Article Source: Glasgow Life
Last Updated: 2 March 2020 9:58
Choreographers, writers, dramatists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers and others are being invited to apply to become artists in residence, as the second phase of Glasgow’s ambitious Creative Communities programme gets underway.
The organisers hope to encourage practitioners from a wide range of art forms, from painting to embroidery, from Gaelic singing to hip hop or Bhangra … and everything in between.
Creative Communities – Artists In Residence aims to give Glaswegians from diverse backgrounds, the opportunity to get creative within their local area. Set up following a 2018 Culture Summit, when Glasgow City Council pledged to employ “an artist in residence in every community”, this £400,000 council-funded programme is being delivered by Glasgow Life, the council-linked charity responsible for culture and sport.
The programme kicked off last year, with a preliminary consultation that saw 23 artists and arts organisations each spending three months immersed in one of Glasgow’s 23 wards.
Coming from a wide range of disciplines, those artists used craft, music, drama and a myriad of other techniques to engage with community groups and individuals. In the process, they generated important conversations about what local people wanted from the programme.
In the Linn ward, people from Castlemilk and Carmunnock worked with a textile artist to create a huge “ideal shopping list”, embroidering and inking their aspirations for their neighbourhood onto a large piece of cloth.
Creative photography workshops in Shettleston allowed young people to compare images of the area’s past and present, and to think about its heritage and future needs.
In Dennistoun, residents worked with a theatre-maker to create musical playlists which expressed their wishes for their home area. On the south side, people shared local stories and knowledge through a community-based snakes and ladders game. And so on across the remaining 19 wards, where artists used film, storytelling and various other means to consult imaginatively with communities.
Now that creative listening exercise is complete, Glasgow Life wants to go further in helping local people to unleash their creative potential, by appointing 23 artists in residence: one in each council ward area.
Each will spend six months working within a community, building on the responses and recommendations gathered during phase one to foster creative involvement. Schoolchildren, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and abilities, as well as those who lack opportunity to participate or engage in the arts, are among those expected to benefit.
The aim is to create meaningful artworks and activities that are in tune with local needs and which positively enhance the lives of people living in those communities. It’s expected that some of the works will reflect important moments in the city – from community gala days to major events such as COP26 – the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which takes place in Glasgow in November.
To this end, Glasgow Life has issued an open call to artists or arts organisations. Applicants must be based in Scotland and emerging artists, as well as highly experienced practitioners, are invited to apply, and the programme is open to individuals and groups from a wide range of artistic disciplines.
“Successful applicants will be expected to build on the community recommendations that were generated during phase one of the programme,” explains Councillor David McDonald, chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council. “Working in collaboration with local community groups and individuals, they will facilitate the creation of dynamic and imaginative artistic activities that enhance the life of each community.
He adds: “It is well known that involvement in the arts enriches people’s lives and can boost health and wellbeing. That’s why we at Glasgow Life are determined to extend opportunities for creative engagement to as many people as possible.
“Our Creative Communities programme is designed to do exactly that, and the achievements of local people and artists during the first phase were impressive. I’m really looking forward to watching that creative potential being extended during phase two. I have no doubt that the results will be surprising, and inspiring.”
The Open Call comes at the start of a year during which Glasgow’s 25-year Culture Plan will be finalised and published. The six-month residencies – which are expected to run from April to November 2020 – will each be backed by a £12,000 fee, plus support for materials. Artists are being invited to submit proposals for a specific area, and to explain how the fee would be used.
Full application details are available at www.glasgowlife.org.uk/creative
Tinderbox and Glasgow roaster Matthew Algie have teamed up with Beatson Cancer Charity for the second year running – and this time, the menu’s three times bigger.
READ MOREChildren attending Dobbies Little Seedlings Club will get the chance to travel back hundreds of millions of years to learn about prehistoric plants and talk about their favourite dinosaurs!
