The Connecting Creative Communities research study highlights the impact creative hubs have within communities and cities and the ways they operate in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. It outlines the challenges that creative hubs face to their sustainability and continued impact – with recommendations on how to support them.
Creative hubs can have a transformative effect on secondary cities, become leaders in the cultural landscape and provide a place for creative people to connect.
What is a Creative Hub?
A creative hub is a place, either physical or virtual, which brings creative people together. It is a convenor, providing space and support for networking, business development and community engagement within the creative, cultural and tech sectors. Such hubs can be for-profit, non-profit, or social enterprises. They can range from an arts programme for teenagers, to a co-working space for startup entrepreneurs, to a makerspace with the tools to build a robot.
Findings on the impact of Creative Hubs
Networks
Creative hubs thrive on exchange and collaboration among members. But they are also the starting point for members to make wider connections beyond the hub. This is true for spaces led by artists as well as co-working spaces focusing on technology. In co-working spaces, the networks arise through the proximity of the various businesses and freelancers who share a space. The hubs can also offer regional and international exposure through their events.
A place to learn
Creative hubs create opportunities for members to learn new skills which can then be used to develop their business. While some hubs have a membership register, others maintain an open-door policy.
A sense of belonging
Beyond technical and professional skills, creative hubs also create a sense of community, where people can develop personally, connect, and access informal mentorship.
Developing the Arts
Artist collectives and residencies help artists to develop a body of work, as well as providing guidance on curation, exhibitions and sales. They can also be a rare alternative platform, pushing boundaries in countries where censorship presides over mainstream art and media.
City Catalysts
Creative hubs can have a transformative effect on secondary cities, become leaders in the cultural landscape and provide a place for creative people to connect. At a more local level, creative hubs also have an enormous impact on their neighbourhoods. While some hubs revitalise abandoned or derelict spaces, others have reinvented heritage buildings. Some provide unique services to neighbourhoods that might otherwise be marginalised due to their location and class stratification.
Recommendations to support Creative Hubs
- Training and development in online marketing, data tracking, tax returns, registration of entities and financial planning would help hub managers to improve operations and future sustainability.
- Supporting networks is particularly useful for hubs that are not located in major cities.
- Funding & financial support including long-term funding can help hubs to prepare for the future and plan ahead.
- Support to sustain physical spaces can be provided by commercial or institutional partners can have a significant impact on a hub's possibilities.
- Hubs benefit from advocacy to broaden their support base, particularly arts and community hubs outside the mainstream.
- Connections between the tech and arts sectors rarely cross over, with more opportunities to connect and collaborate including utilising relevant case study examples.