Veronika Skliarova, image courtesy of the British Council.
A new residency programme for Ukrainian arts professionals has been announced, delivered in partnership between British Council Scotland, Creative Scotland and the Ukrainian Institute.
Taking place over the next seven months, the pilot project will see six leaders and decision makers from the Ukrainian arts sector visit and stay at arts organisations across Scotland. A bespoke programme will be created for each participant, offering them time away from turmoil and a chance to reflect and think to the future for their own artistic practices, their organisations, and the wider art sector in Ukraine.
The residencies will be based in creative organisations across the country, leading in arts, literature, sculpture, and music. The organisations hosting participants for the project are: Cove Park, Moniack Mhor, Hospitalfield, North Lands Creative, and Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop.
Each residency has been designed to provide valuable time and thinking-space allowing participants to develop their work, take advantage of facilities, workshops, events, and to link-up with Scottish-based creatives to build lasting connections across the creative sector in the UK.
Coming from a range of artistic disciplines, participants are leaders in the arts sector in Ukraine having worked in fields including festival creation, visual arts, design, literature, and music.
The project has been born of out of a Creative Scotland and British Council partnership and as a key legacy project for the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture’s Future Reimaged programme.
The UK/Ukraine Season of Culture was launched by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute in 2022 to mark 30 years of UK/Ukraine diplomatic relations. Through a year-long programme of activity, the season has served as a platform for cultural exchange, artistic expression, and cooperation, bringing together a community of artists from Ukraine and the UK.
Veronika Skliarova, a cultural manager, theatre producer and art curator, will be the first participant to travel to Scotland for a residency in July, she speaks to us about her experience over the last year and what she hopes for her time at Cove Park, an international artists residency centre on Scotland's west coast.
She said: “Art and the creative process has played an incredibly important role in Ukraine, especially after 24 Feb 2022, for therapy, trauma response, and helping give artists and communities a voice. Over the last year I have worked on projects including helping evacuate Ukrainian art and developing Anthology24, a set of theatre texts that will help provide a space for witness and expression.
“I hope to find quiet and safe space at Cove Park. My focus for the moment is to study the issue of the "migration" of contemporary Ukrainian art life, which now seems like a divided archipelago, spread around the world. In Scotland, I hope to meet new people, new artists, and to find out more about the inner motivation of people in becoming creators”.
Introducing the residency programme, Anastasiia Manuliak Head of Visual Arts, Ukrainian Institute says: “A key goal of the UK/Ukraine season of culture has been to enhance cultural exchange between UK and Ukraine and It is wonderful to see that the season has sparked this idea for future collaboration in Scotland. I’m delighted we could offer this opportunity and space for leaders in the Ukrainian arts sector and I’ve no doubt the Scotland residencies project will be a great legacy for the Future Reimaged project.”
Speaking about how the residency project was developed, Norah Campbell, Head of Arts at British Council Scotland adds: “Over the last 18 months, we’ve heard about the experiences of our counterparts and colleagues in Ukraine and we’ve responded in the best way we know how, by utilising our networks and building connections to support Ukrainian creatives. These residencies will offer a much-needed space for calm and reflection and will be an extremely important and fruitful time for all those taking part.”
Alexia Holt, Director of Cove Park will welcome the first residency participant in July: “We look forward to welcoming the Ukrainian producer, curator, and cultural manager Veronica Skliarova to Cove Park in July as part of the UK-Ukraine season Future Reimagined. This residency perfectly expresses our core determination to support and work with those most in need of the space we offer, to build and sustain cross cultural connections, and to imagine a peaceful, fairer and more socially just world.”
Find out more about the residencies.
Background
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
The UK/Ukraine Season of Culture (www.ukuaseason.org) is a collaboration between The British Council and the Ukrainian Institute, the UK/Ukraine Season is being presented in the UK, online and across some satellite locations until June 2023, featuring artist residencies, talks, film, music, literature, drama and dance. The Season, which has been planned since 2019 to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Ukraine, aims to strengthen and build cultural connections between both countries, while providing new platforms and opportunities for Ukrainian artists to connect with the UK. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Season’s theme is ‘Future Reimagined’, focusing on the changed needs and priorities of the Ukrainian sector, giving a voice to Ukrainian creatives, both in the UK and online.
The Ukrainian Institute (www.ui.org.ua) is a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its mission is to strengthen Ukraine’s international standing through the means of cultural diplomacy. The Institute facilitates international connections between people and institutions and creates opportunities for Ukraine to interact and cooperate with the world.
Media contacts
Rosalind Gould, British Council: +44 (7770 934953 E: [email protected]