Exterior of the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 2
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) has officially launched the Venue Booking Programme of the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 2 and expanded the scope of events covered in the Programme. Local cultural practitioners are welcome to host music and drama activities at the venue. In addition, in view of the impact of the pandemic, IC will extend the implementation period of activities/projects subsidised under the “2020 Financial Support for Local Association Activities/ Cultural Projects Programme” (excluding publishing and performances of Cantonese opera excerpts), thus allowing the activities to start before 31 December 2020 and conclude no later than the second quarter of 2021.
To alleviate the cultural industries’ demand for performance venues, IC has launched the Venue Booking Programme of the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 2. In addition to maintaining free provision of the venue to local associations and individuals to organise events, IC has also expanded the scope of events to cover music and drama activities, promoting more local cultural activities and the development of cultural and creative industries.
Located near the A-Ma Temple, the Navy Yard was the Government dockyard and consists of two buildings (No. 1 and No. 2). Navy Yard No. 1was the dock mechanical room of the Government and was used for ship building and repairing, while Navy Yard No. 2 is a two-storey building which previously served as the dock director’s office and comprises a carpentry workshop, a design studio, a canteen, a medical room and a warehouse. IC has reused both yards and integrated cultural elements to make them a contemporary art centre of Macao. The Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No. 2 was opened for use right after the restoration and interior refurbishment works completed in 2018. A “Temporary Venue Booking Programme” was launched in December of the same year. During more than a year of smooth operation, a number of activities such as the concert Electronic Sparks, integrated in the 32nd Macao International Music Festival, the Drum Art Workshop, an outreach programme of “HUSH!! Full Music”, and various music performances organized by the community were held at Navy Yard No. 2, which were well received with positive feedback.
Upon the launch of the “Artistic and Cultural Space Release Programme” last year, IC integrated the functions of its cultural facilities. At present, over 20 venues are available for local associations and individuals to apply to use. IC is planning to release more artistic and cultural spaces, and is actively negotiating with private companies to offer suitable venues for these events. For details of applying to use the venues, please visit IC’s page for the booking of artistic and cultural spaces at www.icm.gov.mo/en/artspace. For enquiries on booking the Navy Yard No. 2, please contact Mr. Lo or Ms. Chong, staff members of IC, through tel. no. 8399 6275 during office hours. For enquiries on the extension of the implementation period of subsidised activities, please email to ac@icm.gov.mo. For the latest updates of IC, please visit the official website atwww.icm.gov.mo or follow the official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao” or “IC Art” page on Facebook.
