Ross-shire creatives win £1000 arts backing from Fèis Rois-led arts group in bid to counter 'brain drain' fears
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TALENTED young creatives from Ross-shire and beyond have received a welcome boost from the Highland arts community in a bid to support their community projects at one of the most challenging times for the sector in living memory.
With projects ranging from a theatre piece about lockdown in the Highlands to a documentary about climate change and a music video showcasing Gaelic and Scots culture, the successful artists will cover a wide spectrum of issues affecting young people throughout the region at the moment.
Highland Youth Arts Hub (HYAH), a consortium of arts organisations led by Fèis Rois, was acutely aware of the potential talent drain within the rich arts community in the Highlands because of the Covid pandemic and came together to launch ‘Creative in Your Community’ last month; a fund to support and inspire young artists with their creative ambitions. Today, they can announce the recipients of the fund.
Each recipient will receive £1000 as well as 12 hours’ worth of mentoring from some of Scotland’s top arts professionals.
These include renowned Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis; filmmaker Thomas Hogben; performance maker Robbie Synge; award-winning visual artist Joanne B Kaar; theatre maker Jenna Watt and writer Anne MacLeod.
The 17 recipients, who come from across the Highland Council region, are: Taylor Black (19), Lochaber; Chloe Bryce (23), Tain; Mathilde Darmady (18), Lybster; Ruairidh Gollan (21), Edderton; Hester Grant (25), Inverness; Rowen Henderson (17), Nairn; Jade Hutchison (20), Inverness; Iain Hyslop (20), Avoch; Ilona Kennedy (23), Kincraig; Jack Macgregor (23), Inverness; Isabel McLeish (22), Kyle of Lochalsh; Gillie O’Flaherty (18), Ullapool; Sara Oussaiden (16), Isle of Skye; Emma Ralph (22), Inverness; Jodie Sandiford (19), Grantown; Keira Smith (21) Inverness and James Bauld (19) Dornoch.
The projects include a music research project in Badenoch and Strathspey, an exploration of the North Highland fiddle traditions, a small anthology of short monologues and stories about the LGBTQ+ experience in the Highlands, a theatre piece about young people coming out of lockdown, a promotional music video showcasing Gaelic and Scots culture, a project to raise awareness of mental health illness in small towns and a short documentary exploring how young people are engaging with climate change in their communities.
Sara Oussaiden, the youngest recipient of a Creative In Your Community award, is a 16-year-old student from the Isle of Skye, hoping to study at Art School in 2021. Although primarily fine art focused, she loves experimenting with ways to express her creativity through a variety of mediums such as sculpture, photography, theatre, and literature.
Sara, who will be mentored by visual artist Joanne B Kaar, said: “The funding and mentoring offered through this opportunity will help me in the development and creation of my project, "From Inside". I aim to produce a mixed media interactive installation that will prompt an open discussion in my community surrounding changes, both positive and negative, in mental health over lockdown.
“Although a little nervous to carry out such a big project I'm so excited to have been selected and to have the support and mentoring to ensure I can carry out the project to the best of my ability. On top of all this, I'm really looking forward to meeting with the other selected young creatives and seeing how the different issues they've raised are expressed.”
Fiona Dalgetty, chief executive, Fèis Rois, one of the HYAH project partners, said: “At a time when the arts and cultural sectors are really suffering, it is a privilege to be able to support these incredibly talented emerging artists. The HYAH consortium was very impressed by the number, calibre and range of project ideas submitted, making the decision making much harder.
“Not only will this fund provide the crucial financial support they need in order to stay creative and realise their ideas, but it has motivated young talent in the Highlands to engage with their communities and give something back. It has provided artists with an opportunity to explore creative ideas close to their hearts and has given them focus at a time when things in the art world are very uncertain.”
Creative In Your Community’, was open to young artists, 16-25 years old, across the six art forms - dance, theatre, digital art/film, literature, music and visual art - who live in, or are originally from, the Highlands. Applicants were asked to come up with a project, involving at least one art form, which engages with their community, collaborates with a professional mentor and perhaps explores some of the challenges faced in Highland communities or around the world today.
The fund to support emerging artists at this difficult time was created by the Highland Youth Arts Hub with support from Creative Scotland. The organisations who have collaborated to deliver this project include, Fèis Rois, Moniack Mhor, Eden Court, Highland Print Studio, Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Lyth Arts Centre, North Lands Creative, Youth Highland and High Life Highland.
More information about each of the recipients can be found here: https://hyah.co.uk/2020/06/25/creative-in-your-community-2020/ . To keep up to date with the recipients’ projects, please follow Highland Youth Arts Hub on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/highlandyouthartshub/ .
Who are the mentors?
Jenna Watt is a multi-award winning theatre maker originally from Inverness, her previous works include; Faslane, How You Gonna Live Your Dash and Flâneurs. Utilising both a directing and playwriting process, her current works explore the relationships between society, sustainability, land management, climate change mitigation and ecofeminism.www.jennawatt.co.uk
Joanne B Kaar is a research based visual artist who combines fact, fiction and folklore, often incorporating traditional craft techniques. As both participant and instigator of arts and heritage projects and collaborations, Joanne is the recipient of a Museum Galleries Scotland and Creative Scotland ‘Iconic Artists in Iconic Places’ award. She has worked in Taiwan, South Korea, Iceland, USA, Canada, Estonia, Catalonia and exhibited worldwide. www.joannebkaar.com
Julie Fowlis is an award winning singer, composer and voice artist who has performed on stages worldwide and on films for Disney Pixar and Dreamworks. Her own artistry is rooted in the wild landscapes of the Highlands and Islands. Scotland’s inaugural Ambassador for Gaelic, she is also an honorary Doctor of Music. www.juliefowlis.com
Robbie Synge is based in Nethy Bridge in the Cairngorms. He makes performance, film, objects and other things rooted in choreographic thinking around the body and its meeting points and touch with people, objects and the natural and built environment. www.robbiesynge.com
Thomas Hogben is a Scottish based filmmaker with a passion for telling stories in an interesting and thought-provoking way. He has worked as a documentary DP on a number of BBC projects as well as had his work showcased at festivals around the world. www.thomashogben.com
Anne MacLeod is a Highland writer whose work reflects the land, the people and the changes wrought by time and history. Her novel The Dark Ship tracked the Great War and its aftermath throughout the 20th century. Her poems are known from Salzburg to Cape Breton. She believes in words. www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors/anne-macleod
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