Making the Move: An Update on Our Future Home

June 05, 2014

PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is making the move as the lead subtenant of the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Amenity space at the CBC Vancouver Broadcast Centre. We’ll soon be co-locating with Touchstone Theatre, DOXA Documentary Film Festival and Music on Main to establish a vibrant 8,477 square foot cultural arts working hub in downtown Vancouver; and setting course for a new era of artistic collaboration, cultural discourse and civic performing arts. Follow the PuSh Festival blog as we bring you updates on ‘Making the Move’ this fall. Our first project update is from Minna Schendlinger, outgoing Managing Director of the PuSh Festival, who has been at the helm of the project since its conception. 

In October 2013, the PuSh Festival submitted a proposal to the City’s Request For Expressions Of Interest for lead sub-tenant of the Cultural Amenity space at #110-750 Hamilton Street. And from that moment, we have been putting plans in place and working hard to stick to our timeline to move in Fall 2014. In February, shortly after the City’s announcement that PuSh, with its co-location partners Touchstone Theatre, Music on Main and DOXA Documentary Film Festival, were successful in our Expression of Interest, we undertook Request for Qualifications process to four architecture firms for the design construction work.

We selected Vancouver-based architects Simcic Uhrich Architects (SUA) who have now begun work on the program design. The talented people at Simcic Uhrich Architects are behind Main Street’s newest drinking hole, the hugely popular Brassneck Brewery, as well as the Mozilla Foundation’s hive-space in Gastown.

Of course, a project of this scale and size requires many hands and brains. The PuSh Festival and its co-location partners have engaged a few pros to keep this project moving forward: Project Manager John Speakman and Project Secretary Louise Bentall provide technical and administrative support for this project.

Not insignificantly, we have signed a license agreement with the City for the space. This agreement allows us unfettered access to the space as we need it. By mid-June we’ll sign a formalized sub-lease agreement. And we have now received a building permit and SUA is now working on the schematic mechanical/electrical design, which will form a significant piece of the construction. Construction is expected to start in early July in order to keep to the fall move-in target.

The City of Vancouver Cultural Services has awarded us a grant towards costs associated with construction and fit-out of the space. And we are awaiting a decision from Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH) Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund for a contribution towards costs associated with construction/renovation and specialized equipment for the multi-purpose rooms.

The four co-location partners are now undergoing research and development required to form a not-for-profit cooperative that will ultimately be responsible for the operations of the space, and serve as a role model of co-habitation for Vancouver’s arts community as the city matures economically and culturally.

Minna Schendlinger
Managing Director