Creative Scotland – Page 8 – The NEN

Open Fund awards support for creative Edinburgh-based projects

27 Edinburgh-based projects are sharing in over £607,000 of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland in the March and April rounds of Open Fund awards.

Designed to support creative people, projects and organisations across Scotland to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by Covid-19, awards made through the Open Fund are helping to sustain creative development at this challenging time.

Edinburgh-based artists and creative practitioners include:

The Cymera Festival – an annual celebration of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (SFFH) writing, bringing together writers and readers to share ideas, create stories and share insights.

Cymera is the first of its kind in the UK, and 2021 is its third instalment. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the programme will once again be digital.

Festival organiser Ann Landmann said: “We are excited to return to the digital space from 3rd to 6th June 2021. Thanks to the funding from the Creative Scotland Open Fund, #Cymera21 is a jam-packed weekend and our most international programme yet, with speakers joining us from all around the world.

“From internationally bestselling authors to Scottish debuts, our programme is a smorgasbord of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror writers to suit all tastes.”

The Dance Audition! is a new interactive online performance piece. Inspired by A Chorus Line, the 1985 American musical drama film, The Dance Audition! will be choreographed by Dance Ihayami’s Artistic Director, Priya Shrikumar using popular Indian dance forms.

Audience members will be encouraged to follow the journey of performers, learn the choreography and participate as a judge to identify the dancers for the final 5-minute dance creation, choreographed by Priya.

Choreographer, Priya Shrikumar (top) said: “Now is the best and in a way a positive time for this form (Indian dance) to be viewed and enjoyed by a larger audience – something accessible and enjoyable.

“It will bring colour and wonder to a world which is a bit colourless at the moment, due to the pandemic.”

Re·creation: A Creative Opportunity for Queer Poets is a new work from Edinburgh-based writers Éadaoín Lynch and Alycia Pirmohamed, with independent publisher Stewed Rhubarb Press.

This project will identify and commission Covid-affected queer creatives to write poems, develop their craft, build a community of poets, and be published in a landmark poetry collection.

The project leads are also the co-editors of the anthology, planned for publication in summer 2022. Éadaoín Lynch is an early career researcher with a PhD in poetry from the University of St Andrews; Alycia Pirmohamed is co-founder of the Scottish BAME Writers Network, and winner of the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award 2020.

The collection is planned to include 30 poets: 10 commissions, and 20 selections from an open call for submissions. Workshops, 1-to-1 mentorship, and a round-table feedback session will be provided as part of the project. More information can be found on the website here: https://recreation-anthology.co.uk/

Project lead, Éadaoín Lynch says: “The project title has its roots in play, refreshment, recovery, restoration, invigoration, and creating, all of which are long overdue in a Covid-affected world, particularly for those in the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Funding has also been awarded to Edinburgh-based visual artist Alison Grant for a period of research to develop a new body of work looking at coastal communities across the 11,000 miles of Scotland’s shores.

From Viking graffiti artists who anchored in the best fishing areas to the contemporary work of today’s Blue Carbon visionaries, the project will look at best practice from the past to inform how we consider our coastlines in the future.

Visual artist Alison Grant says: “I am delighted to have received funding from Creative Scotland for 11000 Miles, a project conceived during lockdown this winter.

“It is important at this time of climate crisis to look locally to our own coastline for sustainable solutions to some of the problems we have created. I want to engage with these issues to use my creativity to communicate ideas, not just to as wide an audience as possible but also to our local communities, to look anew at our relationship with the sea.”

Strategy: Get Arts. 35 Artists Who Broke the Rules is a new work from Studies in Photography (part of the Scottish Society for the History of Photography).

Edited by Christian Weikop, Senior Lecturer, Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), this book will be the first print publication to consider the formation of the ground-breaking exhibition Strategy: Get Arts (SGA), staged at ECA in 1970, when thirty-five German post-war artists (including Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, Klaus Rinke, and Günther Uecker) staged a provocative takeover of ECA, transforming the college into a ‘total work of art’ through their ‘actions’ and installations.

Featuring essays by academics, senior National Galleries of Scotland staff, and those involved in curating the exhibition, the publication will include photographs by Monika Baumgartl, George Oliver, and Richard Demarco, many never seen before.

Alex Hamilton says: “As Chair and Co-Editor of Studies in Photography, I am delighted to be able to publish this book. The exhibition held for me, particular importance as one of the gallery assistants.

“It changed many people’s lives… After 50 years and during the anniversary of the birth of Joseph Beuys we are delighted that the amazing stories behind this ground-breaking event can finally be revealed.”

The work is due to be published later in 2021.

These examples are some of the 105 projects in total that have been awarded over £2.3million of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland in the latest rounds of Open Fund awards.

A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website.

Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, alongside equally welcome funding from the Scottish Government, these Open Fund awards are helping artists, creative organisations and communities to develop and share their work, and to keep culture and creativity at the heart of people’s lives as we look to recover from the challenges of the pandemic.”

Scottish children can look forward to a ‘Summer of Play’

Funding of £20 million will deliver a range of activities for children and young people and their families over the summer, ensuring they are provided with opportunities to socialise, play and reconnect within their local communities and environments.

