout the evening.

The activity should be family friendly, appeal to a broad audience and encourage the community to take part. A concept that aligns with the core themes of New Year’s Eve, for example, resolutions, is encouraged. The lower walkway near the Hunter River will be the location for the installation and activity.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for the activity. Submissions will be open until midnight 13 October 2019.

For more information on new Place Activation projects and the submission process. Download the Creative Opportunities booklet and the 'NYE Participatory Activity' EOI here.

Start application

'Twisted Walls' Expression of Interest

The concept for the Bitter & Twisted activation is to create two temporary artworks that will add an unexpected and twisted visual element to Maitland Gaol’s walls for the Bitter and Twisted Boutique Beer Festival . The artwork should tie in with the core themes of the festival and/or the historical gaol site and be striking in appearance. The artwork will be on display for a minimum of eight weeks, beginning with Bitter & Twisted on 2 - 3 November 2019.

There are two locations and the individuals or collectives can submit a design for one or both locations. The wall sizes are location A: 2100 mm x 4520 mm and location B: 2400 mm x 3440 mm

Budget is $2,000 (Plus GST if applicable)

For more information download the EOI document.

Start application

Street Eats

Street Eats is all about opening the city's doors to unique, and very tasty, street food vendors. So far there has been a number of get togethers where there are a mix of trucks and flavours to sample in some of the best places around town. It's a great reason to get the family out of the house or to catch up with friends with a picnic and a bite to eat. Street Eats Get Together events are shared through the MyMaitland website. 

Mobile food vendors can find out how they can be part of Street Eats Maitland here.

Create Maitland

Maitland is embarking on an urban renewal pilot project called Create Maitland to activate vacant properties in key commercial sites by offering short term tenures for creatives. Council is now an affiliate member of Renew Australia. You can find out more about this initiative by reading the FAQ's.

For a pilot project to occur formal commitment is needed from property owners to provide access to a suitable and available property.  To achieve this, a prospectus of interested creatives and makers looking for a space and details of their offering has been compiled. 

You can view the prospectus here.

For more information please contact City Economy Officer Caroline Booth by calling 02 4934 9868 Caroline.Booth@maitland.nsw.gov.au

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Maitland City Buskers' Code of Conduct

Maitland City Council encourages busking at The Levee, recognising that street performance adds to the atmosphere of the City and helps to activate public spaces. Council does not issue busking permits, but welcomes buskers to perform who are prepared to comply with the Maitland City Buskers Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct clarifies the standards that are expected of buskers and assists Council to manage public space and the interests of the community.

Grants & Funding

Maitland City Council funds initiatives to activate Maitland's public places. 

My Place and Creative Streets Grants are currently under review. If you require more information on Place Activation grants please contact Charlotte Hilder by calling 02 4931 2852 or emailing Charlotte.Hilder@maitland.nsw.gov.au

Resources for Creatives

Budgeting and project management

Budgets tell a story of how the money will be spend to deliver your project, on such necessities such as materials, artist and contractor fees and other associated costs. If you are unsure of how to create a concise budget, or need more information to be able to successfully deliver your project the below list of organisations can provide resources and support.