Civic Centre Arts and Culture - Proposed Programme
This document summarises the proposed programme of arts and culture that will take place
in the new Civic Centre. We are undertaking consultation to seek the views of the public and
stakeholders to help us shape and refine the programme.
Brent Civic Centre
In June 2013 an exciting new building is opening in Wembley. Brent Civic Centre will be the
community hub for the London Borough of Brent. Designed by Hopkins Architects (designers
of the London 2012 Velodrome) it is on target to be the greenest public building in the UK.
The Civic Centre will offer a range of public services such as a Customer Service Centre,
Registrar services and Library and will also serve as a venue for community and private
functions and events. It will also provide Brent with its headquarters by providing office
space for 2,300 council staff.
Civic Centre Arts and Culture Programme
Brent Council is developing a public programme of high quality arts and culture that will run
throughout the year. Activity will include art exhibitions, heritage displays, dance, music,
drama performances, screenings and hands-on arts and craft workshops amongst many
others. There will be plenty to do for people of all ages and interests including programmes
for young people and families.
Activity will be delivered by a combination of top quality arts professionals and organisations
as well as local individuals and community based organisations such as local schools,
colleges, dance, theatre and music groups.
Some activities will be specially commissioned by the council and some through an open call
out where people and organisations interested in providing content will be able to apply.
Applicants will be selected on the quality and range of their work.
This programme will not feature activity specifically relating to religious or faith based events.
Instead the programme will focus on activity that brings Brent’s communities together in
celebration.
Our aims and objectives
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To programme a range of arts and cultural activity that is relevant, innovative,
educational, entertaining and enterprising.
To encourage participation by developing a range of cultural opportunities that are
engaging, accessible and enriching for all local communities
To demonstrate the wealth and breadth of arts and culture in Brent
To promote the range of cultural services provided by Brent Council
To celebrate Brent’s cultural diversity
To attract nationally and internationally recognised arts practitioners and
organisations to the borough
To support the local cultural economy
Due to the nature of the building with its different uses and users it has been designed to be
flexible and multi-functional. This programme will need to use the spaces in imaginative and
innovative ways. Activity will be concentrated on the following areas:
1. Foyer
The foyer is a large central atrium
where visitors pass through to
access services or simply mingle
and enjoy the space. The Foyer
has grand civic steps with
amphitheatre style seating and is
an ideal setting for performances,
workshops, fashion shows and art
and craft fairs.
2. Library
On the ground floor there will be a
state of the art library. This space will have a transparent façade onto the new retail street,
West Olympic Way. The library will include a children’s library, a young people’s area, study
space, ICT learning area, Wi-Fi, ebooks and a cafe. Events to include author talks,
storytelling, spoken word performances, creative writing and poetry workshops.
3. Gallery
At the top of the grand civic steps there is the long gallery. This can be used as a meeting
space, act as a foyer to the Community Hall and is where there will be small rotating displays
of art, craft and heritage artefacts.
4. Community Hall
The Community Hall on the first floor has a
sprung timber floor and capacity to
accommodate up to 1,000 people seated
theatre style. With IT and audio visual
equipment, key features integrated into the
design include a demountable stage, changing
rooms, two bars and catering facilities.
Concerts, dance performances and stand-up
comedy could work well here.
5. Civic Hall
The Civic Hall will perform the traditional function of a council chamber but be flexible to
accommodate other types of function, with capacity for up to 300 people and with movable
furniture and adaptable IT and audio visual equipment. This hall is suitable for lectures and
performances.
6. Exhibition Space
Located on the ground floor close to the Foyer this space will host a rotating programme of
art exhibitions, mostly two dimensional works to hang from the walls.
7. Garden
Part canopied the garden is an ideal space in the summer for outdoor events such as
informal concerts and family hands-on activities.
All of these spaces except for the Library and Exhibition Space will also be available for hire
to private and community organisations and individuals.
Exhibitions and Displays Programme
The exhibition and display programme will be focused on the ground floor exhibition space
and the Gallery. As well as displays by artists and community organisations there will be
displays of objects from Brent Museum and Archives who are based at Willesden Green
Library Centre
Aims and Objectives
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Give the Civic Centre a strong sense of local identity and pride
Help promote the council’s Heritage service across the borough
Provide local artists with public space to exhibit their works
Provide space to showcase the artistic creations of community groups, schools and
organisations.
Proposed exhibitions and displays
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Brent Museum and Archives to curate a rolling programme of displays of material in
their collections.
Exhibitions by professional artists with works for sale.
Exhibitions guest curated by external organisations and individuals
Exhibitions by local groups such as schools, youth groups, charitable organisations
and community organisations
Artist-in-residence programme – responding to the Civic Centre and the people that
use it.
Opening Celebration
To mark the opening of the Civic Centre there will be a large-scale weekend festival
provisional dates of Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October 2013. The theme of this event is ‘The
Drum’, the name of the public part of the building.
Aims and Objectives
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To act as a celebratory event for people that live and work in Brent
To showcase the potential of the new building in terms of usage
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To showcase the building’s sustainability and green credentials and outstanding
architecture
To promote the range of cultural services provided by Brent Council
To help to attract nationally and internationally recognised partners to work in
collaboration with Brent
To celebrate Brent’s cultural diversity
To launch the on-going programme of arts and culture at the Civic Centre and
encourage people to participate in it
Look and feel
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The theme of ‘The Drum’ will run through many of the activities with a wide variety of
performances from across cultures.
A family friendly event with plenty of high quality activity for people of all ages and
interests to get involved with
A mixture of local run activity working with grass-roots organisations and national and
internationally recognised organisations and individuals.
Active participation encouraging people to have a go and do something new
A colourful and vibrant experience
Opening Celebration Potential Activity
It will be important to use as many of the public spaces in the Civic Centre as possible so
people can see the full potential of the building. All of the following suggestions will be
dependent on budget availability.
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Staged music and dance
performances
Variety of drumming performances
Fashion show
Celebrity book readings
Poetry and creative writing
workshops
Spoken word and poetry open mic
Family art and craft workshops
Archive footage of Wembley and
Brent
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Display of artefacts and archive
material from Brent Museum and
Archives
Dance, theatre, carnival costume
and music workshops
Specially commissioned theatre
Screenings
Food, art and craft stalls
Brent council stalls
Funding
The Council has a limited budget to deliver arts and cultural activities across the borough.
The majority of funding for the Civic Centre programme, including the Opening Celebration,
will need to come from external sources. The aim is to source the majority from corporate
sponsorship with smaller amounts through grants from organisations like the Arts Council.
Some activity in the programme is expected to be delivered at low cost or be self-funded
through event ticket sales although most events will be free to attend.
Rosanna Kwok, Arts Commissioning Officer, Arts Team, Brent Council
August 2012