In particular this will provide support for those children and young people who may otherwise struggle to access such experiences during the holidays.

Working with local authorities and partner organisations including sportscotland, Creative Scotland, Play Scotland, Education Scotland and others, the funding will support existing provision of community-based services while also widening access to other local facilities, such as school estates and local sports facilities.

Speaking before Holyrood broke up for May’s elections, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “We do not underestimate the physical and mental health impacts which children and young people have experienced throughout the pandemic, and that the impacts have fallen unequally across society.

“This enhanced range of summer experiences for children and young people will help address the impacts associated with extended periods of isolation and reduced participation in normal activities. This offer will have children’s rights and needs at its heart, and will provide opportunities to socialise across a range of activities, combined with broader support where needed.

“This will build on local summer offers, recognising the need for flexibility to deliver using local assets and connecting with wider offers from partners.

“Over the next few months we will continue to develop further all aspects of our education recovery strategy with our partners and stakeholders. Following periods of disruption to in-school learning, this will include how we can intensify and deepen support for children and young people’s progress in learning, including in key areas such as literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.”

Launch of Edinburgh Crowdfunding Creativity Campaigns

20 creatives launch new campaigns and bid for up to £10,000 match funding

Eight Edinburgh based projects are among twenty creative projects across Scotland to launch their worldwide crowdfunding campaigns, thanks to a coaching and match-funding scheme run by Creative Scotland in partnership with Crowdfunder.

The Edinburgh based Crowdfunding campaigns include INKLINGS, a new non-fiction series from award winning, independent publisher 404 INK;

ReStyler a brand-new and sustainable garment restyling alteration service from award-winning social enterprise Remode Collective;

Ink on Mesh, a community print, and textiles studio facility offering fully equipped studio space from contemporary textiles brand Blessed Unrest;

songwriter Amy Duncan is fundraising for her new album ‘Cocoon’; and

Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education CIC is fundraising to develop an original outdoor circus & theatre show, ‘Positive Imaginings’, that engages children with the issue of climate change and how it is linked to our connection with the natural world, amongst others.

As part of the Creative Scotland Crowdmatch programme, the creatives have been building their campaigns with coaching support from Crowdfunder over the past four weeks.

Now ‘live’, once projects raise £1,000 from at least 30 supporters they will receive £1,000 match funding from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Further match funding is potentially available, up to a maximum of £10,000 per project, for those that reach additional funding targets, until the total sum available of £75,000 is allocated.

Jason Nuttall, Programme Director at Crowdfunder said: “Working with Creative Scotland in 2020 was a very positive experience so we’re pleased to be collaborating once again on what is shaping up another fantastic round of crowdfunding.

“We had a huge response to this year’s call for entry, with an amazing range of ideas submitted for big and small creative projects across Scotland. Throughout the COVID crisis we have worked with thousands of organisations, so we know that crowdfunding has many positive benefits, even during tough times.

“Good luck to all the entrants, we’re looking forward to sharing the highs, lows, and surprises over the coming weeks.

Jackie Stewart, Creative Industries Officer, Creative Scotland said: “We’re delighted to continue working with Crowdfunder to help more creative businesses in Scotland gain a deeper understanding of crowdfunding by giving them the coaching and tools to launch their own campaigns.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the projects selected to grow their networks, increase awareness of their work and build stronger connections with their customers and audiences.

“The arts and creative industries have been hit hard by the consequences of the pandemic and crowdfunding offers creative individuals and businesses a viable way to generate the income required for creative projects and to sustain and grow a business.

“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week these creative projects will be supported to deliver a fantastic range of work.”

About the Creative Scotland Crowdmatch 2021 projects in Edinburgh

Heather McDaid and Laura Jones of award-winning independent publisher 404 Ink is crowdfunding for the launch of their non-fiction series INKLINGS.

The eight titles, part of their series of big ideas in compact packages, are designed for the curious reader, looking to learn more on subjects that they may be interested in learning more about, but don’t know where to start.

Laura Jones, co-founder & publisher, 404 Ink: “What a thrill to see our new Inklings series launched with Crowdfunder and the Creative Scotland Crowdmatch initiative!

“The idea for this series came mid-pandemic when life was looking bleak for so many people and 404 Ink was in hibernation and now that idea has bloomed into a full series of topics that are vital, timely, and insightful, we can’t wait to get the books into people’s hands.

“We’re honoured to be working with such talented writers who are trusting us with their words and experiences – we hope we can do them justice and that this campaign will launch the Inklings with the fanfare it deserves.”

Edinburgh based songwriter Amy Duncan is fundraising for her new album ‘Cocoon’, which was written during lockdown.

Amy will be working with percussionist Guy Nicolson and co producer Cameron Malcolm to record the album.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/amy-duncan-cocoon

Amy Duncan commented: “I am a music artist based in Scotland and will be releasing a new album next November. It was written in 2020 throughout the lockdown and it is my hope that the songs will resonate widely with people through the shared experience of being in the midst of a global pandemic.

