Scotland’s Creative Learning Plan leans into wellbeing

pupils in an arts class
18 Nov 2021

Children’s mental health will be a “very high priority” under a new blueprint for cross-curriculum creativity.

Scotland gives libraries £1.25m lifeline

16 Nov 2021

Twenty-three library projects across Scotland will receive a share of the £1.25m Public Library Covid Relief Fund.

The Scottish Government has awarded funding to local authorities to reopen libraries that closed during the pandemic, start wellbeing cafes and facilitate home library services.

The largest grant of £448,000 will help reopen five Glasgow libraries and increase opening hours across the city.

Scotland's Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said the funding reflects the Government's goal of driving cultural recovery through its communities.

"This fund will see the provision of community-centred projects aimed at, among other things, reducing social isolation, promoting mental wellbeing and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap."

Scotland opens £75k fund for creative caregivers

03 Nov 2021

Creative Scotland has opened applications to its Radical Care Fund, a £75,000 project aiming to improve working conditions for creatives with caregiving responsibilities.

Grants of between £3,000 and £15,000 are available to creative organisations and businesses looking to support these creatives.

Creative Scotland’s Ashley Smith-Hammond says the fund will address challenges including unsocial working hours, fluctuating patterns of work and higher than average levels of freelancing.

“All of these elements combine to create barriers for people working in the arts, screen and creative industries to manage work and care responsibilities. We hope that this fund will help to rethink fair working systems and improve peoples’ work/life balance.” 

Applications close on 26 November, with between five and fifteen projects to be chosen for funding in the week commencing 20 December.

Universities return looted bronzes to Nigeria

01 Nov 2021

Two universities have become the first UK institutions to return Benin bronze artifacts to Nigeria.

Cambridge University returned a bronze cockerel, known as the Okukur, looted by British colonial forces in 1897 and given to the University’s Jesus College in 1905. The decision to return the bronze piece was made in 2019 following student protests.  

"It’s massively significant. It’s a momentous occasion," said Jesus College Master Sonita Alleyne.

Aberdeen University has followed suit, after a panel unanimously decided to return a looted sculpture depicting Oba (King) of Benin to Nigeria on Thursday (October 28).

Oba of Benin Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II thanked Aberdeen University for the "noble act".

"We hope that other institutions worldwide will see the injustice when they insist on holding on to items which in fact should be a reminder to them of the great injustice that was inflicted on a people so far away and so long ago."

Vaccine passports cause drop in attendance 

28 Oct 2021

DCMS reportedly believes certification would drive live events attendees to pubs and “dire consequences” are predicted if the scheme continues in Scotland.

Scotland to stage cultural events alongside COP26

26 Oct 2021

Details of the cultural events set to mark COP26 across Scotland have been confirmed.

Scotland's five national performing arts companies are all organising events, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra scheduled to welcome delagates to Glasgow on November 1.

Creative Carbon Scotland has announced seven new Climate Beacons hubs, a collaborative project between local climate change, environmental, arts, heritage and cultural organisations.

Museums and Galleries Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and the Climate Heritage Network have joined forces on a website, Culture at COP,  that showcases cultural activities around the conference.

Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth says the sector has a major role to play in encouraging debate around environmental issues.

"COP26 in Glasgow is a once in a lifetime event and our cultural organisations have risen to the occasion by programming an impressive line-up of live and online activities."

Printmakers to lead European refugee arts project

26 Oct 2021

A Europe-wide project for refugee artists has opened for applications.

In from the Margins offers artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds residencies at one of five print studios across Europe.

Funded by Creative Europe, the €178,000 project will support 30 artists and culminate in a group exhibition in Edinburgh in spring 2023.

Edinburgh Printmakers will lead the programme, helping artists network, engage with local communities and develop their practice.

“The emphasis of the project is to platform artists, bringing them from the margins to the heart of mainstream cultural programming,” Edinburgh Printmakers CEO Janet Archer said.

Applications are open until November 12, with residencies scheduled to start in January.

Scotland starts enforcing vaccine passports

19 Oct 2021

Venues that fail to comply face a maximum £10,000 fine but policing falls to overextended local authorities and underserved security.

Scottish National Gallery revamp faces further delays

14 Oct 2021

Managers of the Scottish National Gallery’s refurbishment have asked the Scottish Government for a bailout after further delays to the project.

Originally a £22m project, it began in 2018 – three years later than anticipated – and will not be finished before the end of 2022.

The National Galleries, attributing the delays to the pandemic and "unexpected defects" in the 19th Century building, have declined to say how much more public funding is required.

Head of Planning and Performance Elaine Anderson said Covid-19 had a "massive impact" on Scotland’s cultural sector, with many organisations facing an uncertain future.

"Without support and investment, the sector will decline in quality and reach and key opportunities will be missed."

City of Culture 2025 a 'springboard' regardless of longlist

11 Oct 2021

The challenge now for some of the latecomers will be completing years' worth of planning in weeks.

International partnerships fund 'not a replacement Creative Europe'

06 Oct 2021

The pilot responds to the UK's withdrawal from Creative Europe and prioritises European partners but is "not in the same ball park" as the EU scheme.

Yousaf causes confusion over Scottish vaccine passports

05 Oct 2021

Vaccine passports for large events in Scotland are off to a rocky start after the country's Health Secretary urged people to ignore them.

