Creative Communities Artists in Residence

In December 2018 a new Glasgow-wide initiative was announced. Creative Communities: Artists in Residence, funded by Glasgow City Council and delivered by Glasgow Life, would employ an artist in residence for every community.

The scale of the project was unprecedented, commissioning 23 artists and arts organisations and placing them in the 23 wards of Scotland’s largest city.

The project continued over three phases, from Spring 2019 until May 2022, delivering a host of activities across the city: Visual art, music, theatre, film, storytelling, writing, photography, digital art and more were represented.

Over the lifetime of Creative Communities: Artists in Residence 64,000 people engaged with creative opportunities, both in person and online.  Much of the project delivery coincided with the Covid-19 Pandemic, but artists found innovative new ways to continue their residencies despite social distancing rules, such as online workshops, delivering materials and projects to local households, creating self-led trails and leading activities in outdoor settings.

Glasgow Life Artists in Communities has been built on the experiences of Creative Communities: Artists in Residence, and everything learnt from them, offering a new model for delivering creative activity that is embedded in the community.

Scroll down to watch a short trailer for a film about Creative Communities Artists in Residence. View the full film on Glasgow Life's You Tube channel.

^{Header image shows Tina Freeland delivering a percussion workshop in Calton.
Photo by Robin Mitchell}