“I will be working with PR specialist Black Arts PR who work with renowned artists such as Mogwai and C Duncan. Crowdfunding will cover costs of recording, PR, radio plugging, and a special live stream album launch gig which I will perform with a band in an Edinburgh venue.”

Isla Munro is crowdfunding the 100 Days Project Scotland which encourages people to undertake daily creative pursuits which will be exhibited in an annual show.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/100-days-project-scotland

Building on the award-winning album Songs of Separation, Jenny Hill is fundraising for ‘SoS Music – ALL SING!’.

The project will bring together community choir leaders from across the UK to enjoy a rewarding creative residential which will result in new song teaching resources.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sos-music—all-sing

Contemporary textiles brand Blessed Unrest is crowdfunding Ink on Mesh, a community print, and textiles studio facility offering fully equipped studio space, a wide range of classes and expert technical support to its community.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ink-on-mesh

Lorna Brown of Blessed Unrest commented: “With the support of Creative Scotland Crowdmatch and Crowdfunder UK I’m looking to achieve my dream of establishing INK on MESH in the heart of my local community.

“The studio will allow me to continue to develop my own textiles brand as well as providing invaluable space and specialized equipment for developing, emerging and graduate textile practitioners.

“I know just how challenging it is to pursue your professional career as a textile graduate without access to screens, studio space and the support networks that college life offers”.

Award-winning social enterprise Remode Collective are crowdfunding ReStyler, a brand-new and sustainable garment restyling alteration and mending service in Edinburgh.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/restyler

Producer Penny Davies (co-owner of Smashing Pictures) is working with an all-female team including Director Shiona McCubbin and Writer Amy Hawes to crowdfund their short film ‘Maureen’.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/maureen-short-film

Penny Davies commented: “Shiona, Amy and I have talked about working together a number of times, so we’re absolutely delighted to have been selected for Creative Scotland Crowdfunder with our short film Maureen.

Amy has written a fantastic script, and we have a wonderful all-female team lined up – we can’t wait to get going now!”

Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education CIC is fundraising to develop an original outdoor circus & theatre show, ‘Positive Imaginings’, that engages children with the issue of climate change and how it is linked to our connection with the natural world.

Find out more: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/rowanbank

Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education commented: “2021 is the year we must address the climate emergency.

“Coming out of COVID-19 we have an opportunity to create a new way of living. Scotland is hosting COP26 this year, the most important meeting on climate change since 2015 when the Paris agreement was drawn up. This project aims to both educate and give a voice to children creating a sense of agency and hope for their future.”

For the full list of projects across Scotland please visit:

Creative Scotland Crowdmatch: Meet the Crowdfunders | Creative Scotland

INK on MESH crowdfunder launches today

Lorna Brown is seeking your support to turn her dream of a creating a community arts and design resource in Newhaven into a reality.

Lorna explained: “Creative Scotland selected my business plan for their crowdmatch funding support in February this year.

“I’m looking to achieve my goal of establishing INK on MESH, a community print space that offers classes, courses and tuition in screen printing and stitched textiles.

“Post – pandemic, INK on MESH will become a space that promotes and encourages creative expression, community connections, confidence building and well being through hand craft and heritage skills education.

“I can continue to develop my own textiles brand, Blessed Unrest and also provide affordable space and specialized equipment for developing, emerging and graduate practitioners.”

INK on MESH is an interest partner with The Heart of Newhaven Community, one of the first dedicated intergenerational centres in the UK and will potentially open there in Autumn 2021 or in another local retail space.

Lorna added: “Individuality prevails! You can give people the same instructions and access to the same materials & equipment but how they explore that, interpret and express that is entirely UNIQUE … this is one of the fascinating and constant motivating experiences for me as a craft educator.

“Ink on Mesh will become that dedicated space where people at all ages and stages can come to explore their unique ideas through the craft of screen printing and textiles. Let’s make this happen!”

The crowdfunder launches at 9am this morning (Monday 22 March).

Crowd funder for #inkonmesh – https://crowdfunder.co.uk/ink-on-mesh

Linda’s friend and colleague Lisa Arnott said: “I can not express how super delighted for my amazing best friend Lorna Brown of BlessedUnrest and her Crowdfunding launch for the new and amazing dedicated print studio INK on MESH.

“Her Crowdfunding starts at 9am on Monday 22nd March. It’s an amazing way to become part of her story, show your support for a well-needed resource for our community and support the arts and design industries.

“Set your watches and phone alarms for 9am on Monday 22nd March!”

Please start supporting and following:

Facebook:@inkonmesh

Instagram:@inkonmesh

Twitter@inkonmesh

Individuality prevails!

Let’s make this happen!!Monday 22nd at 9am.

14 Edinburgh-based projects receive funding in latest round of Open Fund awards

14 projects based in Edinburgh have received funding in the latest round of Open Fund awards from Creative Scotland.

They are among 58 projects across Scotland which are sharing over £1.6 million of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding.

These funds are supporting creative people, projects and organisations across Scotland to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by Covid-19 and helping to sustain creative development at this challenging time.

