Spirit 360 Funding Awards Announced For Highland Creative Professionals
16th September 2021
Sixty-six creative professionals from the Highlands will benefit from a new commissioning programme, Spirit:360, it was announced by High Life Highland and Creative Scotland today.
The Spirit:360 programme was established to support the creation of new work inspired by stories reflecting the theme of the ‘Spirit of the Highlands'. When complete, the commissions will be showcased on a new online platform as part of the ‘Spirit of the Highlands' project, alongside the original story which has inspired the work.
Spirit:360 is a partnership with the Highland Place Partnership and £150,000 was made available through Creative Scotland Place Partnership funding to support this new commissioning programme.
The programme was open to creative professionals based within, or originally from, The Highland Council area, with commissions of up to a maximum of £1,000 available for emerging and established people practising professionally across all art forms, including textiles, visual art, crafts, jewellery, music, film, photography, dance, written word, and theatre.
During this period of recovery from the pandemic, this programme adds to existing support for the creative sector, such as the recently announced Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) funded by Creative Scotland in partnership with Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG) - see https://www.highlifehighland.com/vacma/ for more details.
Fergus Ewing MSP, co-chair of the Inverness Castle - Spirit of the Highlands Delivery Group said:"It is tremendous to be able to support the creative and cultural sector in the Highlands through the Spirit:360 project, particularly during this period of recovery from the pandemic - and the huge number of applicants for the fund shows that it was welcomed by the creative sector too. The creativity inspired by the stories of our communities throughout the area will encourage people from this country and beyond to explore the spectacular places and communities in this part of the world, discovering all that it has to offer."
Helen Carmichael, Provost of Inverness and co-chair of the Inverness Castle - Spirit of the Highlands Delivery Group said: "Through the Highland Place Partnership, we are delighted to be working with Creative Scotland to deliver this unique opportunity for creative professionals in the Highlands. With this commissioning fund we have been able to support people practising professionally in the creative sector across the Highlands, supporting new work during this challenging period for us all. I'm so excited to see the creative ideas from the successful applicants as they are developed."
Karen Dick, Head of Place, Partnerships & Communities at Creative Scotland said: "As we take the next steps towards renewal and recovery from the impact of Covid-19, it's vital to continue to support opportunities for artists and creative professionals to develop and make work. Spirit:360 highlights the wealth of creative talent in, and from, the Highlands and we look forward to seeing the work inspired by the Spirit of the Highlands. Creative Scotland is pleased to support this project through the Place Partnership ensuring that our collective creative voice continues to be heard."
Spirit:360 is supported by the Creative Scotland Place Partnership programme and is administered by High Life Highland, as part of the Spirit of the Highlands project. To find out more, contact spirit.360@highlifehighland.com
The transformation of Inverness Castle is supported by £15 million Scottish Government and £3 million UK Government investment through the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal. It will create a gateway for Highland tourism, contributing to reinvigoration of tourism across the area and providing much needed investment for the industry to aid the recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project will support economic growth throughout the Highland area, creating a sustainable, viable and "must-see" attraction that will celebrate the spirit of the Highlands.
The Inverness and Highland City Region deal is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and University of the Highlands and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.
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Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards
Highlands, Moray and Western Isles
The Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) scheme offers small grants to visual artists and craft makers for their creative development at all stages of their career. These awards are supported by Creative Scotland through funding from the National Lottery in partnership with High Life Highland.
This year we will continue to offer fixed bursaries in recognition of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on individual artists and makers. The VACMA scheme offers two levels of bursaries:
Bursaries of £750
Early-career bursaries of £500 (For applicants that have less than 5 years' experience outside of education/training, graduated in 2016 or later, or that have not studied art formally but have been practising as an artist for up to 5 years).
The fund is open to visual artists and craft makers who can demonstrate a commitment to developing their creative practice and who are living or working or maintaining a studio space within the Local Authority area to which they are applying.
The next deadline will be Tuesday 26th October 2021. The guidelines and application form are available from 1st September
The Purpose of the Scheme
The purpose of VACMA is to support Scotland-based artists and craft makers in their creative development. This year, in recognition of the ongoing impacts of COVID - 19 on individual travel and classes, the programme will offer fixed fee bursaries for the development of creative practice.
The scheme is aimed at visual arts practitioners working in the fields of drawing, painting, sculpture, print-making, photography, moving image/filmmaking and craft makers creating contemporary work conceived, designed and made as individual practitioners in ceramics, jewellery and metalwork, furniture and wood, glass, textiles and basket-making, etc.
Who Can Apply?
The scheme is open to Highland, Moray or Western Isles based visual artists/craft makers living, working or maintaining a studio space within the Councils' regional boundaries. Applicants may be of any age and at any stage of their career, but must be outwith full time education.
Criteria
The quality of applicant’s work is key. Successful applicants will have demonstrated a level of commitment to their practice, having developed their skills and ideas in achieving a body of work outwith formal education.
How to Apply
Go to https://www.highlifehighland.com/vacma/
Forms and guidelines can be downloaded.
Please read the guidelines before submitting an application. All applications should be submitted using the application form and must be sent via email only. For any queries regarding the Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards scheme please contact Cathy Shankland cathy.shankland@highlifehighland.com
