Shadow Culture Minister Foysol Choudhury MSP has set out his vision for a culture recovery as the Holyrood Parliament returns next week.
Whilst welcoming the recent announcement from the Scottish Government on additional funding, Foysol Choudhury said that a number of small community culture groups across Scotland were still struggling to gain access to crucial sources of finance.
Mr Choudhury also said that Scotland’s gets a big return for the small for a small investment and urges more investment in the sector.
Shadow Culture Minister Foysol Choudhury MSP said: ‘’Parliament returns after the Christmas break on Monday and there can be no doubt, as the omicron continues to spread, our Culture sector needs help more than ever.
“The arts and culture sector needs a long-term recovery plan that’ll respond and support the sector. It was one of the first to shut and will be among the last to fully open.
“People’s livelihoods have been decimated and too many have fallen through the cracks.
“Whilst the Government has announced funding which is welcomed, many are still facing barriers to gaining access to funding, particularly from our smaller, community cultural groups.
“We need to better recognise the role our cultural and creative industries have in contributing to our economy and society. Not many will know that just 0.2% of the Scottish budget is spent on culture. Scotland gets so much back for so little investment.
“We need protection for essential cultural, social infrastructure in our communities which includes our local museums, historical sites, libraries and archivist services.
“Scotland needs a genuine Culture recovery as we emerge from COVID-19 and as Shadow Culture Minister, I’ll hold the Government effectively and ensure Scotland’s culture sector not only recovers from the pandemic but truly prospers.
Hidden Door Festival returns in June, breathing life into a secret new location in Edinburgh. As the planning continues, we are now inviting submissions for our DANCE programme.
We’ve found a stunning, forgotten complex in the city centre which we plan to transform into live music venues and performance spaces for theatre, dance and spoken word, alongside pop-up bars and a multitude of art exhibition and installation spaces.
We are delighted to now be accepting submissions for our dance programme. This is an open call, inviting proposals for ambitious, innovative and experimental performances, works in development, and re-workings of shows that have already been performed.
The deadline for dance submissions is Monday 31 January – please help us spread the word and share this with the creatives in your life!
We’ll be revealing more about the venueand launching our calls for theatre, spoken word and local bands very soon – stay tuned!
Details of a financial package worth £65 million for culture and major events have been confirmed by the Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.
The split of the funding is as follows:
for cultural businesses, organisations, venues and independent cinema support and grassroots venues – £31.5 million
National Performing Companies (for Christmas losses and touring fund re-purposing) – £2 million
Freelancers – £10 million
Events sector – £19.8 million
Museums, galleries and heritage – £1.7 million
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is once again causing disruption and uncertainty in the culture and events sector, who have already been hit so hard by its impact.
“We have been engaging with the sector about the impact of the Omicron variant and we are fully committed to supporting culture and events while they recover from the impact of the COVID – and we are aware of just how important they are to Scotland, and indeed the wider recovery from this pandemic.
“These additional funds will help protect the livelihoods of the people working in the sector – and allow us to give further support to freelancers, culture organisations, venues and our national performing companies.”
Creative Scotland’s Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers opens for applications this Thursday at 2pm.
Creative Scotland’s Chief Executive Iain Munro said: “We are very grateful for this significant increase in emergency funding from the Scottish Government which reflects the severity of the challenges being faced by Scotland’s culture sector.
“Our Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers is live, with applications open from 6 January, and more information on support for organisations and venues will follow as soon as possible.”
VisitScotland Director of Events Paul Bush said: “The Scottish Government’s commitment of £19.8 million for Scotland’s events sector is welcome news as the industry continues to deal with the latest challenges presented by the pandemic and the Omicron variant.
“EventScotland is currently working with the Scottish Government and the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG) to determine the best way of distributing the funding to ensure we get support to those in need across the sector, and details on this will be shared shortly.”
Additional funds for organisations and freelancers
A £21 million support package to support cultural and events organisations and freelancers experiencing cancellations due to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant has been announced.
This is to help manage the significant impact of the new guidelines around social distancing and the limitations on the number of people who can attend events.
The £21 million is from the £100 million package announced by the Scottish Government last week to compensate businesses affected by events cancellations and includes an additional £1 million from existing events sector funds.
The funds will be allocated as follows:
£10.2 million for cultural organisations and venues to be administered by Creative Scotland
£2.8 million towards the wider events supply chain to be administered by EventScotland.
