Oban Lorne & Isles Area Report
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 September 2024
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 11 September 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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OBAN, LORNE & ISLES ARGYLL & BUTE COUNCIL AREA COMMITTEE SUMMARY REPORT August 2024 CULTURE, HERITAGE AND ARTS ASSEMBLY, ARGYLL AND ISLES (CHARTS) 2023-2024. ‘To raise our profile as a centre for cultural activity and vibrant and sustainable creative sector’ Argyll & Bute Council Economic Strategy 2019-2023 For details see Annual Review 2023- 2024
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This report highlights CHARTS work including impact and key projects: We support Argyll and Bute’s culture, heritage and arts sector under 4 strategic areas, Achieve, Connect, Promote, Sustain: • Key project supporters 2023-2024, include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland, the Art Fund, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Museums and Galleries Scotland and the Scottish Government (islands) • National collaborators include the School of Innovation and Technology at the Glasgow School of Art, University of St Andrews, University of Glasgow • Key regional partners include Live Argyll, the Argyll and Bute Tourism Cooperative and the Argyll and Bute Museum and Heritage Forum • We support 680 professional members, including individuals, cultural organisations and venues PHOTO CREDITS; Argyll Collection at Mount Stuart 23 (top) , Coastal Culture, Islands Project, Screen Argyll, Tiree 23
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Local impact 23/24 to date • Reflect, Remembering Together –community projects create places of memory across 4 Argyll locations as part of a national post-covid memorial programme (November 23- August 24). This included Nina Pope, Mull based artist working in partnership within the Aros Park Walled Garden, with community participation including a group of artists based on the island. See film link enclosed: Our Community Reflects Day (August 24), including participants across the 4 Reflect Argyll locations. Funder, The Scottish Government, partners, Greenspace Scotland, Argyll and Bute Council. • Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) – 7 VACMA awards were distributed throughout Argyll and Bute. This included 1 artist based in Iona receiving a professional development award. Funders, Creative Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council. • Islands Support projects, funded by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland included participation by island resident artists in business mentoring and international development projects. CHARTS supported artists living in Mull and the Isle of Seil to develop their work in Japan, Sweden and the USA,. • An Oban based artist was also supported to develop new work in Ireland resulting in an exhibition tour. Please see Annual Review Case Study for more details of international work. • See also Coastal Culture, Islands Residencies, Heritage & Museums Youth Training & St Columba/Colmcille Exhibition Tour information to follow:
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Coastal Culture, Islands Achievements 23-24 • 3 projects delivered to engage communities in socially imaginative ways, strengthening connections: • Expressing an Island, Luing and Slate Islands – Scottish Centre for Geopetics and local artists exploring visual art and language • Between the Tides, Tiree – Screen Argyll and local artists exploring climate change • Fearna/ Alder, Gaelic language and culture exploration, Isle of Mull – artists Rhona Dougal, Alice Stillman and Dr Alasdair Whyte • Between July 2023 – Jan 2024 nearly 500 people took part • 10 local venues were supported • 19 paid opportunities for artists • Funder Creative Scotland - £97k
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Coastal Culture, Islands Screen Argyll, Tiree (top left; bottom right) Scottish Centre for Geopoetics Slate Islands (top right) Fearna (Gaelic for Alder), Mull (bottom left)
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Argyll Aspires Heritage & Museums Youth Training & Routes to Employability Dunollie Museum, Shannen Calderwood (below) – Oban, Lorne & Isles Area Funder – National Heritage Lottery Fund, supported by the Gannochy Trust; £94k, 3 apprenticeships across Argyll • 12 month paid Apprenticeship in Museums and Galleries Practice, created at Dunollie Museum (2023-2024) • 353 people benefited from guided tours delivered by the apprentice • 18,878 people visitors benefited from apprentice’s research and care of the collection • Blog posts for visitors written by apprentice, 494, out of a total of 869 created by others ; the apprentice had the top performing blog with 328 public views • Professional Youth-Peer Networks created, bringing together apprentices at Dunollie Museum, Campbelltown Museum and the Argyll Papers, Inveraray. • Collaboration with Developing Young Workforce led to films for national Creative Careers Week • 3 new jobs created – all young people CHARTS and partners trained, were offered jobs by the host venues at the end of the project See Argyll Aspires Evaluation Report at the CHARTS website: https://www.chartsargyllandisles.org/media/7335/ar gyll-aspires-report.pdf
