Published: 31 Jan 2020
Image: Glasgow Jazz Festival 2019 Launch by Elaine Livingston
Glasgow Jazz Festival, an artist residency based in a Dumfries & Galloway nature reserve and a writing group aimed at sparking creativity in new mothers are among the 28 creative projects sharing over £470,000 of National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland in the latest round of Open Project Fund awards.
The New Mothers’ Writing Circle is a pilot project which aims of empowering a group of new mothers to reflect on their personal journeys during the transformational first few months of motherhood.
The New Mothers’ Writing Circle will bring together a diverse group of women united by motherhood and aims that half of its participants will come from Glasgow’s most deprived areas, as listed within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
The project will involve a series of free creative writing workshops, as well as looking at existing writing on motherhood, and live readings from published authors. Participants will be invited to publish their work on the project’s website and a sharing session will be held for partners and families.
Catrin Kemp, Project Director said: “The idea for the project came about following the birth of my son, nearly three years ago. I found becoming a mother a seismic shock and used writing to acclimatise myself with my new identity. During my second pregnancy, I teamed up with author and editor Genevieve Herr, also a mother of two, to design the New Mothers' Writing Circle. Our hope is that the project will spark imaginations and get mothers writing at a key time of change in their lives."
Glasgow Jazz Festival has received funding towards its 34th edition, which will take place in and around Glasgow from 17 to 21 June 2020. As well as its programme of local and international jazz, the Festival will also hold educational workshops and concerts, allowing people of all ages to try out new instruments and experience live jazz music. The Festival will also deliver the Scottish Jazz Awards.
Jill Rodger, Director, Glasgow Jazz Festival said: “Year on year we endeavour to bring an exciting and varied line-up of big-name artists alongside up-and-coming musicians to Glasgow’s audiences and we are able to do this thanks to National Lottery funding from Creative Scotland. We look forward to welcoming jazz fans old and new to some of Glasgow’s most iconic music venues in June.”
The Artful Migration programme will offer artists an insight into the migratory birds of Dumfries & Galloway by working in partnership with local nature reserves. The residency will take place at Threave Garden and Estate and will focus on the ospreys which nest there each year. The residency will aim to encourage artistic engagement with nature and inform the artist’s future practice.
The residency programme has been developed by visual art, design and craft organisation Upland in partnership with Ginnie Wollaston and Nicholas Paton Philip of Moving Souls Dance, along with support from WWT Caerlaverock.
An Upland spokesperson said: “We are very excited to be able to offer an artist the unique experience of working at NTS Threave Garden & Estate and the chance to research and study the ospreys which nest there."
Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: “From music festivals to writing circles, these projects are testament to the potential of creativity to have a profound impact on people and communities across the breadth of Scotland. These 28 awards and the creative work they enable are made possible thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players.”
Details of all of the projects awarded funding in this round are available below.
Claire Thomson, Media Relations & PR Officer, Creative Scotland
Claire.thomson@creativescotland.com
0141 302 1708 | 0774 760 6146
Open Project Funding is available to a wide range of organisations and individuals working across Scotland in the arts 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. 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). Application guidance and forms can be found here
Over £583m National Lottery funding has been awarded across Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries over the last 25 years. Nearly 16,000 individuals, projects and organisations have benefitted from this enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life. To find out more, visit https://tnl25.org.uk
About Creative Scotland: 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.
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