£8 million for the Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers to be administered by Creative Scotland.
Creative freelancers can apply for between £500 and £2,000 from the cancellation fund which opens at 2pm on Thursday, 6 January 2022.
Details on who is eligible for the fund and how to apply will be available on Creative Scotland’s website this afternoon.
More information and guidelines on the other funds administered by Creative Scotland and EventScotland will be published in early January.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Culture and events continue to be among the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19 as the emergence of a new variant is once again causing disruption and uncertainty.
“The steps we’re asking the public to take to minimise the spread of the virus are having a severe financial impact on the sector at a time when they were just beginning to recover from previous waves of the coronavirus.
“In the past few weeks, both myself and Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth have been speaking to freelancers and representatives from culture and events organisations to ensure they get immediate support to meet their needs.
“This £21 million in additional funding is vital to support culture and events organisations and protect the livelihoods of the people who work in the sector.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “This additional emergency funding for Scotland’s culture sector is very welcome.
“This afternoon, we’ll publish guidance about the first tranche for creative freelancers who’re experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the loss of income because of cancellations and deferrals caused by the pandemic.
“Applications will open on Thursday 6 January, and will be followed by further details of how and when to apply for the emergency support for organisations.
“The Covid-19 rollercoaster seems never ending but we will work hard with the sector to pull together again and overcome the challenges that this new wave of the pandemic presents to ensure we are able to gather in cultural spaces to enjoy Scotland’s rich, diverse and world-renowned art and creativity, and to celebrate all that they bring to our lives, in so many different ways.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events said: “The additional £2.8m in emergency funding for Scotland’s events sector is welcome news as it deals with the latest challenges presented by the Omicron variant.
“EventScotland will work with the Scottish Government and the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG) to determine the best way of distributing the funding to ensure we get support to those in need, and will share further details on this in the new year. We will also work with them to look at future funding programmes to ensure the industry can return and rebuild when the time is right.”
Hidden Door will return in 2022, breathing life into a secret new location in Edinburgh. We are now inviting visual artists to get involved.
For next year’s festival we’ve found a stunning, forgotten complex in the city centre which we plan to transform into live music venues and performance spaces for theatre, dance and spoken word, alongside pop-up bars and a multitude of art exhibition and installation spaces.
We’ll reveal more about our new venue in the new year, but for now we are inviting submissions to our visual art programme; seeking innovative and striking projects across a variety of artistic disciplines.
Our main aim is to create opportunities for artists so we are particularly looking for projects that allow artists to develop their practice and encourage new graduates and emerging artists to apply. We do however welcome applications from artists at any stage in their career.
Each project selected will receive a fee of £500 towards the artist’s time plus project expenses, as well as free access to the festival.
The deadline for visual art submissions is Monday 24 January – please help us spread the word and share this with the creatives in your life!
We’ll be launching our calls for other art forms in the New Year.
WELLBEING OPEN DAY – SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER 9am – 4pm
People living in cities around the world care about their mental health and the mental health of their fellow residents; they also know that urbanization – living amongst masses of people with its related stressors and burdens – can often be toxic to mental health and well-being.
Edinburgh is no different to any other global city BUT the areas The Ripple Project works in – Restalrig, Lochend and Craigentinny – are different to other parts of Edinburgh.
Low and insecure income and problem debt, unemployment and poor quality housing has consistently been associated with an increased risk of common mental health problems, loneliness and social isolation only adds to this already bleak picture.
As part of their wellbeing programme, on Saturday 16th October the Ripple Project is offering local residents the opportunity to stop, look after themselves and try something new. Activities on offer FREE of CHARGE include Reiki, massage, singing, drumming, capoeira, creative art, reflexology and many others.
Cat Robertson, Wellbeing Co-ordinator said “This is a day where people can come and take stock, try something different and think about the things that matter. So often we forget to do things that just make us happy”
The Ripple Project is a grass roots community that has a strong track record spanning over 20 years of tackling poverty and inequality by working with local people to help them to help themselves.
Based at the Restalrig Lochend Community Hub since 2010, the charity normally provides daily activities including a community café, a youth service, a wellbeing project, a community shop, a programme for volunteers and support for people to make and sell their own items.
The Ripple Project also writes and delivers a community newspaper into 6000 homes every 3 months.
