Group of arts organisations receive £300K funding to help shape future cultural life in Highlands

A group of Highland arts organisations have come together to create six exciting roles including a new project manager and five artists in residence as part of a national programme to make a positive difference across the country in the wake of the pandemic.

The Culture Collective is a national pilot programme which will establish a network of creative practitioners, organisations and communities, working together to create a positive difference locally and nationally in response to Covid-19.

In February, Creative Scotland distributed £5.9m to 26 lead organisations across Scotland, including £300,000 to traditional arts organisation Fèis Rois, to collaboratively develop ways of responding to the impacts of the ongoing pandemic.

Dingwall-based Fèis Rois is the administrative lead for the Highland Culture Collective and will work with five other Highland organisations to offer six new full-time arts jobs in the region which will help to shape future cultural life of Highland communities; Highland Third Sector Interface, Eden Court, Highland Print Studio, Lyth Arts Centre and North Lands Creative. The jobs will include a Project Manager and five Artists in Residence (three experienced artist and two emerging artist vacancies) to work full-time from 1 July 2021 to 30 September 2022.

The jobs created by Highland Culture Collective will respond to the impact of the pandemic on the environment and on the following communities of people across the Highlands:

• People impacted by the pandemic, including, for example, older people, their families and carers
• Women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse
• Those affected by the justice system, including offenders, those at risk of offending, and those with a family member in prison
• Gaelic learners who have struggled with language acquisition over the past year, e.g. children and young people who attend GME but who do not have Gaelic at home

As well as receiving a full-time salary of between £22,500-£30,000 pro rata, each residency will have a budget of £10,000 to allow for workshops, events, materials, access costs, travel expenses and training.

The posts will allow for a period of research and development before a year of socially engaged creative activity across the Highlands developing projects where artists and communities work together, and ending with a month to reflect and evaluate the different projects.

Fiona Dalgetty, Fèis Rois Chief Executive, commented: "We are thrilled to have secured this investment of £300,000 to benefit artists and communities across the Highland Council area. This is a unique opportunity to co-create projects with artists, communities, arts organisations and third sector organisations all collaborating together in a way that has not been done before."

Donna Cameron, Family Worker at Inverness Women's Aid, added: "Inverness Women’s Aid is really delighted to be included in this project, as the benefits of working creatively are well documented when faced with the fallout of the trauma of Domestic Abuse. Working collaboratively, using artistic expression to give a voice to the unsayable, can only add to the healing and empowerment we hope to offer our clients."

Cllr Calum Munro, Chair of the Highland Council Gaelic Committee said: "We are delighted that Fèis Rois has been awarded this significant amount of funding to develop and manage the Highland Culture Collective programme.

"It is exciting that one of the posts is for a Gaelic speaking artist in residence who will focus on supporting Gaelic learning and acquisition within the youth sector. Gaelic learning has been affected in many ways including young people not being able to sing in the language which has been particularly challenging for both children and teachers in the Early Years sector.

"However, it is important to highlight that the Highland Council in conjunction with other key Gaelic and cultural organisations, such as Fèis Rois, continue to generate many Gaelic language and cultural learning tools, and options online which have, and continue to be, utilised by young people, parents and teachers."

He added: "I look forward to meeting the successful candidates, wish them every success, and wish to take this opportunity to thank Fèis Rois for creating such an innovative programme which provides the opportunity for the Highland Council and Fèis Rois to collaborate creatively to support and strengthen Gaelic in the arts sector in our communities."

To find out more about the job opportunities available through the Highland Culture Collective, potential applicants are invited to attend one of two webinars with Fiona Dalgetty and other members of the Highland Culture Collective where they will talk about the project and answer any questions.

These will be held on Thursday 13 May, 7pm and Monday 24 May, 12pm and booking is required. For more information, full job descriptions or to register for the webinars, please visit www.feisrois.org