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Cartoon letters spell out 'cultivate' on a light blue background. The letters are surrounded by small figures doing various activities like bike riding, meditating and watering plants.

19 January 2023

Vickie Beesley on Creating a Positive Recruitment Process

Culture Collective is a network that places fair work for artists and freelancers at the heart of each of its projects. With over 300 roles created for practitioners so far, it's vital that we're constantly…

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A group of people assemble outdoors holding signs and placards. Two prominent placards read 'Increase biodiversity' and 'Demand that our voices are heard'.

12 January 2023

The Huntly Youth Climate Warriors: A manifesto

As part of Deveron Projects' Culture Collective activity, artist and educator Hussein Mitha led a project titled 'the world is ours, in spite of all’, in which they supported the development of a new…

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9 November 2022

Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning, and Community Wealth

To mark 18 months of Culture Collective activity, Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning, and Community Wealth, shared his thoughts on the impact of the work of the network so far. His warm…

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A grid of 24 black and white photographs are displayed on a while wall.

9 November 2022

Arts in Moray (AIM) Collective SHOWCASE

As the first phase of the Arts in Moray's work came to an end, the artists of the AIM collective came together at the end of September to present a showcase of their work and the process behind it.…

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Elaine stands at a lectern and microphone at the front of a room full of people. A BSL interpreter stands to her side.

6 November 2022

Reflections: Culture Collective Showcase

October 2022 saw the Culture Collective Showcase and Open Space, held in Dundee, to mark 18 months of Culture Collective activity. Elaine Cheng, Artist in Residence at Art27 Scotland, reflects on the experience...…

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Lesley Wilson 'calls a session' by placing a post it note on a large white wall. Another artist looks on.

27 October 2022

The power of drift…

At our Culture Collective Open Space in November 2022, creative practitioners were invited by facilitators Improbable to 'call a session' on any topic they'd like to explore with others. Artist Lesley…

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25 October 2022

Culture Collective Open Space and Showcase, Dundee

In October 2022, Culture Collective hosted a two day event, featuring an 'Open Space' workshop and a public showcase - both at the beautiful Dundee Contemporary Arts. Over two days, Culture Collective…

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A black and white sketch of a small, gnarled tree

13 September 2022

Altyre to Edinkillie – The First Encounter

Andrea Turner is a multi-disciplinary artist living in Forres. Her work spans visual art, music and poetry, and she is currently working with Combine to Create. In Altyre to Edinkillie –The First Encounter,…

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Kathryn Welch and Natalia Palombo grin at the camera, wearing big, blue ear muffs. They are on a bridge overlooking the River Spey in Aberlour.

27 August 2022

Going and seeing

Kathryn Welch is a freelancer and Programme Lead for Culture Collective. In this blog post, Kathryn reflects on the many visits she has made to Culture Collective projects throughout the life of the project,…

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A hand holds out a lightbulb against a blue and pink sky

12 August 2022

Coaching the Collective

Morvern Cunningham is a freelance creative, coach and writer and is working as Culture Collective's Creative Lead. In this blog post, Morvern reflects on their own experience of coaching, as well as coaching…

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A photograph of an ink roller against a backdrop of recently inked wood in varying shades of blue.

4 August 2022

The Colours, the Craft and the Craic

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Still from ‘City Shadows’, Mahatat, Port Said 2016

28 July 2022

There is always an alternative. Always.

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Photograph of a wooden electricity pole, seemingly in a forest, affixed with a warning sign. The black text on the sign reads: "You are being watched."

24 June 2022

A Reweirding Proposal

Hector MacInnes is Artist in Residence/Neach Ealain air mhuinntireas at the Highland Culture Collective/Co-chomann Cultar na Gàidhealtachd. In ‘A Reweirding Proposal’ Hector explores the vibrant incoherence…

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A black and white image of a crowded beach

13 June 2022

A collection of writings by Daniel Cullen

Daniel Cullen is creative practitioner working with Aiseirigh - a collaboration between SEALL, ATLAS Arts and Fèisean nan Gàidheal. Aiseirigh are working together with individuals, communities, businesses…

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A group of seven people walk toward the camera. They are smiling and laughing together outdoors on a lovely autumnal day.