Their Community Hub at Restalrig Road South is open 5 days and 4 evenings a week – 8am to 8pm as well as occasional weekends. The Ripple Project has a small staff team, with the rest of the activities delivered by over 100 volunteers who commit to and give us over 5,500 thousand volunteering hours per year.
Rachel Green, Director of The Ripple said: “The Ripple is the place in our community that people come to chat with others, to have a healthy meal and to take part in exercise, learning and other social activities.
“So often we see people who do not see anyone from one day to the next or just need help with some something small that is bothering them. We get to know people and they get to know us, we know when they don’t turn up or when somethings wrong.
“We work together to help each other and try and make our area a better place to live and work in.”
The Council has approved a lease of the premises on West Shore Road to the charity, which supports the arts by bringing vacant buildings back to life, so they can provide affordable studio space. The Council’s also supporting the project by providing a year’s free rent.
The project will provide affordable shop space for local retail and hospitality businesses, animating the pedestrian promenade. It will also support the creative industries, the third sector, freelancers and micro-businesses, providing sought after high-quality studio space.
When developed the building’s grounds will greatly enhance the public realm and greenspace in the area and will support active travel to and through the site. Other activities planned are play-based recreation and cultural events and the project will also provide improved access to the Waterfront.
Depute leader, Cammy Day, said: We announced our ambitious £1.3bn plan to sustainably regenerate this area last year and it’s fantastic to see real progress is being made on the ground.
“Our plan is for Granton Waterfront to provide quality new sustainable development and a place where people can work, play, learn, enjoy culture and live in high-quality homes. The site on West Shore Road will become a draw for the local community as well as visitors to the area, providing jobs and a boost to the local economy as well as supporting so many groups like social enterprises, sports clubs, health and wellbeing services and other community organisations.
“We’ve worked with Edinburgh Palette across the city for a number of years and they’ll make a great addition to the area alongside Wasps. I look forward to supporting them in their new enterprise and seeing all their hard work come to life.”
Development Manager at Edinburgh Palette, Andrew Chainey, said: Edinburgh Palette is delighted and extremely grateful for the phenomenal support received from everyone at the City of Edinburgh Council. Our operational team and long-term contractors can’t wait to deliver on our new home at West Granton Shore.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by interest in the project at 20 West Shore Road from all corners of the community including the creative and craftmaking world. The possibilities are as breathtaking as the views of the Forth from West Granton Shore.”
The site located on West Shore Road will form part of a growing creative, cultural and arts cluster in Granton Waterfront.
This includes the National Museums Collection Centre; National Galleries of Scotland’s Granton Art Centre (along with The Art Works, NGS’ planned new facility); Edinburgh College’s Granton campus (including its art and design faculty and the Performing Arts Studio Scotland); as well as the new 600 sqm Granton Station enterprise hub.
An exhibition of contemporary art responding to the themes evoked by Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21
Travelling Gallery has announced the relaunch of its Spring 2020 exhibition, Shapes of Water, which was paused due to the pandemic. The new autumn tour will take place from 2 September to November across Scotland.
The Travelling Gallery will be stopping off at North Edinburgh Arts in Muirhouse on 15th September.
Travelling Gallery, an exciting event supported by EventScotland through Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, has invited three thought-provoking and exciting young artists to produce new work reflecting their individual perspectives on our relationship with coasts and waters.
The mobile art gallery – which drives contemporary art to all corners of the country – will feature an exhibition of drawings, riso prints, audio and film work from the three artists when it takes to the road later this week.
Its Autumn tour will begins outside Edinburgh’s City Art Centre today (Thursday 2 September) before visiting venues across the country.
The three exhibiting artists are:
Suzie Eggins works across drawing, printmaking and sculpture and uses her imagination as a microscope to examine the cells and structures of our natural environment to create beautiful geometric drawings and installations. For Shapes of Water, Eggins turns her attention to Scotland’s water and explores the idea that our thoughts and emotions can affect our environment.
Amy Gear is a mixed media artist based in Shetland and characteristically uses her Shetland dialect to outline her artistic practice, using local words to describe the coast and landscape.
Her drawings and paintings go beyond the traditional ideals of a beautiful landscape and instead explore the connections between body and land. For Shapes of Water, Amy departs from a piece of writing inspired by her Shetland Grandparents describing the comfort in witnessing steely storms and angry waves; knowing that the unrest will benefit the buoyant sea life. The resulting artwork is a playful and cherished tribute to family and the sea.