Among the work supported in Edinburgh is Building Bridges, a major new programme from Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians that will make connections with and for people with complex disabilities, addressing their experience of isolation and marginalisation, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.

The programme will be centred on art reaching people in their homes and communities as part of newly established creative networks, with cultural productions that create exciting challenges for a diverse group of artists.

Jan-Bert van den Berg, Director, Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians, said: “Artlink are very pleased to receive this major support from Creative Scotland at such a challenging time.

“The experience of the pandemic has had a devastating impact on people with complex disabilities and their carers. The Building Bridges programme will continue to build on the incredibly inventive work that artists have supported over the last 11 months and strengthen the growth of creative community involvement.”

Edinburgh-based Neo Productions will develop a new play with music, written by Neo Vilakazi, about black American anti-slavery hero, Frederick Douglass.

Born in 1818, Douglass became an eminent human rights leader and the first Black citizen to hold high rank in the U.S. government. To an American audience, Douglass is perhaps the most famous fugitive from slavery, but in Britain and Scotland in particular, he is less well known, despite the fact he achieved great celebrity status in the mid-19th century, including while on a two year speaking tour of Great Britain and Ireland.

Neo Vilakazi said: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity by Creative Scotland to bring to life the story of Frederick Douglass’ time in Scotland, at a point where Scottish history is being closely re-examined to find BAME voices that have been suppressed in the past.

“We hope that telling this story will shine a light not only on Mr Douglass’s time in Scotland but will contribute to making Scotland a much more tolerant place for all who live in it.”

Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “As we face ongoing challenges resulting from Covid-19, the Open Fund supports Scotland’s arts and creative community to continue to innovate and engage with people across the country.

“These awards also help enable individual artists, creative practitioners and organisations to develop and present new work, and sustain creative development.

“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, and funding from the Scottish Government, these awards are helping to sustain the great value that creativity brings to our lives.”

A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website.

The fund has no deadlines, and full eligibility criteria and application guidance can be found on the Creative Scotland website.

Image credit: Work from the Art Games project Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians have been running in St John’s Hospital, Livingston with artist Vanessa Lawrence and The Collective Matter range produced by KMAdotcom.

Thank you for the music

Emergency Scottish Government relief funds reach grassroots music venues in Edinburgh

16 Edinburgh venues have received over £932,000 through the Scottish Government’s Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund delivered by Creative Scotland.

Bannermans, Henry’s Cellar Bar, LaBelle Angele, Leith Depot, Opium, Sandy Bell’s, Sneaky Pete’s, Stramash, Summerhall, The Banshee Labyrinth, The Bongo Club, The Caves, The Jazz Bar, The Mash House, The Voodoo Rooms and Whistle Binkies in Edinburgh are among 82 venues across Scotland which have received a total of £4million.

Aimed at providing grassroots live music venues with emergency support to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent closure, the £4million fund closed for the second round of applications on Wednesday 3 February 2021.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for the live music sector and it is important that we support our grassroots music venues – which are key to our rich and diverse music scene – to survive until they can reopen.

“This fund, part of our ongoing commitment to support cultural sectors during the pandemic, aims to do that by ensuring financial support reaches a wide variety of music venues across the country.

“I thank the music sector for continuing to work with us to identify the most effective ways to help it.”

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “We’ve now been without live music for much longer than anyone could have imagined. Covid-19 has hit the music industry hard, and we all look forward to the day when musicians and audiences can get back together – in the same place, at the same time – to ignite the special spark of live performance.

“Grassroots venues are where talented musicians test and perfect their original material, where careers are borne and local scenes have their deepest roots. The first round of awards from this fund covered the length of Scotland, from Dumfries to Kirkwall.

“The second round broadens that support, reaching Arran and the East Neuk of Fife. These awards are proof of the confidence that the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland have in our music sector, its artists, its audiences, its technicians and, of course, its much-loved grassroots venues.”

This is the second of two funding rounds. To date, over both funding rounds combined, 85 venues across Scotland have now received a total of £6.2million through the Fund. £2.2millon was awarded in the first round in September 2020.

Rowan Campbell of Summerhall said: “Summerhall is immensely grateful for this award which will help to secure our staff, our ongoing costs while closed and our ability to reopen in the coming months.

“It is a welcome lifeline that recognises our place as an important venue in the live music landscape of Scotland.”

Henry’s Cellar Bar owner/manager, Claire Grandemange said: “Thanks to the Creative Scotland’s Grassroots Music Venues Fund and all the help from the team of the Music Venue Trust, the uncertainty over our ability to carry on paying staff and other fixed costs has been removed, and we are confident about our future reopening as a music venue once restrictions are lifted.”

