SVRSS CULTURAL ARTS CENTRE
Swan River, Manitoba
At Swan Valley Regional Secondary School (SVRSS), a hub for neighbouring communities including Sapotaweyak Cree Nation and Pine Creek First Nation, PUBLIC CITY facilitated an Indigenous Design Consultation process with Elders and students to imagine what a new theatre, workshop and gathering space could provide for their community. Stakeholders shared what brings them together in ceremony and celebration, and the design team gained valuable knowledge to design a flexible, multi-use cultural arts facility and multipurpose space. The design, nestled into a pocket at the southeast corner of the existing school, is configured to support and reflect the diversity of school and community programming needs, including musical, theatrical, and multi-media arts production. It is also imagined as a different kind of educational space, one rooted in the diverse student community at the school, and the desire to provide intergenerational cultural teaching opportunities within the building. The south MPR, bathed in daylight from the generous expanse of south glazing, flows out into an exterior gathering space with a ceremonial fire pit, surrounded by native planting.