READ MOREElements, the celebrated fine-dining restaurant in Bearsden, has announced the highly anticipated return of its signature 4/4/4 cocktail lunch offer, now featuring a brand-new selection of cocktails.
READ MOREHorne will play the music industry executive who kicked off the race to No 1. between the two bands.
READ MOREPubLife, a UK-wide summer celebration of the '90s will take place in over 500 pubs, including 7 in Scotland.
READ MOREThis summer, as school holidays get underway, families are invited to enjoy a day out at Scone Palace with their Kids Go Free promotion.
READ MOREThe inaugural Scone Palace International Horse Trials will take place from 21st–24th August 2025 in the stunning grounds of Scone Palace and Perth Racecourse.
READ MOREThe state-of-the-art bowling and activity venue brings ten-pin & duck pin bowling, tech darts, ice-free curling, arcades and more to Glasgow's Silverburn!
READ MOREScotland's greatest running event, the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run, will return to Glasgow on Sunday 5th October and they want everyone to 'Be Your Greatest'.
READ MOREBeloved Glasgow indie House Party is back with a new model and a Pride pop-up at The Social Hub from 14–20 July!
READ MOREWith doors set to reopen this August, the Citizens Theatre has announced its programme from January - June 2026 as part of its reopening year of productions.
READ MOREBTS Army: Forever We Are Young, a brand-new documentary celebrating the fans that helped catapult 21st century pop icons BTS into global stardom comes to Vue.
READ MOREFamily favourites and animated adventures are heading to the big screen this summer holiday at Vue venues across Scotland.
READ MORECUPP, the cult-favourite boba tea brand known for its viral drinks and dedicated following, is opening an all-new Boba Café Kiosk in Silverburn.
READ MOREScotland’s multi-venue festival for music discovery, is back for 2025 with a first wave of 30+ unmissable artists including Manchester’s Pale Waves.
READ MOREThe limited-time experience is the first-of-its-kind at Topgolf Glasgow in collaboration with Marvel Studios!
READ MOREScotland’s national music prize – the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award – has opened submissions for 2025’s £20,000 prize.
READ MOREScotland's first openly gay professional footballer is set to headline Pride events at The Social Hub Glasgow.
READ MOREArtwork to celebrate the centre's 20th anniversary was officially unveiled at Glasgow Fort last week.
READ MOREGlaschu, one of Glasgow's most established fine dining restaurants, will join forces once again with acclaimed chef, Brian Maule for two nights in August.
READ MORECineworld has today announced £1 Family Films, running every week from July 25, so that families can be more childish together all summer long.
READ MOREThis summer, gather the whole family and head to Dobbies Garden Centres for a day of fun-filled activities that will keep costs down.
READ MOREThis Sunday sees the arrival of a brand-new community event for 2025: The Big Sunday on Kelvin Way!
READ MOREThree powerful performances by internationally acclaimed artists Dan Daw, Cherish Menzo and collective MEXA are revealed, in anticipation of full festival announcement on Tuesday 29th July.
READ MOREFirst Bus offers free travel to all current serving members, veterans and cadets for Armed Forces Day celebrations across its network.
READ MORESummerfest, the FREE family festival at Loch Lomond Shores, is back on the 5th and 6th of July with lots of things to see and do!
READ MORETopgolf Glasgow is dialling up the fun with a fresh range of value offers launching throughout the summer, helping players maximise their experience by giving them more for less!
READ MOREAspiring young buskers are invited to step into the spotlight and perform to hundreds of shoppers this summer in a safe and welcoming indoor space.
READ MOREThe Citizens Theatre has revealed the full cast for Small Acts of Love, the first production to be performed on the theatre's home stage in more than seven years when it reopens later this year.
READ MOREEl Perro Negro is bringing back its cult-favourite Breakfast Club menu. And this time, it's popping up once a month at the award-winning Woodlands Road restaurant - starting 29th June!
READ MORE