Recipients of the £4m Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund are:

Venue Name	Awarded Amount	Local Authority
1703 Dunfermline	£35,000	Fife
1807	£35,000	West Lothian
1912	£35,000	West Lothian
Aros Centre	£28,000	Highland
Audio	£32,000	Glasgow City
Backstage Kinross	£40,000	Perth and Kinross
Bannermans	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Banshee Labyrinth	£50,000	City of Edinburgh
Beat Generator Live!	£51,608	Dundee City
Berkeley Suite	£57,060	Glasgow City
BLOC+	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Blue Arrow Jazz Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Blue Lamp	£9,554	Aberdeen City
The Bongo Club	£50,000	City of Edinburgh
Box	£66,200	Glasgow City
Bridge Street Social Club	£50,000	Aberdeen City
Broadcast	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Bungalow	£38,000	Renfrewshire
Café Drummonds	£60,000	Aberdeen City
Callums Cavern CC’S	£19,298	Renfrewshire
The Caves	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Church	£66,200	Dundee City
The Clutha Bar	£45,000	Glasgow City
Conroy’s	£23,422	Dundee City
Cottiers Theatre	£30,000	Glasgow City
The Douglas Arms	£20,000	Dumfries and Galloway
Dreadnoughtrock	£45,490	West Lothian
Flying Duck	£60,000	Glasgow City
Futtle	£22,000	Fife
The Gellions	£50,000	Highland
The Glad Cafe C.I.C	£66,200	Glasgow City
Harleys	£66,200	South Ayrshire
Henry’s Cellar Bar	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Hootenanny	£66,200	Highland
The Howlin Wolf	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Hug and Pint	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Hunter S Thompson	£21,000	Dundee City
Ivory Blacks	£40,601	Glasgow City
The Jazz Bar	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
King Tuts Wah Wah Hut	£66,200	Glasgow City
King’s	£66,200	Dundee City
The Kings Theatre Kirkcaldy Limited	£30,000	Fife
Krakatoa	£59,500	Aberdeen City
LaBelle Angele	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
La Cheetah Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
Leith Depot	£27,981	City of Edinburgh
Marmions	£35,000	Scottish Borders
The Mash House	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
McChuills	£63,800	Glasgow City
McGeochs	£43,500	Inverclyde
Midnight Breakfast Club	£3,749	West Lothian
Mono	£60,000	Glasgow City
Muckys Bar &	£28,774	Perth and Kinross
Nice N Sleazy	£66,200	Glasgow City
Opium	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Nicos bar	£40,000	Glasgow City
The Old Hairdressers	£55,000	Glasgow City
The Pierhead Tavern	£30,000	North Ayrshire
PJ Malloys	£52,732	Fife
The Poetry Club	£30,000	Glasgow City
Priory Bar	£45,000	Glasgow City
Purple Orange	£28,524	West Lothian
Room 2	£59,049	Glasgow City
The Rum Shack	£19,251	Glasgow City
Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox	£66,200	Glasgow City
Sandy Bell’s	£10,000	City of Edinburgh
Sneaky Pete’s	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Sound Archive	£34,911	Orkney Islands
Stramash	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Stereo	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Sub-Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
Summerhall	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Swing	£50,000	East Dunbartonshire
Temple	£64,200	Falkirk
The Tooth and Claw	£59,996	Highland
Tunnels	£50,000	Aberdeen City
The Twa Tams	£66,200	Perth and Kinross
Unit 51	£50,000	Aberdeen City
The View	£20,000	Argyll and Bute
The Voodoo Rooms	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Whistle Binkies	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Woodside hotel	£15,000	Fife
Total

Live In Leith

Leith Theatre launches mini-series of digital gigs to showcase breakthrough Scottish artists

A grant from Creative Scotland’s Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund has allowed Leith Theatre to secure a small staff team of expertise, enabling them to produce a mini-series of digital gigs and provide vital incomes for industry professionals and production crew as well as for the musicians and artists themselves.

Shining a light on new music in Scotland has been key to the programme’s conception. Live in Leith aims to nurture fresh talent by providing a harbour – a safe space – for those who are sacrificing their incomes to pursue careers in music at what is always a tender time, no matter what the economic situation or industry climate.

If the funding is the anchor for the whole programme, the theatre itself is certainly the port, a place that has inspired many musicians to return already since the first stage of its revival in 2017: The Snuts for example, played as part of EH6 festival back in November 2018 and Teenage Fanclub featured in EIF’s offering in August 2019. Both bands have since returned to film their latest singles in the theatre’s auditorium in 2020.

Though Leith Theatre’s doors have been closed to the public for almost a full year now, closed sets like these have been able to take place.

In 2020 the theatre was also home to the virtual edition of Scotland’s annual Wide Days music convention, EIF’s My Light Shines On recordings featuring Honeyblood and Breabach, and Posable Action Figures’ latest music video for a single in their debut album.

Leith Theatre was once a music machine in the form of legendary gigs of the seventies and eighties and is well on its way to becoming a well-oiled one for today in the new twenties through such productions.

Just as the Port of Leith once fostered connections as a confluence of old and new, production and industry – a stage that was both world-class and local – Live in Leith aims to cultivate all of these elements and bring entertainment home in 2021 (and beyond).

The theatre, where community has always been at the heart of its role as a civic centre, wants to help raise the next generation of musicians, industry professionals and crew right here in Leith, safe in the knowledge that exploring the unfamiliar and investing in what is new and inspiring is always in all of our best interests.