Hamza Yousaf told door staff to allow entry without certification the first weekend the system became mandatory.

Venues will not face penalties for non-enforcement until October 18 after a "grace period" was introduced at the last minute.

Thousands experienced glitches with the app, prompting an apology from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

"The problem was not with the app itself but with the NHS systems that it links to," she said.

UK Government pledges to address Glasgow culture funding crisis

04 Oct 2021

The UK Government has said it will help Glasgow address its culture funding crisis.

The city’s cultural operator Glasgow Life has warned it cannot reopen more than 90 of its 171 venues if it does not secure funding above the £100m pledged by Glasgow Council over the next for years.

The charitable trust announced plans to cut 500 jobs earlier this year.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said he is "keenly aware" of the difficulties Glasgow Life faces.

"The cultural importance of Glasgow's museums cannot be overstated. I am determined to do everything I can to support efforts to secure the future of our wonderful collections."

Glasgow Life Chairman David McDonald welcomed Stewart's comments and hoped they spark a meeting between Scotland Office and the Scottish Government to "protect cultural growth in Glasgow".

Aberdeen commits to digital music teaching

04 Oct 2021

Aberdeen City Council has approved plans to provide online instrumental lessons for pupils.

It first introduced digital music lessons during the pandemic, when Aberdeen City Music Service began uploading instructor videos for pupils to access between classes.

The provider says students have made "good progress" during digital lessons, prompting council officers to consult with pupils, parents and instructors to determine the scope of the offer.

The initiative will support an expected increase in the number of pupils taking lessons as Scotland becomes the first UK nation to mandate free instrumental music tuition.

"Our council has been pioneering in its use of digital technology - and there is a great opportunity to harness its power in delivering content to support those who engage with the music service," Councillor M Taqueer Malik commented.

Legal challenge to vaccine passports in Scotland fails

01 Oct 2021

The policy has taken effect but tech issues are rife, guidance is lacking and venues say there hasn't been a "meaningful consultation".

Immersive exhibition merges art with science at COP26

29 Sep 2021

An immersive art installation opening this weekend will mark the UN's Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.

Polar Zero, a collaboration between the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), British Antarctic Survey, engineering consultants Arup and the Royal College of Art, includes a glass sculpture encasing Antarctic Air from 1765 and an Antarctic ice core drilled out of a glacier.

The centrepieces are significant because they provide scientific evidence of the earth's temperature before the industrial revolution - a turning point in global warming - and the state of the atmosphere now.

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said Polar Zero "epitomises the power of the arts and arts s research to tackle pressing contemporary issues such as climate change".

“It translates crucial but complex scientific research in a way that will resonate deeply and emotionally with diverse audiences to inspire lasting change."

Polar Zero opens at Glasgow Science Centre on October 2.

Scotland hires freelancers as arts tutors

27 Sep 2021

Up to 50 freelancers will be employed as arts tutors in some of Scotland's most remote and culturally distinctive communities.

Creatives and artists who have lost work due to Covid-19 or Brexit can apply to work with primary schools in the Scottish Islands of Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire.

Gaelic arts body Fèisean nan Gàidheal will deliver the programme whilst the University of the Highlands gives tutors support and accreditation. The tutors in turn will support the development of assistant tutors to continue delivering arts education.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal CEO Arthur Cormack said training will increase freelancers' "resilience" and better equip thme to work in schools in the future.

The programme is funded by the National Transition Training Fund and through the Scottish Government's Islands Programme.
 

Falkirk Council to vote on arts centre location

13 Sep 2021

Falkirk Council is set to vote on a site for its new arts centre and council headquarters.

The £45m arts centre, which has been given the go-ahead despite rising costs, will include a theatre, library and studio spaces alongside the council offices.

But the council is yet to agree on where it will be built. Council officers and the SNP want the arts centre and offices to be built together, whereas Labour have suggested splitting the projects across two sites.

Falkirk Business Improvement District Manager Elaine Grant says it is "critical" both the headquarters and arts centre are in built in the heart of the town.

"It will have a significant impact not just on local business but [also] through further investment."

The council will reconvene on September 24 to discuss further.

Scotland says yes to vaccine passports, U-turns on mask rule

10 Sep 2021

The Scottish Parliament has voted to make vaccine passports mandatory at nightclubs, concerts and other large events.

The nation's model is expected to provide the blueprint for an English certification system.

Negative testing will not be accepted in lieu of a vaccine passport, prompting criticism from some Scottish politicians and health officials who say the passport alone won't prove whether people are passing the virus on, but will adversely affect businesses.

However, Scotland has removed a rule that performers within one metre of each other must wear face masks or use protective screens.

First reported in ArtsProfessional, the restriction provoked alarm among theatres and Creative Scotland.

The Scottish Government changed the rule "in response to concerns about the performing arts sector’s ability to resume work".

New guidance says the exemption will only apply when there is a partition or distance of at least one metre between performers and the audience.

"Because of the continuing risk of transmitting the virus indoors, these exemptions from wearing face coverings without one-metre distancing or partitioning should be the exception rather than the norm."

Nations press ahead with vaccine passports for events

02 Sep 2021

More concrete plans to require certification at large events come as research indicates the policy could put people off getting vaccinated.

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