The purpose of the Stable Spaces survey was to establish an overview of how the arts are housed in Aotearoa, and how their housing supports their activities.
Going into the Stable Spaces project I didn’t know how arts organisations and individuals were professionally housed, but I thought it was important to know. This lack of data isn’t uncommon. In 2011, in a UK report titled ‘Community Organisations controlling assets: a better understanding’ the authors wrote: “Despite the growth of interest in community control of assets, relatively little is known about the size and shape of the field, about what makes an asset successful (indeed, what constitutes success) and about the challenges of owning or managing different kinds of assets”
This survey is a first step in establishing Aotearoa data. I believe the sector would benefit from a regular housing survey.
The Stable Spaces survey informs the Stable Spaces Report