Happy New Year from AEA!
January 1, 2017
Happy New Year from AEA!
We wish our clients and colleagues a healthy and happy 2017.
While 2016 may have been annus horribilis politically, it was an incredibly interesting one for all of us at AEA. We celebrated our 25th anniversary by delivering 51 projects in 10 countries, deepening our presence in Australia and Malaysia and working for the first time in Kuwait.
Some highlights of the year included:
- Drafting the first Cultural Infrastructure Strategy for Infrastructure New SouthWales, which will help guide upwards of AUD1 billion of new investment in cultural infrastructure in the State;
- Publishing “Live-to-Digital” for Arts Council England, UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre that examined the growing marketplace for ‘live-to-digital’ content and its impact on England’s theatre sector;
- Completing the first comprehensive strategic master plan for Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery;
- Delivering cultural plans for Downtown Brooklyn and Sunny Isles Beach, Florida;
- Feasibility studies for a new national park and trust for Malaysia; a renovated Haus der Kunst in Munich; and the re-launched MoPOP in Seattle;
- Developing a comprehensive Arts Leadership Training Programme for Canada;
- Strategic planning assignments for some of the U.S.’ most prestigious performing arts organizations, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Houston Grand Opera.
- Writing and speaking engagements for London Essays, Apollo Magazine, the Art Newspaper, the Global Social Economy Forum, the Annual Canadian Art Summit, and many others.
Looking ahead, 2017 promises to be an adventurous year, as we begin our largest project in our 25-year history, advising on the management and operations of the new Kuwait National Cultural District.
GCDN
Our Global Cultural Districts Network continued to grow as a unique forum for those who develop, fund and operate cultural districts around the world. GCDN members met in Brooklyn in May for its largest convening yet, welcoming over 80 distinguished leaders from cultural districts and institutions around the world. We also welcomed the following as new members:
- Adelaide Festival Centre
- Arts Centre Melbourne
- Genesis Holdings, Beijing
- Kuwait National Cultural District
- Navy Pier, Inc., Chicago
- Singapore National Heritage Board
- Theater District Houston
- Times Square Alliance, New York
- West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong
- William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia
GCDN will hold its annual meeting in Barcelona, May 10-13, 2017. It's sure to be an exciting gathering with a stellar line up of speakers, sessions on topics of ongoing concern, and even more opportunities for networking and collaborating.
AEA grew substantially in 2016, welcoming Hannah Yudkin, Ami Mehta, Sherry Threlkeld, Jessica Ferey and Ekaterina Tasheva to our team. We also upgraded our offices, moving into a 4,000 sq. ft. renovated industrial loft in Beacon, and into Somerset House in London.
Come and visit us anytime; lunch (or tea) is on us!
