AFTER more than three decades behind the limestone walls of Fremantle Prison, The Literature Centre is packing up and shifting to the State Library of WA.
CEO Elizabeth Spencer said the organisation had been based at the prison since 1992, when it was known as the Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, but strategic planning and a golden opportunity prompted the move.
“The board were quite keen for the organisation to also evolve and change and do what it needed to do to suit more of the current environment,” she said.
Feedback from writers and illustrators also pushed them to rethink the historic prison setting, particularly given the centre’s work with First Nations creatives.
“There’s a few of those artists that actually won’t step foot inside the venue or feel uncomfortable working from here because of its history,” she said.
• The Literature Centre founder Lesley Reece moved on a few years ago, and now the whole place is on the move.
Operational challenges added to the pressure.
“Disability access here is not ideal,” Ms Spencer said, adding the prison’s heritage upkeep also meant constant maintenance.
Ms Spencer said they’d investigated a few sites around Fremantle, as the centre’s legacy in the Port City wasn’t lost on the board, but when the State Library invited expressions of interest to share a low-cost space with Writers WA, the stars “aligned”.
“We pay commercial lease rates here and it’s just not sustainable for us in the long-term.”
“There was an opportunity to be in the state library, surrounded by the art gallery, the museum… there are a lot of opportunities there for collaboration and partnerships,” she said.
“We’ll have less space than we’re used to… but we also have access to multiple venues in the building.
“We’re packing everything up at the moment… hoping to get all the major infrastructure freighted to the library by the last week in December,” she said.
“Our least starts at the state library on the January 2.”
The final weeks in Fremantle come with a chance for the public to say farewell.
The Lit Centre is inviting the community to celebrate its time at the Prison before the doors close for good, holding a relaxed afternoon on the verandah this afternoon, Saturday December 6, with tea and coffee from 12noon – 4pm, while families can bring a picnic blanket to sit on the lawn.
“People can come and have a last opportunity to purchase books from our book shop to purchase artwork at a discounted rate as well,” Ms Spencer said.
The organisation’s impact has been far-reaching since “visionary” founder Lesley Reece first opened the doors.
“We work with about 20,000 young people a year… maybe about 10,000 of those in the metro every year,” Mr Spencer said.
“There’s emerging writers who… came here as a school kid to do a visual literacy workshop or a literature workshop or a creative writing workshop… you see that generational change in the impact that the organisation has had.”
Ms Spencer said the move aligns with a shift in programming aimed at inclusion and supporting diverse learning needs, including a bigger focus on oral story-telling.
“Our focus has really changed… we’re trying to become a much more inclusive organisation,” she said.”
Programs are now held across the state, with a big focus on getting to Indigenous communities, to build on successes they’ve had in the Kimberley.
by STEVE GRANT