Published: 19 Dec 2018
British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland are seeking proposals for bids to their £100k partnership fund to support individuals and organisations working in the Scottish arts sector to strengthen relationships with counterparts in Europe.
The fund aims to build on existing connections between Scotland and Europe, which already see Scottish artists and organisations participating in major international platforms and festivals, such as Classical Next, the Venice Biennale and Cannes Film Festival.
With a focus on Europe, the partners aim to develop their shared vision of fostering international ambition in Scotland, engaging international audiences in Scotland’s dynamic arts sector, and enhancing their understanding of Scotland’s creative economy.
British Council Scotland Head of Arts, Norah Campbell, said, “International cultural exchange is of crucial importance to the Scottish arts sector. With this funding we aim to enable organisations and individuals to strengthen their links with partners in Europe. We understand this is currently of particular concern and would encourage all those with an interest in building long-term arts partnerships and collaborations to apply.”
Joan Parr, Interim Director, Arts and Engagement, said: “Working internationally is key to ensuring that Scotland remains a successful and distinctive creative nation connected to the world. Creative Scotland is delighted to partner the British Council on this opportunity for the arts sector in Scotland to strengthen ties with European counterparts. Already a key market for artists, there continues to be interest in and demand for extending links and collaboration.”
A total of £100k is available for projects taking place in 2019-2020. Funding can cover research visits, cultural exchanges, workshops, delegations, conferences or residencies. Proposals should be submitted by Monday 21 January 2019 via the British Council Scotland website.
The British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland partnership is a longstanding agreement between the organisations to develop international relationships in order to ensure Scotland’s creativity is recognised internationally.
One of Creative Scotland's five ambitions described in our 10-year plan is that Scotland is a distinctive creative nation connected to the world.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 65 million people directly and 731 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15% core funding grant from the UK government.
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 on Twitter @creativescots, Facebook www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland and Instagram www.instagram.com/creativescots.
For more information contact Jordan Ogg, Communications and External Relations Manager, British Council Scotland, jordan.ogg@britishcouncil.org | 07747895041
Image: Performance at Valletta, European Capital of Culture 2018. Courtesy of British Council.