Rhona Mühlebach is a Swiss filmmaker based in Glasgow and her films capture the atmospheric Scottish landscape placing intriguing narratives into the natural environment. For Shapes of Water, Mühlebach is making a stylish crime thriller set in Galloway Forest Park and investigating Sudden Oak Death which can be transmitted by rainwater and carried via rivers and streams.
Speaking of the exhibition, David Patterson, Curatorial and Conservation Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be back on tour again, and to be able to showcase new work by three exciting young artists, all based in Scotland.
“We greatly appreciate the ongoing support of EventScotland through the Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and Scotland’s Event Recovery Fund.”
Convener of Culture and Communities at the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: I’m delighted that the Travelling Gallery will be hitting the road, picking up where it left off last year and taking this fantastic exhibition to audiences around Scotland.
“Once again, the Travelling Gallery has devised a fascinating and varied exhibition which I’m sure will appeal to visitors across the country.”
Vice Convener of Culture and Communities at the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, added: “As a Council we are committed to making art and culture as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
“This is the ethos of the gallery itself and through supporting this mobile gallery, art is brought straight into the hearts of town centres. I hope everyone takes the opportunity to pay the exhibition a visit.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “We are pleased to be supporting Travelling Gallery’s Shapes of Water exhibition as part of Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21.
“Scotland offers the perfect stage to celebrate our coasts and waterways and this unique exhibition will give audiences an opportunity to experience these inspirational artworks as the mobile art gallery tours Scotland.”
The current Scottish Government Covid 19 guidance will be adhered to throughout the tour. In order to keep staff and visitors safe currently 2 visitors or 1 household can visit the gallery at a time, and all visitors will need to leave contact details.
The gallery door will be open and the fan running to increase ventilation, and staff will clean touchpoints regularly between visitors.
Tour dates Exhibition Launch – Thursday 2 September – City Art Centre Edinburgh Saturday 4 September – Portobello High Street ( Porty Art Walk) Monday 6 September – The Ripple Project, Restalrig Road South, Edinburgh Saturday 11 September – Portobello High Street ( Porty Art Walk) Tuesday 15 September – North Edinburgh Arts Friday 17 September – WHALE, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh Thursday 14 – Mon 18 October – Summerlee Museum, Coatbridge Friday 22nd October – Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh Monday 1/2 November – East Renfrewshire
New campaign launched to help Fringe recover from devastating losses
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the launch of a new £7.5m fundraising campaign to help aid the long-term recovery of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
‘Save the Fringe’ will serve as a starting point for a wider Fringe revival, following the devastating impact of covid-19.
As the campaign officially kicks off, Edinburgh Gin are on board as founding investors, with an estimated £150k investment to come from the sales of its Edinburgh Gin Presents Phoebe Waller-Bridge collaboration. Around £160k has also been raised thanks to the kind generosity of individual donors.
The fundraising campaign will be driven by seven principles, which aim to:
Support artists and venues who bring work to the Fringe
Break down barriers to participation in the Fringe
Build and support sustainable practices across the festival
Deepen engagement with Edinburgh residents
Extend engagement with young people – particularly from underrepresented areas of our city
Create opportunities for network building and professional development for artists and arts industry across Fringe platforms
Secure a new home for the Fringe Society to provide a year-round space for artists, community groups and schools.
The campaign – currently at the very beginning – is expected to take place over three to five years. The exact criteria for distributing the fund will be announced following a series of consultations, hosted by the Fringe Society in autumn/winter 2021, to better understand the individual needs of various stakeholders. Edinburgh residents, artists, venues, producers, local businesses and more will be invited to explore ways the festival can develop and improve.
The funding will then support a renaissance for the Fringe in the future, led by the Fringe Society’s findings. More details on the consultations will be announced in the coming weeks.
Commenting on the launch of Save the Fringe, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:“The last 18 months have been the most challenging in the Fringe’s history, and everyone – from artists and venues to the Fringe Society – has experienced huge losses.
“I’m so proud of what’s been achieved in 2021, and in so many ways, this year’s festival was a success. Over 940 shows were brought to life, incredible new venues were created in the most imaginative of spaces, and audiences flocked back to experience the magic of the Fringe.
