Published: 31 Oct 2016
Creative Scotland has awarded over £715,000 National Lottery Funding through the Open Project Fund in September 2016 to 42 recipients, including individual artists and organisations working across the arts, screen and creative industries.
Awards of between £1,600 and £77,659 have been made to festivals, musicians, visual artists, dancers and writers.
A host of individual musicians, bands, ensembles, choirs and festivals were among the music awards including Dundee’s Be Charlotte who has received an award to embark on a tour of South East Asia and record her debut album in Thailand. Other music awards include Honeyblood, singer-songwriter James Yorkston, choir Les Sirenes, Concerto Caledonia and Alba Brass.
Be Charlotte said: "I am so happy to have this level of support and encouragement from Creative Scotland at such an early stage in my career. It is such an amazing organisation that is genuinely making really positive contributions to making things possible. I hope we use this as a springboard to making an intentional impact early on in my career and this funding will allow us to begin work in a territory that will be crucial to our global endeavours. It's all very exciting "
Scottish folk band Lau have received funding to deliver musical workshops as part of their Lau-Land event, 3 December 2016, at Summerhall, Edinburgh alongside other professional music tutors. Perthshire Amber Festival, 3-6 November 2016, has received funding towards this year’s programme, which will mark the 12th edition of the Dunkeld-based music festival founded by Dougie MacLean.
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “Scotland’s music is world-class in its quality and diversity, and it’s great to see that reflected in the latest batch of Open Project Funding awards. While Honeyblood are flying the flag for Scottish indie-rock on a North American tour, folk veteran Dougie MacLean is bringing incredible talent to his local turf with the Perthshire Amber Festival and James Yorkston is encouraging fascinating collaborations in his home region with his Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer series. We’re also proud to be backing Be Charlotte’s debut album and getting behind an amazing talent who will be topping next year’s ones-to-watch lists north and south of the border.
“Open Project Funding is designed to support individual artists and organisations across all art-forms. While we are able to support many talented artists, projects and organisations there are many more that we would like to support, if more funds were available.”
Irvine-based illumination: Harbour Festival of Light, 30 November- 3 December 2016, has received funding to stage a four-day festival of creative light to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day around the Scottish Maritime Museum and harbour side in Irvine. Encounters Cultural Festival, 1 October- 4 November 2016,hasreceived funding to support this year’s programme which will include cultural events across North Lanarkshire. While Edinburgh-based AfriFest at Summerhall hasreceived funding to support a new arts showcase, serving the arts and cultural needs of the Pan African community in Scotland, as part of the international celebration of Black History Month in October.
David Mann, Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum: “illumination: Harbour Festival of Light will be a wonderful, new national celebration for St Andrew’s Day and a fabulous start to the festive season for local communities and visitors from Scotland and beyond. The four day art and light spectacular, which includes a stunning waterfront light trail of beautiful, internationally commissioned light installations, also complements our growing art collection and showcases Ayrshire and Arran as an exciting, year-round cultural destination.”
In an award made to crafts, textile design collective Collect Scotland has received funding to stage an exhibition at The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture, Glasgow in 2017.
Marion Parola co-founder of Collect Scotland said: "Collect Scotland showcases the best of Scottish printed textile designs at Premiere Vision, Paris twice a year. We are delighted to bring it home with our first exhibition in Scotland at The Lighthouse in 2017. As well as showcasing a selection of our past collections we are commissioning new work designed specifically for the gallery space based on key trends we will reveal at the exhibition for Spring/Summer 18. Thanks to Creative Scotland for their recognition and continuing support."
Among the literature awards PEN Scotland has received funding towards their project Many Voices - a series of writing workshops bringing together Scottish and international writers to collaborate with marginalised groups and communities across Scotland, exploring through writing and discussion the themes most important to them. While 404 Ink Literary Magazine - a new magazine available in print and digitally, showcasing short stories, narrative non-fiction, poetry and comics in English and Scottish Gaelic has received an award. Non-fiction writers Cal Flyn and Julie Mcdowall have also received literature awards to support new works.
Writer Cal Flyn said: "I'm delighted and grateful to have received funding towards an ambitious new project. Support like this from Creative Scotland makes an enormous difference in the career of a young writer like me, not only in terms of the finance, but by giving a vote of confidence."
Glasgow-based environmental artists and collaborators working within the Collins & Goto Studio have received a visual arts award to embark on a period of creative development to bring two specific works in progress to conclusion and to plan and organise subsequent exhibitions of these works in Scotland and the US. Glasgow-based community arts space Queens Park Railway Club receive funding towards its exhibition programme, including solo exhibitions and artist residencies. While Edinburgh-based artist Thomas Whittle has received funding to attend Syllabus II - a year-long peer-led programme of development alongside 10 other artists. The programme takes the form of intensive weekends at the various partners’ organisations with input from artist, facilitators and curators.
In theatre, Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh has received an award to support its 2016/2017 artistic programme. Actor and playwright Linda Duncan McLaughlin has received funding towards a Scotland-wide tour in 2017 of Descent - a new theatre piece about love and dementia. Descent explores a family’s battle to hold on to each other – and themselves – in the face of early-onset dementia. While performance theatre makers Fish and Game have received funding towards an international tour of The Polar Bears Go Up - a deaf friendly theatre piece for under 5s. The work will be performed at the International Performing Arts for Youth showcase (18-21 January 2017) in Madison, Wisconsin.
Choreographer Rob Heaslip has received funding towards two new works among the dance awards.
Open Project Funding is available to a wide range of organisations and individuals working across Scotland in the arts, screen and creative industries. It supports a broad spectrum of activity including creative and professional development, research and development, production, small capital requirements, touring and collaborations, festivals, arts programming, audience development, etc. A full list of activities supported through this route is set out in the Open Project Funding application guidance. Support is available for projects of different scale and duration with the maximum period of award being set at 2 years. Awards are made in the range £1,000 to £100,000 (or up to £150,000 by exception).
Details of the Open Project Fund and all other Creative Scotland funding can be found on our website at https://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/open-project-funding
Please note the funding awards listed (attached) remain offers of funding until such time as all terms and conditions have been formally accepted and fulfilled by the award recipient. If an award recipient fails to accept any offer, the funding award will be withdrawn and credited to future Open Project Funding Panels.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
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