The Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) is a federation of global centers of arts and culture. Its members represent cities, cultural districts, and cultural institutions from around the world, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, China, and Singapore.[14]
History
GCDN was founded in 2013 by Adrian Ellis, and established by AEA Consulting, the New Cities Foundation, and the Dallas Arts District. Beatrice Pembroke was appointed as Director in March 2018 and Adrian Ellis is chair.
The network's formation was stimulated by a series of conversations among cultural leaders, who were aware that, though forums for cultural institutions to meet and discuss common issues did exist, there were none for those responsible for cultural districts.
Members
GCDN's 50+ members represent cities, cultural districts, cultural institutions, non-profits, foundations, and private initiatives from around the world, including Australia, the UK, Canada, the US, Dubai, China, and Singapore.
Members
GCDN's current members include:
Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi, UAE
Adelaide Festival Centre – Adelaide, Australia
Alserkal Avenue – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Arizona Arts, University of Arizona – Tucson, USA
Auckland Live – Auckland, New Zealand
Better Bankside – London, UK
Brooklyn Cultural District (Brooklyn Academy of Music/Downtown Brooklyn Partnership/Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance) – New York City, USA Canberra Theatre Centre – Canberra, Australia City of Providence Art, Culture + Tourism Dept. – Providence, USA Creative Estuary - Thames Estuary, UK Culture Mile (Barbican Centre/Museum of London/City of London Corporation) – London, UK Dallas Arts District – Dallas, USA East Bank at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – London, UK Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) – London, UK Goldsmiths, University of London – London, UK Harbourfront Centre – Toronto, Canada HOTA, Home of the Arts – Surfers Paradise, Australia Kingston Creative – Kingston, Jamaica LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura – Lugano, Switzerland Melbourne Arts Precinct (Arts Centre Melbourne/Melbourne Recital Centre) – Melbourne, Australia MiSK Foundation – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia MuseumsQuartier Wien – Vienna, Austria National Heritage Board – Singapore, Singapore Navy Pier, Inc. – Chicago, USA Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) – Newark, New Jersey, USA New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) – Newark, NJ, USA New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy – Miami Beach, USA Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage – Lausanne, Switzerland Onassis Foundation – Athens, Greece Parnell Square Cultural Quarter, Temple Bar – Dublin, Ireland Perth Theatre Trust – Perth, Australia Pittsburgh Cultural Trust – Pittsburgh, USA Quartier de la Création – Nantes, France Quartier des Spectacles Partnership – Montreal, Canada RAB/BKO – Brussels, Belgium Sharjah Museums Authority – Sharjah, UAE Southbank Centre – London, UK The Bentway Conservancy – Toronto, Canada The Kuwait National Cultural District - Kuwait City, Kuwait The Lowry/Salford Quays – Salford, UK The Masswascut Collaborative – Providence, USA The Music Center – Los Angeles, USA Theater District Houston – Houston, USA Times Square Alliance – New York, USA West Kowloon Cultural District Authority – Hong Kong, China
Affiliate Members
GCDN affiliate members are organizations and individuals who share a professional interest in contributing to the governance and operation of international cultural districts.
GCDN's affiliate members include:
BuroHappold – Bath, UK
Cistri, Singapore & Hong Kong – Urbis, Australia – Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia DesignSingapore Council – Singapore Grimshaw – New York, USA Jason Bruges Studio – London, UK wHY – Los Angeles & New York, USA
Convenings
GCDN members are invited to regular convenings to share emerging best practices, hear expert panels, and discuss the place of cultural precincts and complexes in urban policy, economic development, and related areas of public policy such as technology, travel and tourism.
Past GCDN meetings include:
GCDN Annual Convening, Singapore – 2019
GCDN Annual Convening, Dubai – 2018
GCDN North American Regional Convening, Providence, Rhode Island – 2017
GCDN Annual Convening, Barcelona, Spain – 2017
GCDN Annual Convening, Brooklyn, New York – 2016
GCDN Annual Convening, London, UK – 2015
New Cities Summit, Jakarta, Indonesia – 2015. GCDN Members Convening, Montreal, Canada – 2015. New Cities Summit, Dallas, Texas – 2014.