CHARTS (Argyll and the Isles)
Argyll and Bute Council · 2 September 2025
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Committee — 2 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Some pages contain no extractable text. They may be blank, graphics or scanned pages. OCR has not been applied.
Page 1
No embedded text on this page.
Page 2
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts ARGYLL & BUTE COUNCIL AREA COMMITTEE SUMMARY REPORT AUGUST 2025 Culture, Heritage & Arts Assembly, Argyll & Isles (CHARTS) 2024-2025 “To raise our profile as a centre for cultural activity and vibrant and sustainable creative sector’” Argyll and Bute Council Economic Strategy 2019-2023 “Strategic importance to Argyll and Bute” Creative Scotland, April 2025 For details, see Annual Review 2024-2025
Page 3
KEY PROJECTS AND IMPACT CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts We support the culture sector under 4 strategic areas: Achieve, Connect, Promote, Sustain Key project supporters, include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Creative Scotland, the Art Fund, Art UK, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Museums and Galleries Scotland, Highland and Islands Enterprise, Foras na Gaeilge, Scottish Government and the British Museum. National collaborators include the School of Innovation and Technology at the Glasgow School of Art, the University of St Andrews, University of Glasgow. Key regional partners include liveArgyll, the Argyll and Bute Tourism Cooperative and the Argyll and Bute Museum and Heritage Forum. We support 650+ professional members, including individuals, cultural organisations and venues.
Page 4
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts LOCAL IMPACT 2024/25 REFLECT, Remembering Together | Funders: Scottish Government. Partners: Greenspace Scotland, Argyll and Bute Council. REFLECT Argyll: 4 community projects in 4 locations - national post-COVID programme. Bute Project: Led by Luke Winter, working with the Sawa refugee group, Oasis Bute, food bank and charity shop service users. See REFLECT film. Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) | Funders: Creative Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council. 9 awards - artists and craftmakers for personal and professional development. 4 awards - Dunoon and Bute. The Argyll Collection | Funders: the Art Fund, Art UK and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Awaken The Argyll Collection, curated by Exhibition Trainee, at Dunoon Burgh Hall 2024. School engagement: Dunoon Grammar Senior trip to the History of Art department, University of St Andrews. The Superpower of Looking, Art UK, improving visual literacy for schools across Argyll. Islands Support | Funder: the Scottish Government. Bute - artists and heritage practitioners supported by regular in-person group meetings. Winter 2025 – Ràmh Beacons: One-day mini festivals included Bute, focused on arts development.
Page 5
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts REFLECT, REMEMBERING TOGETHER 4 in-person community celebrations and 1 online community celebration - Our Community Reflects, August 17th 2024. 446 Direct beneficiaries in stage two of Reflect, Remembering Together (December 2023 to August 2024). An estimated 1200+ people were directly engaged through workshops and events. Including Sawa Project, a group of local New Scots and Oasis Bute, food bank and charity shop service users. Lead artist plus 7 other creative practitioners to deliver workshops and a final public work titled “Silver Linings”. Over 200 people were engaged throughout the project. Conclusion- REFLECT was displayed at Bute Community Forest and Ettrick Bay, with the support of Mount Stuart.
Page 6
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts GAELIC LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Gaelic Culture Strategy 2025-2028 to be launched September 2025, including consultation at Dunoon Burgh Hall. Gaelic Culture Officer, reports to the Gaelic Policy Lead Group, Argyll and Bute Council. Funder Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Projects include building relationships between Argyll and Ireland – CHARTS, commended by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. 3 new Gaelic artist residency opportunities - Kintyre and Mull, 2025/26. Seanchas Sgibinis, part of Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week 2025), engaged 54 schoolchildren and adults. Dùthchas Beò: Revitalising Reciprocity With The Gaelic Landscape. Annual event held in Knapdale and Kilmartin Glen, 2025 supported by The School of Innovation and Technology at Glasgow School of Art. AITHNE, a pilot project commissioned by Engage Scotland and delivered by CHARTS, produced 2 online events and a pilot map of participatory visual artists across Scotland whose work engages with Gaelic culture.
Page 7
ARGYLL COLLECTION Funders and partners: Argyll and Bute Council, The Art Fund, Kilpatrick Fraser Charitable Trust, University of St Andrews and University of Glasgow. Engagement and Outreach: 4-month Argyll Collection Exhibition Traineeship managed by CHARTS, hosted by Dunoon Burgh Hall, included Awaken Exhibition (250 visitors). 31 Dunoon Grammar School pupils and community members engaged. The Argyll Collection will remain on the Smartify App for another year. The Superpower of Looking, visual literacy session delivered at Kilmodan Primary, Glenbarr Primary, Dalintober Primary, Gigha Primary, Clachan Primary, Rhunahaorine Primary, Achahoish Primary and Tighnabruaich Primary. Dunoon Grammar School visit to the University of St Andrews Art History Department. A Visual Literacy session was delivered in partnership with Community Learning to the Phoenix Group, Bute. New displays curated and installed at Dunoon Grammar School Art and Design department and Lochgilphead Campus Social Science and Languages departments. CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts
Page 8
ARGYLL COLLECTION Collections Management: New inventory of the collection. Condition checks of entire collection. Refreshed the Argyll Collection council-run website. New valuation of the collection with Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh. Supporting academic research: Glasgow University, livestream of the Argyll Collection by Prof. Christina Young. Exploring the Argyll Collection, Jim Tyre’s archives, pubic talk at Dunoon Burgh Hall from CHARTS research manager. Naomi Mitchison, African Modernism, and Art for the People in Rural Scotland, presented by Dr Kate Cowcher at the National Galleries of Scotland. Achieving recognition: UK case study, for museum education GEM Case Studies #32: Reviewing a Museum Without Walls, The Argyll Collection, Reconnected. National presentation - for Education Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council Education Services. CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts
Page 9
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts CAMPBELTOWN MUSEUM CHARTS in partnership with liveArgyll: Development of Campbeltown Museum; collections support, future planning, staffing, exhibitions, events and workshops. Apprenticeship in Museums and Galleries Studies, supported by Museums Galleries Scotland, resulted in a new job for a local resident; Heritage Access and Learning Coordinator (2022-current). School and outreach education and school holiday events - over 270 people achieving Heritage Heroes, Explorer level awards from Archaeology Scotland. 2300 visitors in 2024, including national and international visitors. See the international visitor map. Key lead contribution to Campbeltown Museum regaining fully accredited, Nationally Recognised Museum status. Staff support - Gaelic Culture Officer, communications and marketing, fundraising, improving museum access. Collaboration with Kilmartin Museum.
Page 10
CHARTS Culture Heritage Arts OUR IMPACT 2024-2025 - ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL SUPPORT 75K CHARTS ATTRACTS MORE THAN 3:1 RETURN ON INVESTMENT 4.4% increase in membership 4.9% increase in website users 10.4% increase in Instagram and 5.1% increase in Facebook followers 25 media coverage items, including BBC ALBA, Art Mag, The Sunday Post, Escape to the Country and the Herald 3 newly qualified apprentices/trainees enter heritage workforce 1453 people directly engaged with the Argyll Collection Since its creation, CHARTS has attracted inward investment of over £1.7m into the cultural economy of Argyll and Bute For further information, contact the CHARTS Board Seymour Adams Seymour@chartsargyllandisles.org https://www.chartsargyllandisles.org