GCDN Annual Convening – Lugano 2022

The Creative District in Benin City is a new district of some 30 acres adjacent, conceived as an intimate campus within the ancient Bini Kingdom walls with platforms for display, interaction, and commerce. Its constellation of facilities will showcase digital, performance and visual art inspired by the rich local history and projecting its living culture into the future. The Creative District will be anchored by the planned Edo Museum of West African Art  (EMOWAA), a new museum designed by Sir David Adjaye and intended to be a cultural and civic focal point, celebrating both traditional and contemporary cultural life of the region. 
 
Now in the very early stages of its development, the Creative District will take time to reach its full potential – perhaps only realized around 2026 when the museum is completed and open. Meanwhile, it will still need to serve essential strategic roles for Benin City, and do it in financially sustainable, if not profitable ways. An effective phased development strategy will be essential to achieving these goals, a fact shared by many other cultural districts. Drawing on the experience of GCDN members in attendance, this session will explore possible phasing strategies and how they might be informed by global practice.