Addo were engaged by Maindee Unlimited to curate and manage the appointment of a Creative Practitioner to work on a project within Maindee Library, a volunteer-run community space on the eastern side of Newport city centre.  Following an open selection process, George Lovesmith (an architect, artist & educator who works under the banner Integrated Workshop) & Sarah Hollingworth (a director of the acclaimed Architecture 00) have been appointed.

George & Sarah will work with the Maindee Library Working Group and other key stakeholders to identify, prioritise and develop creative solutions towards the renovation and improvement of the library building as a flexible and creative space for community use.  The commission is part of Finding Maindee – a three-year project supported by the Arts Council of Wales’ Ideas: People: Places strategic programme, which aims to test new models of regeneration and collaboration through the arts.  Finding Maindee is now in its third year and so a great deal of work has been undertaken to date, including: an ongoing programme of cultural activities and artist interventions; a series of surveys, feasibility studies and obtaining of permissions relating to the redevelopment of the building; establishment of a broad and committed network of volunteers, community groups and individuals passionate about the future of Maindee Library.

This brief brought together long-standing shared interests in the co-production of whatever can be called public – an approach that aims to collectively build capacities, ownership & better buildings. Our strategy is three-fold: playful provocation, physical enabling, and an invite to collaborate.

George Lovesmith & Sarah Hollingworth, 2017

It is hoped that George & Sarah’s collaborative approach will build on the work undertaken so far and help the project to move beyond received ideas of ‘urban regeneration’ and develop Maindee and its library as a space run by and for local people.  Please click here to find out more about the project and the full brief that George & Sarah will be working to.

The project is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Garfield Weston Charitable Trust, the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme through Newport City Council and others. The project will be managed by Maindee Unlimited.