Artists and participants of the £2million Creative Communities programme gathered for the first time at V&A Dundee for the premiere of their film highlighting the power of creativity to support wellbeing during the last year.
Creative Communities is a Scottish Government initiative aiming to connect communities by providing creative opportunities in communities where social or geographical circumstances make engaging with culture more challenging. Their new film: The Power of Creativity is a retrospective of the creative projects over the past year – many of which provided a vital lifeline to communities during lockdown.
The film features 11 projects from communities across Scotland who have worked with local artists on a wide range of creative projects including film production; a radio broadcast programme in prison communities; creative sessions for young people with profound learning disabilities; community murals; storytelling; dance, poetry and so much more.
Attending the event, Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said:
“The Creative Communities programme, which has received £2 million of Scottish Government funding to date, has supported 46 organisations to work in their communities to create culture and arts activities. This embodies our belief that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in, develop and enjoy culture.
“I was delighted to see the Creative Communities film – it is a wonderful showcase of these inspiring projects and it provides an insight into how impactful the programme has been within communities across Scotland.
Inspiring Scotland’s Chief Executive Celia Tennant said:
“The Creative Communities programme is about celebrating the power of culture to connect, inspire and transform people’s lives. It recognises each community’s own local culture in generating a distinct sense of place, identity and confidence and endeavours to empower individuals and communities to further develop their own cultural activities.
“This film charts the amazing work communities have undertaken during a year of lockdown restrictions and highlights how powerful creative activity is in supporting people’s wellbeing.”
As hosts of the event, Leonie Bell, Director V&A Dundee said:
“As Scotland’s design museum we firmly believe in supporting and empowering communities to participate in cultural activities in recognition of the transformational impact programmes such as Creative Communities have within local areas. We are delighted to welcome Inspiring Scotland to V&A Dundee and would encourage anyone interested in powerful, human-centred stories to watch this wonderful short film showcasing creativity across Scotland.”
Since the programme began in 2020 a total of £2 million has been invested in 46 community-based creative projects across Scotland communities where social or geographical circumstances make engaging with culture more challenging.
Watch the full film
Link to full list of funded projects
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