Hosted by Vic Galloway, this programme – Live in Leith – will be streamed over three consecutive Saturdays starting this March via the online platform DICE and will help to showcase and establish up-and-coming young Scottish artists at what is undoubtedly a crucial time in their careers.

All of the artists will be captured playing a 25-minute set in real time, to create a live concert feel and the broadcasts will include introductions and on-stage interviews with host, Vic Galloway.

Each gig will feature two artists, the first duo being Connor Fyfe (youngest musician to sell out at King Tut’s in Glasgow), and Retro Video Club.

Lynn Morrison, Chief Executive of Leith Theatre, said: “It is a dream come true to be producing our very first in-house Live In Leith programme from our grand auditorium!

“This programme has allowed us to see what is possible, brought a greatly missed creative network back into the building and enabled us to showcase incredible live music in a new way.

“Thank you to Creative Scotland and the Performance Arts Venue Relief Fund: the whole production process has been exciting and challenging and we hope that this is just the start of new futures! This launch will mark a new chapter and in doing so the theatre hopes to establish itself as the home for new music in Scotland.”

“I’m delighted to be involved in presenting the ‘Live in Leith’ series for Leith Theatre. As a long-time resident of Leith, it’s so satisfying and inspiring to see this legendary theatre come to life once again”, said presenter Vic Galloway.

“Its history is rich and varied, but ‘Live in Leith’ is also a great opportunity to bring the space into 2021 with three exciting music programmes. We’re not only showcasing some brilliant local talent here, but also shining a spotlight on the building itself as one of Scotland’s best Music and Arts Venues. I hope you enjoy the shows and see the potential of the wonderful Leith Theatre!”

Leith Theatre Programme Co-ordinator Callum Jones added: “Having graduated from my Honours degree in Music Business back in Spring 2020, it was daunting to see that the industry in which I had studied for a career had, in many ways (from a live music perspective) been decimated.

“However, Performance Arts Venue Relief funding via Creative Scotland allowed Leith Theatre to retain me on a full-time basis and in a new role as Programme Coordinator.

“Our intention was then to create a digital programme which would showcase up-and-coming Scottish talent, providing an income stream for artists when there are currently so few alternatives. By doing so, we have been able to provide work for industry professionals across the sector and re-engage with our pre-existing network and supply chain.

“The funding has allowed us to deliver a high quality, digital offering for music fans to enjoy from the safety of their own homes. Our ambition is to establish Leith Theatre as a home for new music in Scotland by supporting the development of artists.

“I hope the broadcasts can provide some much-needed respite until we can welcome visitors back to Leith Theatre.”

Live in Leith:

March 20th: Connor Fyfe and Retro Video Club

March 27th: Ransom FA and Nova Scotia the Truth

April 3rd: The Ninth Wave and Lucia & The Best Boys

Tickets on sale Friday the 12th February at 10am at https://dice.fm (see direct links below) and will cost £11.50

RVC & Connor Fyfe (20/3/21) https://link.dice.fm/fcw7qwAYEdb

Ransom FA & Nova (27/3/21) https://link.dice.fm/jzbf9SAOJdb

Lucia & Ninth Wave (3/4/21) https://link.dice.fm/6LLm13nUJdb

#liveinleith

Twitter/Facebook: @LeithTheatre

Instagram: leiththeatre

Winners of nationwide search to pair up songwriters and community choirs announced

Producers of Scotland’s largest community choir, Love Music, have ‘blind date’ matched five of Scotland’s most talented songwriters with five community choirs busy keeping the music alive despite lockdown across the country.

They will now come together to create five new works to share with the world in August this year, sharing their experience as they go.

Photos: Earnsong

The pairings of a diverse range of organisations and individuals across Scotland, from Moray, West Highlands, Falkirk, Lanarkshire and Perth & Kinross are:

Sing Mor, a small Scottish folk/roots project in rural Lochaber near Fort William, is only 18 months old but its singers are managing to run online weekly sessions and creating some lovely vocal recordings together. The song leader describes herself as self-taught and avidly learning on the hoof. Through the accessible nature of zoom, they now have regular singers from across the West of Scotland and the Islands. Sing Mor will be working with Debbie Armour, one half of the Scottish folk duo Burd Ellen, who are sonic adventurers combining innovation with a deep love of traditional song.

Stonehouse Male Voice Choir is one of longest formed groups which began in a builder’s yard in Stonehouse in Lanarkshire in 1936 as a lunch time sing. With over 40 members aged from 12 to 80+ the choir has managed to run some sessions using familiar repertoire but feel there is more to be done to try and bring more of their members on board and tackle the digital isolation some of their group are facing.

As they haven’t learned any new songs since lockdown, they are excited to take up the challenge. They will be collaborating with highly respected songwriter Penny Stone. One of the most active song leaders in the Scottish sector Penny uses singing to support people living with chronic health conditions such as Parkinson’s and dementia and is passionate about peace and social and environmental justice.

Fochabers Community Sing in Moray is a project run by Lizzie, who has been a music teacher and music therapist and is now delivering fun and accessible community focused projects in her local area.

