Forging creative connections:
How Scottish Ensemble and Creative Lives joined forces to bring Scotland’s artistic communities together
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to our doors, including isolation, loneliness and the effects of ill-health. But there was also a growing sense of community and connection for some who found, or re-kindled, a creative pursuit and discovered or re-connected with their local area.
This is the story of how two Scottish organisations came together to capture the personal and creative experiences of people and communities from across the country, told through photography, drawings, film, music, painting, crafts and the written word.
All images courtesy of Scottish Creations.
Scottish Ensemble playing at Mull Theatre with Scottish Creations exhibition in the background.
Cross artform collaboration is an important part of Scottish Ensemble’s work, and as they returned to live performance, they were keen to re-establish a meaningful connection with audiences and develop new community partnerships. Whether it was through a well-known tale, a family story or a local legend, they wanted to explore the stories that represent where their audiences come from.
To help them connect with amateur, community-based and semi-professional artists who might like to get involved, they approached Creative Lives as a potential partner.
Formerly known as Voluntary Arts, Creative Lives has been advocating for the voluntary and amateur arts sector since its formation in 1991.
They encourage people to include creativity in their everyday lives, campaign to policy makers and funders to remove barriers to creative participation, and deliver projects and resources to help the sector thrive. As such, they made the perfect partner to help Scottish Ensemble reach their audience.
“Creative Lives was delighted to be contacted by Scottish Ensemble and asked to get involved. We were well-placed to promote the opportunity to amateur artists across Scotland, and keen to help people take advantage of this opportunity to have their work seen by new audiences and in a different context.”
- Kelly Donaldson, Creative Lives Editor and Scotland Support Coordinator
And so Scottish Creations was born.
The first step was to put out an open call for entries, asking people to email photographs of art and craft works of any medium that conveyed a story about their local area.
Creative Lives worked hard to ensure people around Scotland were aware of the opportunity, and the volume and quality of submissions went well beyond what they had expected. Photographs of artwork arrived, all the way from Shetland down to the Scottish Borders, from the Isle of Arran across to Dundee.
Each person spoke of the personal journey that led them to create their art or craft work and the places in Scotland that inspired them. Submissions ranged from paintings, drawings, feltwork, bookbinding and tapestry to short films, music compositions, poems, graphic design, photography and more.
“I could not stop smiling! To have my piece in such an exhibition - it was just wonderful. I felt total joy mixed with surprise that it was good enough to be shown to others and it’s given me confidence to put my creative results ‘out there’. It made a big difference to my self-confidence to give exhibitions a try with my work.”
- Fiona McLean, Scottish Creations participant
The venues
With almost 100 entries to choose from, the team then had the difficult task of selecting the work that would best suit a touring exhibition: pieces that could be packed into the back of a van, then taken out and presented six times in ten days. They also wanted a cross-section of artforms, hailing from locations across the country that echoed the many ways human beings can express their creativity and connect with each other.
In the end 36 were selected, sent in by the artists, then carefully bubble-wrapped to join the Scottish Ensemble musicians’ and their instruments on tour across Scotland. Personal stories were turned into interpretation panels, display boards that could be quickly built and dismantled were constructed by a talented team at the CCA in Glasgow, and on 18 May 2021, it all set off to the Isle of Mull on the first leg of a tour that would take them to the Isle of Skye, Inverness, Shetland, Aberdeen and Dundee.
Film company, Daysix, who accompanied the tour to capture the musical performance, also created short films profiling the people and personalities connected to the tour as it travelled across Scotland.
These short films, along with a digital exhibition of all the works taken on tour – plus a selection from the original open call - are available to watch online.
In the first episode, composer Ailie Morrison, whose new piece 'Archetypes' was premiered during the tour, talks about her music, the new piece and reflects upon the tour.
“It was a lovely experience to be part of and a great way for someone like me, who hasn't ever submitted a creative piece before, to have an experience like this. I felt seen, supported, and appreciated.”
- Dan Brady, Scottish Creations participant
Image: Scottish Creations exhibition at Aberdeen Music Hall, courtesy of Scottish Creations
In order to give audience members enough time to engage with the exhibition, a 45-minute interval was scheduled for halfway through the concert. And engage they did.
At each venue, audiences took the time to carefully read the stories behind each artwork and comment on the works themselves. A felted donkey inspired by a visit to an animal sanctuary in Dumfries & Galloway, a tower made of chocolate inspired by a local landmark in Aberdeenshire, and a ceramic hen inspired by lockdown living being particular talking points.
One artist Katy Penn used driftwood from the beach near her home on Arran as the canvas for a painting inspired by Scottish suffragette Flora Drummond. While Julie Stephen from Dumfries submitted a painting of Robert Burns dressed in a football jersey, accompanied by a hilarious anecdote about how, as a small child who had just moved to Dumfries, she kept hearing people talk about Robert Burns and thought he must play for the local team.
“I was thrilled to have my painting of Robert Burns included in the physical exhibition. It was exciting to think my painting travelled Scotland, along with the funny tale that inspired it.”
— Julie Stephen, Scottish Creations participant
Where possible, the Scottish Creations team also connected with local groups based near the tour venues to add an additional element to the performance and exhibition.
The idea here was to incorporate local creativity, but without the constraints of touring – it could be any size, shape or genre. It would also give audiences a chance to connect with something happening in their local community.
In Inverness, a local graffiti project created a large backdrop covered in Gaelic words; in Aberdeen a local youth drama group staged a performance; in Skye we featured botanical prints and textiles by local primary school children; and in Dundee an NHS group created a fantastic collection of collage works that we displayed on easels borrowed from Duncan of Jordanstone.
After a first half of contemporary classical works by Ailie Robertson, James MacMillan, Sally Beamish, Anna Meredith and John McEwan, the second half was filled with traditional Scottish music carefully curated to reflect the locations on the tour, including the Unst Bridal March and works by Niel Gow. Local musicians were invited to join in with this section, with many fiddle-players taking the opportunity to play alongside a professional ensemble – and doing a great job!
A key part of Creative Lives’ ethos is to ensure community-based and amateur artists know their worth.
Not only that the work they create has merit, but that the creative journey is an equally important part of the story.
Through the Creative Lives Awards each year, the organisation heaps praise and admiration on the groups who enter – and ensures they receive a well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
Equally, Creative Lives was keen that the artists who took part in the Scottish Creations exhibition were treated with respect. Each artwork was meticulously looked after, professionally framed or printed, then returned to them – without any of the artists being out of pocket.
In the end, the tour was a big success.
There are many thousands of people across the country who take part in creative activities but some may feel their output is not good enough to show to others.
But feedback received from those whose work was exhibited showed how surprised and delighted they were to be exhibited, and that being part of the Scottish Creations tour had boosted their confidence and encouraged them to keep on creating and submit their work elsewhere.
“It was definitely a confidence booster. I’ll now keep an eye out for other open calls and keep painting.”
— Katy Penn, Scottish Creations participant