Published: 28 Feb 2018
£836,779 of National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund was awarded to 41 recipients last month, including individual artists, musicians, writers, theatre makers, festivals and organisations working across the arts, screen and creative industries.
The projects and individuals receiving funding in January 2018 include:
Visual artists Rachel Duckhouse, Beth Shapeero and Alys Owen, Jennifer R Wicks, Janie Nicoll and Ailie Rutherford and printmaker Hetty Haxworth have all received funding towards the development of new work.
Glasgow-based organisation Art in Hospital has received funding towards an Artists’ Development Programme which will include the creation of a new work, new website and national seminar series Art Practice in Health and Medicine.
Engage Scotland have received funding towards Engage, the advocacy and training network for gallery education which aims to encourage access and enjoyment of the visual arts, both for those familiar with the visual arts and for new visitors.
Jane Sillis, Director of Engage Scotland said: “Engage offers vital support and professional development opportunities to gallery educators across the UK and we are delighted to receive support for Engage Scotland’s work over the next two years. Support from Creative Scotland enables gallery and visual arts education practice in Scotland to flourish and for practice in Scotland to be shared with colleagues across the UK."
Literature festivals including Nairn Book and Arts Festival (11-16 September 2018) in the Highlands, Boswell Book Festival (4-6 May 2018) in East Ayrshire, and Aye Write! (15-25 March 2018) in Glasgow have received funding towards their 2018 programmes.
Poets Juana Adcock and Christie Williamson have received support to attend and speak at The International Poetry Festival of Granada.
Katrina Brodin, Programme Manager (Reader Development & Literacy) at AyeWrite! said: “At their core, Aye Write! and Wee Write! exist to foster a love of reading and writing and to encourage development of both. This funding not only helps Aye Write! identify, attract and nurture talent but also helps expose budding writers, readers and authors to new skills, genres and audiences. Similarly, Wee Write! fires imaginations and helps instil a passion for reading in new generations that will last a lifetime and encourage young people to explore writing and reading in all forms.”
Glasgow-based not for profit record label Last Night From Glasgow has received funding to produce the recording, production, manufacture, distribution and promotion of six vinyl albums and supporting digital releases for six currently unsigned Scottish artists.
Funding to singer-songwriter Siobhan Wilson and composer Chris Hutchings will go towards the development of new material, while Glasgow-based folk band Breabach have received funding towards an Australian tour and The Nevis Ensemble, a 40-piece string orchestra for 18-26 year olds, have received funding to tour Scotland in Summer 2018.
Making Music (The National Federation of Music Societies Ltd) has received funding towards Make Music Day Scotland. Taking place on 21 June 2018, the event offers audiences a free celebration of music and promotes engagement in music regardless of ability, age, background or genre.
On receiving funding Last Night From Glasgow said: “Our company was founded with a principle to put artists first and foremost and this funding will enable us to do so much more for them.”
Ballet company Ballet Black has received funding to present a mixed bill programme through four performances at Eden Court, Dundee Rep and Tramway Glasgow. The tour will also include workshops, activities and post-show talks.
Jewellery artist Joanne Thompson has received funding to attend Loot: MAD about jewelry, 16-21 April 2018, an annual exhibition and sale hosted by The Museum of Arts and Design in New York. The exhibition features designs from more than 50 emerging and acclaimed international jewellery artists.
Visual artist Raydale Dower has received an award to support the creation of Intervals, an 80-hourinstallation and performance, premiering at the CCA, as part of Glasgow International (GI), 20 April-7 May.
Choreographer Aniela Piasecka (Stasis) has received funding to create Heavyweight a new 360 video dance piece for distribution via the BBC Taster app and various dance festivals.
Among the theatre awards, Imaginate has received funding towards presenting a showcase of Scotland’s leading theatre and dance companies for children and young people to promoters and programmes in Asia’s leading festival of theatre and dance for children and young people, RiccaRicca.
Dirliebane Theatre Company has received funding to tour SPACE, a clown theatre piece for 9-12 year olds, to schools and venues in Edinburgh, Fife, Easterhouse and Perth and Kinross. SPACE is based around transitioning from Primary to Secondary school.
Paul Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive, Imaginate said: “RiccaRicca: Scottish Focus is a unique opportunity to showcase Scottish children’s theatre and dance in Japan and across Asia. RiccaRicca Festival is respected throughout the world and the Scottish Focus is a real endorsement of the international reputation of Scotland’s theatre and dance for young audiences.”
Tibbermore-based Solas Festival, 22-24 June 2018, has received funding towards its annual arts festival programme.
Findhorn Bay Festival, 26 September-1 October 2018, has received funding towards its programme which mixes theatre, performance, music, dance, visual arts, exhibitions and tours, alongside a Culture Day celebration.
The Articulate Cultural Trust has received funding towards 4, a large-scale local community project inspired by the language and stories of individual participants - whether sung, spoken, written, filmed - in collaboration with artists, emerging teaching artists and young people.
Iain Munro, Deputy CEO at Creative Scotland said:
“This round of Open Project Funding represents a fantastic range of creative practice in communities across Scotland, from Solas Festival in Tibbermore and our support for unsigned artists through Last Night From Glasgow to the important work of Art in Hospital and the Boswell Book Festival in East Ayrshire.
“With support from The National Lottery, Open Project Funding enables artists to develop their creative practice and organisations to connect with communities, enriching Scotland’s reputation as a distinctive creative nation.
“While, as always, there are many more good applications than we have the funds to support, these latest awards do provide invaluable support to the successful applicants and demonstrates what is possible through Open Project Funding. We look forward to seeing their work develop as a result.”
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).
Find out more about the Open Project Fund and all other Creative Scotland funding.
Please note the funding awards listed above 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
The arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland deliver real benefits and make a real difference to all our lives regardless of who we are or where we live.
Film, theatre, literature, dance, music, visual art, video games, craft, and the commercial creative industries all contribute to a flourishing society, to our education and learning and to our skills, jobs and economy.
Public funding for the arts, screen and creative industries, through both the Scottish Government and through the National Lottery, helps make life better in Scotland - better for us all as individuals, as communities and as a nation.
As we say in our 10-year plan Unlocking Potential, Embracing Ambition we want Scotland to be a place where the arts, screen and creative industries are valued and recognised, where artists and creative people can flourish and thrive, and where everyone, everywhere, is interested and curious about creativity.
Read more about why we think Creativity Matters.
Eilidh Walker, Media Relations & PR Assistant
Creative Scotland
Email: eilidh.walker@creativescotland.com
Tel: +44 (0) 131 523 0019
Switchboard: +44 (0) 330 333 2000
Images courtesy of Hetty Haxworth, Making Music, Bo Amstrup, Imaginate and Findhorn Bay Festival.