Since the first lockdown she has turned her hand to making instructional videos of specially arranged songs, contemporary and pop, asking people to send in their own recorded versions and mixing them into joyful music films for people to share.

Their songwriter collaborator is emerging artist Zac Scott. Zac is a Glasgow based acoustic singer-songwriter with a pop sensibility who has spent the past two years writing and recording a unique collection of songs inspired by Scotland and Iceland, leading to the release of his debut album in 2020.

Earnsong, a project from Comrie in Perth & Kinross who describe themselves as a close and supportive community, have worked hard to embrace new digital platforms. They love harmony and are up for anything. Challenge us! is what they said on their application!

To keep local spirits up since March 2020, they have been making musical video gifts to share with friends and residents in their local care home. Earnsong will work with Djana Gabrielle, a French-Cameroonian singer-songwriter who has been honing her craft on the Scottish music scene for a few years. Djana was a 2019 Celtic Connections Danny Kyle Stage Winner.

Photo: Djana Gabrielle

Freedom of Mind Choir is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive project in Falkirk that provides opportunities for their members to focus on the benefits of singing for good mental health.

They have been working hard to address digital exclusion during the pandemic and creating weekly learning videos. They will be working on a new collaboration with Hannah Fredsgaard-Jones who was born in Denmark and is now living in Glasgow. Hannah is a singer, songwriter, composer and audio documentary maker. Rooted in storytelling, her work encompasses folklore, memory, voice and intimacy.

Stephen Deazley, Love Music’s artistic director said: “The recruitment process for choirs was fascinating and moving in equal measures. Each application really conveyed their own style, a strong sense of identity, purpose and musical interests.

“The work and efforts that everyone is doing in this difficult time is so inspiring, producing videos and running online sessions, phone calls to stay connected, newsletters, songwriting, homemade DVDs, intergenerational and family projects, filmed musical gifts for friends and family living in care settings – all are testament to the importance of community singing to our health and creative well-being.

“You get a real sense of determination, resilience, personal and collective motivation and great acts of kindness – there were more than a few tears on our ‘at-home’ desks during the selection process.

“A big thanks to all our applicants. It was great to be introduced to such a range of choirs and songwriters from the length and breadth of Scotland. This country has more than its fair share of diverse songwriting talent and such a long history of musical innovation especially in folk and indie music, it’s always punched well beyond its weight. We were truly inspired, and sad to have to select only five.”

Love Singing is a community engagement initiative aimed at promoting and supporting creative, healthy singing communities across Scotland.

It focuses on collaborative practice, connecting choirs across the country, addressing digital isolation, increasing tech skills and confidence, and buddying up with professional songwriters to commission five brand new songs and a bank of useful and accessible song resources, providing information and motivation to help people stay connected in these challenging times.

The project is made possible with funding from Creative Scotland.

The 8-month project through to August 2021 will tackle the ongoing challenges of distanced rehearsals and remote learning head on, sharing the journey as it happens through a series of blogs, and creating an online information bank of what is learned, sharing the trials and triumphs with choir leaders across Scotland.

Project title is Love Singing
Love Singing website: https://sing.lovemusic.org.uk

Project is run by charity Love Music Productions Ltd
Love Music website: https://lovemusic.org.uk

Four Edinburgh-based writers receive New Writers Awards

Scottish Book Trust today announces the 11 recipients of the New Writers Awards 2021, which provide a selection of talented writers who have not yet published a full-length book or collection with professional guidance to help them move towards publication, as well as financial support.

Funded by Creative Scotland and run by Scottish Book Trust, the awards have supported over 100 creative individuals since 2009.

Four Edinburgh-based writers have received a New Writers Award: Hazel Knox, Deborah Chu, Thomas Stewart and Tim Craven:

Hazel is a Children’s Occupational Therapist originally from Thurso. She was shortlisted for the 2020 Chicken House Open Coop and given an honourable mention in a 2020 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators slush pile challenge looking for funny middle grade.
Deborah Chu was born in Taipei and raised in Vancouver, moving to Scotland to complete an MSc in Literature and Modernity at the University of Edinburgh. She is currently a Content Editor at The List. She was the recipient of the 2019 Fringe Society’s Allen Wright Award for excellence in arts criticism.
Thomas Stewart is based in Leith, originally from Cardiff, Wales. A writer and an English teacher, his debut pamphlet empire of dirt was a Poetry Book Society selection and is published by Red Squirrel Press.
Tim Craven was raised in Stoke-on-Trent and is now based in Edinburgh. He has an MFA from Syracuse University and completed his PhD thesis at the University of Edinburgh on the characterisation of mental illness in Confessional poetry. His pamphlet, Lake Effect is published by Tapsalteerie.

The prestigious judging panel included Scots Makar Jackie Kay, Niall Campbell and Colin Waters for poetry; Tendai Huchu, Janice Galloway, Denise Mina and Alan Bett judging fiction; and Dean Atta, Lari Don and Hannah Sycamore (Scottish Book Trust) judging Children’s and YA entries. The Gaelic Books Council selects the two Gaelic New Writer Awardees.

