08/06/2026
Response to City of Fremantle’s C2606-9 MANJAREE | BATHERS BEACH EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROCESS
Dear Councillors,
You will be voting on this agenda item at the next Council Meeting on Wednesday the 10.6.26.
We ask that Council DOES NOT APPROVE a compulsory EOI process for existing successful anchor Tenants of the Manjaree Precinct (Arthur Head A Class reserve).
There is no evidence that our studio (J Shed Art Studio, Unit 3 - J Shed) as existing anchor tenants are not delivering; the artistic quality and production, the cultural, community and tourism engagement and the first nations collaboration outlined as requirements by the City. The report does not indicate failure of the current small arts business tenants to pay the commercial rents set by the City of Fremantle.
For more than 30 years J Shed Art Studio, Unit 3 - J Shed has been a reliable, economically sustainable arts business that has offered stability in the precinct over time. We have engaged in meaningful interaction with the Indigenous Community with more than 30 public art works completed in equitable and respectful collaboration with first nations people.
We have created paid work opportunities for many artists, shared our studio space and our industrial equipment for special projects and events, mentored with an ongoing program for emerging artists and sold the work of a collection of Local Artists in our small display gallery space. An open-door policy with free entrance to our studio and interaction with the artists has been a priority. We are open to the public most days of the week.
Our studio won the 2020 Excellence in Creative Industries Business Award presented by the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce. In the time that we have worked at J Shed Freo we have successfully tendered for and completed 62 public art works located throughout Western Australia. For this work we have jointly been awarded four Australian Landscape Architect's' awards for art works in public places. These are proven evidence of excellence in the arts not proposed outcomes.
In the current unstable economic climate, we ask Councillors to carefully consider this proposal that threatens our established small business that contributes significantly to the Creative Economy of Western Australia.
We encourage Council to reassess this whole proposal and pursue its vision by building on the successful, established arts businesses that already exist as anchor tenants, mentors and contributors to the precinct’s success moving forward.
We invite you to view the attached short professional video (J TIME Part 1 & Part 2.) produced several years ago to explain the art and cultural significance of what Fremantle will lose if it decides to accept this proposal. If you haven't visited J Shed recently it depicts the working life of artists in Unit 3 - J Shed and Greg James Sculpture Studio Gallery_ Greg James.
By Jenny Dawson - J Shed Art Studio and Peter Zuvela - Photography.
If you wish you too can email: [email protected]
Visit Fremantle fans
This is "J TIME pt1" by Rodney Stratton on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
