MR MARCUS TAPS OUT FOR THE NEW FINANCIAL YEAR

Marcus Canning AM in the Rechabite Hall, 2017 before renovation works commenced. Portrait by Luke Carter Wilton

This week the 2025 edition of the Business News Power 500 was released and our founding Director, Marcus Canning AM CitWA was once again included in the Arts & Culture section with the following listing:

“Marcus Canning’s contribution to WA’s cultural industry extends into 2025 as he continues working as The Rechabite director, managing the annual events program of the multi-level Northbridge venue. He established The Rechabite in 2019 after 17 years as Artrage chief executive, a time in which he founded Fringe World Festival and Rooftop Movies. Mr Canning was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for service to Perth’s arts and community.” 

Ironically, this week he called last drinks on his time at The Rechabite after bringing it back to life and overseeing the last five years of jam-packed cultural and hospitality offerings.

“I remember back in 2008 during the last of the Artrage Festivals, we staged the final live performance work in the hall before the building was moth-balled for close to a decade. When the government called for proposals to bring it back to life, I’d been working on a potential plan for the building over that time. I took it to Adrian Fini as a potential partner, and the rest is history.”

A new company, Happy Heart Pty Ltd was established and was chosen as the right group to bring the iconic building back to life. The Litis family came on board as the other major partners behind the refurbishment and after extensive works across all four levels of the heritage building including the basement Goodwill Club, Double Rainbow Eating House, Hello Rooftop Bar and Rechabite Hall, with its distinctive wrap around industrial balconies added, The Rechabite opened near the end of 2019, quickly establishing itself as a unique venue, known for offering surprise, delight and diversity, and loved by the WA arts community, arts festival attendees, club kids, culture vultures and lovers of the creative good life alike.

“The fact I can tap out knowing that The Rechabite will continue to be a home for the weird, the wild and the wonderful for the foreseeable future is testament to an incredible team, many of whom I have had the absolute pleasure of working with for many, many years including Kiera Owen and Cléo Schurrer driving our programming, our incredible Head Chef Navarre Top, Lea Espanol overseeing operations and Anneika Britten who has been at the heart and management backbone of the venue since before we opened."

Alongside The Rechabite, other venues that Marcus had a hand in starting in Perth over the last thirty years include The Old Girls School, The Bakery, Breadbox Gallery and Jacksue Gallery. He is also known for his iconic public art works, including the RAINBOW sculpture made from sea-containers that greets people entering Fremantle. Post Rechabite, he is looking forward to focussing on his art practice, with some major new commissions going live later in the year and a new sculpture studio in the works near Yallingup.

“The Rechabite turned 100 this year and I’m super proud of my role in bringing it back to life as a cultural hub and creative hotspot for the people of Perth and a place where the widest spectrum of diversity is celebrated. I trust and hope it will be serving the people in a similar fashion for the next 100 years.” 

Marcus Canning with his three boys, 2024 near his new sculpture studio site.