13 June 2022

Accessible recruitment – what we’ve learned so far

Click here to listen to an audio version of this page. One of the key aims of Culture Collective is to create work - jobs - for artists, and so far Culture Collective projects have filled well over…

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A screenshot of the artist Kate MacKay in a zoom meeting. Kate holds a bright green geranium leaf up to her nose, as if smelling it.

25 March 2022

“The Mirrored Room – who is inside the room and who is outside?”

Kate MacKay is a member of the Combine to Create Collective. In 'The Mirrored Room - who is inside the room and who is outside?' Kate reflects on the value of real-life objects and connections at a time…

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Flat lay photograph of a tomato siting on a green plate, with an intricate design of overlaid petals.

18 March 2022

Food for Thought on Climate Justice

Jeni Reid and Kirsty McKeown are Creative Practitioners taking part in CULTIVATE. In 'Food for Thought on Climate Justice' Jeni and Kirsty share thoughts about their collaboration with Community First…

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Photograph of the bottom of supermarket receipts featuring helplines for domestic abuse.

18 February 2022

A Women’s Issue?

Catriona Meighan is Artist in Residence/Neach Ealain air mhuinntireas at the Highland Culture Collective/Co-chomann Cultar na Gàidhealtachd. In ‘A Women's Issue?’ Catriona looks at the complex and…

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The visual minutes are a hand drawn illustration in pink, orange and white. The page is divided into two rough halves - the top half is white and the bottom half is made up of two wide sweeping lines, one orange, one pink, which make a gentle hill shape on the left side of the page. At the top of the page, large text on a white background asks the question from the session: "What needs to change to support creative and community-rooted activity? What should we be advocating for?". The remainder of the illustration captures the key points from the session which are, in the order that they appear on the illustration from left to right, in the white section: "We are here to nurture and spark conversations, we are here because we care!" "Celebration - we are so glad to be asked and asking these questions" above a small illustration of people holding question signs. "How do we support practitioners who work with communities in the midst of a mental health crisis? To try with Culture Collective: counselling sessions, peer-to-peer training/coaching, mindfulness, mental health first aid. Duty of care to freelancers from organisations and the people who hire them. Funding applications, ask how will artists be supported throughout the project? Create coffee and chat time as we do for communities. Is a cup of tea enough?" followed by a cloud of doubts, then an illustration of a worried looking person, scratching their head and the words: "are we overthinking?". "Participation is key! Yes, and good art is participatory. If it connects with community, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Paid time for planning and reflection." Orange section: "How do we rethink the problem-solving narrative? Artists are facilitators, not fixers. If money is the answer, what is the question? Who says this is a problem? How do we define community without othering?" An illustration of a person with praying hands, and a glowing red heart. "Set your own values and boundaries and be intentional." "How do we respond creatively to tension and potential conflict in communities? Foster neutral space, prepare the ground." "How do we foster longer term, trusting relationships?" An orange way marker says: "Beyond project-based funding." Pink section: "Whose creativity is valued?" "How do we define relationships with community partners?" "Do we need a compass...a north star, but not a fixed destination." "This is a moment...could it be a movement? It already is!".

14 February 2022

Open Space Event 2 – Advocating for Change

Click here to listen to an audio version of this page. Across the Culture Collective network, we’ve been making space for slower, deeper connections via a series of Open Space events, facilitated…

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27 January 2022

A New Approach to Culture in Scotland?

