Mac is back

 Midlands Arts Centre (mac) opened in 1962 and since then has introduced more than 10 million people to the arts. Mac believes in the value of lifelong learning and participation in the arts, and brings together artists, both aspiring and professional, to create new work across a wide range of artforms. In the 1990s we recognised that a significant investment was required to secure the centre’s future. Our consultations with patrons, neighbours, artists, community collaborators and our partnership with sampad South Asian Arts, led to plans to create a truly inter-cultural, fully accessible arts centre that is in all senses diverse and inclusive.

The building project, which has taken ten years to realise, took the group of buildings developed in the 1960s and re-imagined and re-engineered them as a centre with new spaces. It embraces and enhances existing, refurbished, spaces – and added 40% to their volume in the process. New elements include a purpose-designed gallery, which is a first for mac as our former gallery spaces were converted loos and a boardroom. The new gallery and additional exhibition spaces provide opportunities to maximise the commissioning of work visual artists, craft makers and performance artists. The theatre was completely stripped out and renewed, with new lighting and sound systems, and fully retractable seating to make the space more flexible. The new facilities and increased capacity make the space more attractive to producing and touring companies and create a more flexible space for our own productions and co-productions. We also have a brand new, double-height studio equipped for rehearsals, theatre, dance and performance.
As part of the ethos of bringing existing parts of the building into the 21st century, all the visual arts, crafts and performing arts studios have been fully refurbished. We have added a new community education studio and a dedicated audio-visual media studio with the capacity for live capture and transmission to and from any other space in the building via our wifi network.
Accessibility has been a core value since mac first opened its doors, and physical accessibility was a real challenge. From the new flat access pedestrian bridge, passenger lift access throughout and a new central concourse connecting all parts of the building, we now have a building which is fully accessible to everyone. As we enter the fit-out phase, it is incredibly exciting to see what the building will offer audiences and artists, and the possibilities the new and re-imagined spaces have created in terms of our programming and artistic practice. We will welcome audiences back into the building from 1 May – we can’t wait!