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“This has filled a huge void on our team, bringing curatorial skills and enthusiasm. I don’t know how we would have done it any other way... I’m really proud of Shannen (and it’s) really exciting for Argyll” Emma Sutcliffe Dunollie Castle & Museum General Manager “Itwasallfantastic,butourhighlight wasdefinitely thetourwith Shannen. She was fun, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. She made us love the place even more than we already did.” Tour participant, Summer 2023 - about Shannen Calderwood Dunollie Museum Apprentice 2023-2024
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Key Regional Support ST COLUMBA/ COLMCILLE EXHIBITION Five Venue Tour 23-24 Campbeltown Museum Islay Gaelic Centre Kilmartin Museum Rockfield Centre, Oban Iona Community Hall
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Colmcille Tour Achievements 2023-2024 400+ attendees at launch events 6,000+ people viewed the exhibition 15 musicians employed from Argyll and Ireland 4 artists employed to lead workshops 1 young person event management experience 4 photographers employed 4 young musician performers employed 1 Gaelic Cultural officer supporting launch events 1 co-ordinator employed, managing the tour 4 local caterers employed for launch events Local accommodation providers utilised • New partnership with Donegal Museum, enabled through matched funding between Scotland and Ireland • Tour concluding in Iona on the Feast Day of St Columba, included 5 venues including Islay Gaelic Centre (4280 visitors) and Kilmartin Museum event (454 visitors) • Campbeltown Museum year-long tour launch (1021 visitors)
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Key Regional Support THE ARGYLL COLLECTION, RECONNECTED 23-24 • New CHARTS partnership with Argyll and Bute Council, Education • £50k fundraised from the Art Fund (UK) to review cultural value and build awareness of the Argyll Collection • Youth training, regional school and community activities also supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Gannochy Trust • Collection inventory and condition check - 179 council owned art works in every school and library • Collaborators include, University of Andrews, University of Glasgow, Makerere University, Kampala
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Key Regional Support GAELIC LANGUAGE & CULTURE HIGHLIGHTS • Gaelic Culture Strategy under development; region- wide consultation events took place including at the Rockfield Centre, Oban. • Gaelic Culture Officer, reports to the Gaelic Policy Lead Group, Argyll and Bute Council. Funder Bòrd na Gàidhlig. • Gaelic Culture Officer supports development and delivery of the Argyll Gaelic Gathering working in collaboration with the Council. • Projects include building relationships between Argyll and Ireland – CHARTS commended by Bòrd na Gàidhlig • Match project funding developed for Colmcille Exhibition Tour from Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Foras na Gaeilge in Ireland • PHOTO CREDITS: (Top) Gaelic environment event, Isle of Mull ,Coastal Cultures project; Gaelic strategy consultation
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Our Impact 2023-2024 Argyll and Bute Council funding of £75k (23-24) enabled CHARTS to generate a total of £371,825, to support cultural development. Impacts included: • 67,700 views to the CHARTS website • 25 media features – regional and national press & tv • 33 opportunities created to work in Argyll • 5 paid apprenticeships/traineeships delivered for young people • 11 countries and 4 continents hosted international work by Argyll’s artists • 24 arts and heritage commissions created • New Gaelic connections made between Argyll and Ireland • New Argyll Collection connections made: Working with Makerere University, Uganda, regarding African art in the collection Profiling the collection via the world leading Smartify App
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CHARTS grows local opportunity, creating work in partnership with others regionally and nationally to support and raise the profile of the cultural sector in Argyll and Bute. Argyll and Bute Council funding of £75k (24-25) despite inflation, enables CHARTS to continue its valuable work for education, employment, social and economic development. This currently includes CHARTS management and research of the Council-owned Argyll Collection, further to the Council’s additional request for support and new investment secured by CHARTS from the Art Fund (£50k -2023/4),to enable first stage review of the collection’s cultural significance; educational, economic and social values. This project has resulted in wide-ranging interest in this heritage asset created by the Council in the1960s and has built its profile regionally, nationally and internationally. As the Art Fund’s support for this first phase review is due to end in Autumn 2024, this means that additional funds will be required for continued Argyll Collection development facilitated by CHARTS in partnership with the Council. Since 2020 CHARTS has fundraised more than £1.4m in total - including and due to annual Council investment (2020-25). Our work brings significant return. For further information, contact CHARTS Board Seymour Adams Seymour@chartsargyllandisles.org https://www.chartsargyllandisles.org CHARTS is a SCIO registered in Scotland SC049113