“Around the world, enduring enterprises including museums and performing arts centers, theater companies and community-based arts centers employ artists, engage companies, activate community, and pursue social justice issues through deep engagement while also driving important economic impact as well as secondary benefits through ancillary expenditures” - The Long Runway © April 2020 | AMS Planning & Research

The arts and entertainment play a crucial role in improving one’s quality of life and general sense of wellbeing. Yet, the performing arts industry, among the most affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic, was not deemed “essential” during this challenging period.
As architects, it is our role to design places where communities can feel safe and welcome, where they can find joy, personal enrichment, and an expanded world view. These beliefs drive us to launch the new BSA Cultural Facilities Network, a forum for practitioners and people interested in cultural spaces and how they shape our environment.

For the next few months, we will examine ideas related to the planning and design of cultural venues, buildings, and outdoor spaces, as well as spearheading the debate on how to make them more accessible and equitable for the community at large. Our aim is to broaden the insight and understanding of practitioners in the design field, while engaging artists, operators, and the public.

Please join us on September 15 and share your ideas and experiences that will help us plan events and topics moving forward. There will be pizza and beverages!
This interactive conversation will be chaired by A. Scott Butler AIA of Wilson Butler Architects and Ioana Pieleanu of Acentech.