Former New Writers awardees include Nicola White, whose novel The Rosary Garden (Profile) was re-released in January; Helen Sedgwick’s third novel Where the Missing Gather (Oneworld) will be published in May 2021 and Man Booker Prize shortlistee Graeme Macrae Burnet will release Case Study (Saraband) in October 2021.

The 2021 awardees are:

Poetry

Nasim Rebecca Asl

Thomas Stewart

Tim Craven

Children’s and Young Adult

Hazel Knox

Sally Costelloe

Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction

Deborah Chu

Gillian Shearer

Hannah Nicholson

Samantha Dooey-Miles

Gaelic

Beth Frieden

Roddy Neithercut

Each of the 11 recipients will receive a £2,000 cash award and support tailored to their needs including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training opportunities, and the platform to showcase their work to publishers and agents.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “In uncertain times, it is more important than ever to celebrate and discover new writers in Scotland.

“Working within COVID restrictions, Scottish Book Trust will support the awardees through online training, workshops and mentoring. As always, the standard of the applications were very high and we look forward to future publications from this group.”

Alan Bett, Interim Head of Literature, Languages & Publishing, Creative Scotland said: “The list of past winners speaks for itself and gives us all reason to expect that the names on this year’s list will be on bookshelves across the country in future.

“It was a pleasure to sit on the fiction panel and the wealth of talent, while hugely encouraging, made decision making a near impossible process.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “The Gaelic Book Council’s on-going partnership with Scottish Book Trust allows us to give Gaelic writers this valuable opportunity early in their careers to work with experienced mentors and develop their craft, and we are excited to be working with new writers of Beth and Roddy’s calibre this year as they work towards their first publications.”

The New Writers Showcase, a celebration of work by last year’s awardees, will be held online through Scottish Book Trust’s social media accounts on Wednesday 31 March. Information about tickets will be available on Scottish Book Trust’s website soon.

Creative Scotland: Latest round of Open Fund awards announced

104 projects are sharing in over £1.7m of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland in the latest round of Open Fund awards.

These funds are supporting creative people, projects and organisations across Scotland to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by COVID-19 and helping to sustain creative development at this challenging time.

With the live music scene paused due to lockdown restrictions, Glasgow-based music platform Tenement TV has received £14,954 to create TTV COLLECTIVE; an online space to support and showcase emerging Scottish musicians. Allowing artists to create new recorded live experiences for music fans, the project will provide a paid platform for musicians in the absence of live gigs and concerts.

Chae Houston, Director, Tenement TV said: “After almost a year without live music, TTV are delighted to launch this brand-new project which will allow artists in Scotland to collaborate and create, in line with current guidelines.

“We’ve curated a fresh live recorded content programme featuring new combinations and collaborations from up-and-coming Scottish musical talent across the country and we cannot wait to share it with our audience.”

The Scottish BAME Writers Network has received £49,837 for its 2021 programme, ‘Staying Connected’. Founded in 2018 to engage, validate and connect Black writers and writers of colour, the network advocates for inclusive publishing and promotes diverse voices within Scotland’s literary sector.

The ‘Staying Connected’ programme will sustain community connection at a time when many are living in isolation, and create paid opportunities for BAME voices across publishing, mentoring and editorial roles.

Jeda Pearl Lewis, Co-Director, Scottish BAME Writers Network said: “This year we plan to provide writing workshops, paid work, submission opportunities and writer development initiatives for our community and integrate more accessibility into our programming. Taking a nuanced, inclusive and intersectional approach to our work will continue to be at the heart of our organisation.”

Community art project Fun A Day Dundee has also received £6,963 to help children, hobbyists and ‘non-artists’ to get creative by making art or doing something fun every day throughout the month of January. This free initiative will culminate in an online group exhibition, showcasing work by participants of all ages and abilities.

Samantha Sherriff, Co-ordinator, Fun A Day Dundee said: “By supporting artists and non-artists, we hope to encourage new patterns and habits of playful making that will improve mental health, grow small businesses and support artistic development.

“We welcome all skills and art mediums, and it’s a delight to see this wide variety of artists and makers encouraging each other, as well as sharing ideas and techniques.”

Other initiatives supported by the latest round of Open Fund awards include William Letford’s Unexpected Poetry project, which will bring poetry installations to the streets of Stirling, and writer Elspeth Lewis’s memoir ‘The Sun on My Skin’, which aims to explore nature writing through the lens of disability and identity.

Joan Parr, Arts and Engagement Director, Creative Scotland said: “As we begin 2021, the Open Fund continues to support Scotland’s arts and creative community to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about as a result of Covid-19.

“From championing Scottish BAME writers to reimagining live music for digital audiences, these projects are testament to the determination, resilience and imagination of creative individuals and organisations in the face of extremely challenging circumstances.

“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, and funding from the Scottish Government, these awards are helping to sustain the great value that creativity brings to our lives.”

A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website. 

The fund has no deadlines, and full eligibility criteria and application guidance can be found on the Creative Scotland website. 