Matt Baker is a public artist based in Dumfries and Galloway and is one of The Stove Network’s founding members. In 'A New Approach to Culture in Scotland?' he explores new models for supporting both…

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27 January 2022

Arts and the Community

Creative Producer for Safe Harbour: Open Sea, Martin Aitken reflects on the interdependence of art and communities in Fittie and further afield. My post with Open Road Ltd has allowed me a lot…

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11 October 2021

Up the Teviot: On Artists and Residencies in Hawick

Director of Alchemy Film and Arts Michael Pattison reflects on curation, care and community in The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil. …

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6 October 2021

The Circle Way: a leader in every chair

Producer, writer and co-founder of Open Road Lesley Anne Rose reflects on how Safe Harbour: Open Sea uses The Circle Way to ensure rotating leadership, shared responsibility and collaborative working.…

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6 October 2021

Is failure always failure?

Project Coordinator Rebecca Livesey-Wright explores the opportunities afforded to us when we get things wrong as part of the EVOLVE Culture Collective project delivered by RIG Arts in partnership with…

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6 October 2021

Conversation starter: aligning expectations with reality

Each month, the Culture Collective network have a ‘Cuppa’ – a conversation prompted by a conversation starter or provocation, often from one of our projects or artists. In this blog, we're sharing…

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6 October 2021

Conversation starter: defining and realising our values

Each month, the Culture Collective network have a 'Cuppa' - a conversation prompted by a conversation starter or provocation, often from one of our projects or artists. In this blog, we’re sharing the…

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The visual minutes are a hand drawn illustration in pink and white. In the middle of the page is a large circle with white text, which asks the question from the session. It says: “The question that brought us here: How can we work together to make our Culture Collective more than the sum of its parts?”. The remainder of the illustration captures the key points from the session which are, in the order that they appear on the illustration: Community Arts as a sector, can it be a political force for good? There's an illustration of a walking boot with the words ‘boots on the ground’. It says it's about building relationships, and impact takes time. Culture is not only big theatres and institutions. Let's take pride in community arts, artists are in the community, and there is a capture of key words which are community, culture and health. The next section asks ‘whose interests are served?’ It looks at things like focus groups, taster sessions, artists, steering groups, community steering groups, and finding value more than solutions. Many people are at the intersection of many communities. And there's an illustration of a diverse collection of people. The next section is headlined urban versus rural. And it says ‘it's more fluid and complex than that, it's a spectrum’. It asks us to tackle assumptions about urban access, and rural “lack” (in inverted commas), and the historical expertise within communities. It notes that not everything should be about bringing the city to the countryside. And that provision should be more accountable to the public. Our lives don't look like maps. The next section looks at how to support artists at the end of this project with resources, not just with money, and asks “how do these 18 months inform ongoing infrastructure?” It notes parity of experience is important, particularly around digital poverty, and notes,this should be more than a hashtag. We want to move from inspired conversation to imperfect action, building geographic connections. Some of those connections might be around coordinators and managers or those who are starting up, the illustration wonders whether a weekly 15 minute catch up would make people feel welcomed, and notes that we should be aware of our wider network. We looked at funding, and asked how to show local non-arts partners the value of this work - and to not only ask for funding in relationship building. There was a conversation around toolkits, noting That The Best You Can Be? There is a compass of values and participatory practice and notes that Culture Collective is a road test. And that there could be co-training on using any toolkit that emerges. It discusses rules or guides for engagement specific to the sector. And asks “Who values the process?”, or “How do we measure success?” There's a quote from someone who attended saying “This is nourishing, I'm leaving more connected”. Next we talked about expectations and framing - acknowledging the power dynamics within the room and asked “Is this a ‘change the world’ project or a short constrained project?” And we noted that that's okay too. The final section touches on evaluation and asks “What is enough? What is too much?” And that evaluation should not only be providing a service to a third party, but should be helping people understand process and meaning to give tools to the community and to collect the magic moments. And there's an illustration of people holding campaign-style banners that read “We know what we want”.

7 July 2021

Open Space Event 1 – Building Our Network

Click here to listen to an audio version of this page. Throughout the Culture Collective’s first eighteen months, we plan to hold a series of Open Space events, facilitated by our friends at Improbable.…

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