“But it can’t be stressed enough: this does not mean the Fringe is back to health. 2021’s scaled-back event only happened because of emergency grants, and in many cases, loans that now need to be repaid. We want to ensure the Fringe that returns reflects the world we live in – not just those who can afford to keep going.
“Recovery isn’t about going back to how things were. It’s about reimagining the Fringe as the best version of itself and using this moment of pause to reflect and change. We want everyone – from residents and local business owners to artists, operators and audience members – to have their say on what that looks like. And we’ll need support to make that vision a reality.”
Benny Higgins Chair, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “The Fringe is one of Scotland’s greatest cultural exports. It is recognised internationally as a landmark celebration of the arts and is an access point to culture for so many people. But the Fringe is not publicly funded in any meaningful way, and the last 18 months have shown us how much urgent investment is needed to protect this world-renowned event.
“An estimated £20m was lost in 2020 alone. To make 2021 a reality, many operators relied on loans and emergency grants. This is not sustainable, and this campaign is about undoing some of that damage, while building a more affordable and equitable Fringe. This campaign will give us a foundation to do just that.”
Neil Mowat, Brand Director at Edinburgh Gin said: “The Fringe has offered the world a stage – bringing arts lovers together, welcoming brave work and introducing new incredible talent. But it needs our help.
“Phoebe Waller-Bridge first debuted ‘Fleabag’ at the Fringe in 2013, so we need the festival to thrive so that stories like hers don’t go untold.
“It has been an honour to support the Save the Fringe initiative as founding investors, and we can’t wait to see the Festival return to its usual spectacular self as soon as possible.
“Every penny of profit from our ‘Edinburgh Gin Presents’ Phoebe Waller-Bridge collaboration bottle goes directly to support the artists of the Fringe festival – so if you love gin, the arts and Edinburgh, buy one while you can.”
331 cultural organisations and performing arts venues across Scotland have received a total of £17million in the latest round of emergency Covid-19 funds from the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland.
From comedy clubs and theatres to galleries and production companies, the second round of the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund is designed to help prevent insolvency and/or significant job losses due to the impact of COVID-19, and the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund (PAVR) is helping venues to remain solvent, return staff from furlough, and enable new artistic commissions from freelance artists.
In Edinburgh, the Usher Hall receives £182,445 from the PAVR 2 fund, DanceBase Scotland £223,887 and there’s £500,000 for Capital Theatres. There’s also £342,000 for Leith Theatre, £150,000 for the Traverse and £97,500 for The Queen’s Hall.
Organisations receiving COVR Round 2 support in the capital include North Edinburgh Arts, Hidden Door and Edinburgh Printmakers.
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I am delighted that this vital funding is reaching the culture sector, which has endured some of the most challenging restrictions over the past 18 months.
“It’s exciting that the sector can now plan for full reopening. The communal experience of being part of an audience cannot be replicated, and it has been sorely missed since the start of the pandemic.
“The move beyond level 0 will allow the sector to reopen fully, but I know that it will take some time to rebuild. This funding will play a key role in stabilising many venues and businesses as the sector begins to recover.
“The Scottish Government has provided almost £175million of emergency support to the culture, heritage and events sector since the start of the pandemic, and I look forward now to working with the sectors to build for the future.”
Caroline Morgan, Managing Director atAberdeen’s Tivoli Theatre commented: “This money will mean we can retain our current staff, recruit part time staff, bring our freelance technicians back to work and undertake all necessary requirements to reopen in a safe way at the end of August.
“We’re full steam ahead now with testing equipment, organising staff training, first aid training, implementing a new app for ordering and setting up hand-held scanners for ticketing and deep cleaning the building. We’ll also be able to support local youth groups who perform with us who have also had a really tough time of it. This funding is a life-line having been closed with no income for 17 months.”
Joan Parr, Interim Director of Arts and Engagement said: “Our first priority continues to be supporting the recovery and renewal of Scotland’s art and creative sector as Covid-19 restrictions are eased and the sector can open up again more fully.
“Nevertheless, we remain acutely aware of the critical challenges faced by so many cultural organisations, and we know how vital this funding is in continuing to help protect jobs and support the sustainability of a sector that has felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic so significantly.”
A full list of organisations and venues receiving funding in this round of the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund and the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund can be downloaded below:
