It's been dubbed the dead heart of Canberra, but a new grants program hopes to reinvigorate Civic as a cultural and artistic hotspot.
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In the City Canberra – an advocacy group financially supported by more than 600 CBD businesses – will launch a grants program on Wednesday worth up to $340,000 to entice artistic, musical, cultural and awareness events and pop-ups into the centre of Canberra.
While NewActon and Braddon continue to enjoy hipster status, the city centre is battling to draw a crowd. The grants encourage anyone to realise a project in the city: young, old, professional, amateur, individual or groups.
Small ideas can apply for public grants of up to $2000, grants for the best popular ideas can be up to $10,000, and professional grants up to $50,000.
The grants program was co-ordinated by cultural development organisation Dionysus. Director David Caffery and events co-ordinator Michael Liu said grant applications need not be complex but must capture the imagination.
According to Mr Caffery, "No single person should curate a city. Citizen-based place-making is the most socially relevant approach to bringing a city to life."
Mr Liu said the program was designed to take a spark of an idea and support its development – potentially to become a larger and possibly permanent attraction.
They suggested $2000 grants could go towards things like regular CBD book swap events, or inviting a pro skater to run a free workshop in Garema Place. $10,000 grants might attract a carpark dance party or an interactive sculpture on Northbourne Avenue. The $50,000 grants would be targeted at large-scale events and festivals with a wider impact on the community.
"It's about making the city yours … which is why we want to spread the word far and wide so everyone has the opportunity to enliven the CBD," said Mr Liu.
In the City Canberra chief executive Jane Easthope said the grants were a major opportunity for the city to realise unique and citizen-led activities.
"We measure the wellbeing of a community by the health of its CBD – the vitality of its 'downtown' – and in our case we need to increase our economic and cultural vitality and viability."
Ms Easthope said her group had successfully supported some big-ticket attractions such as the Multicultural Festival, the Winter Festival, Christmas in the City, and the Curry Festival, but the grants program would invest in smaller-scale, unique and unexpected events.
"We want to activate some of the areas where people don't currently linger: Garema Place, Hobart Place, London Circuit and Mort Street. We want pop-ups, art, music, exhibitions, different lively events that make people want to come past for something to think about and look at and experience, rather than simply moving through on their way to something else."
Grants will be considered on a rolling basis from June.
"When individuals and groups are given the opportunity to realise their ideas in the city, I hope that ownership creates a connection and a sense of pride," said Mr Liu. "Canberra's CBD deserves to be a popular destination for locals and visitors alike."
