Up to £75,000 is being made available to support arts projects in Dumfries and Galloway through the Dumfries and Galloway Council Regional Arts Fund. The fund is aimed at extending and increasing the impact of the arts across the Dumfries and Galloway region.
Dumfries and Galloway Council and Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of the Arts (DGU) are inviting funding applications from constituted community groups, registered charities and not-for-profit groups who meet the funding criteria.
Results from the projects supported in 2016/17 show that the twelve grant awards, which totalled just under £47,000, engaged over 9,500 people in the arts and helped lever match-funding of more than £100,000 from other sources including Creative Scotland, LEADER Dumfries and Galloway, the Holywood Trust and private sponsorship.
Examples of outcomes that were achieved through the awards scheme last year include:
Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival’s Arts Live programme established a network of 31 local venues, promoters and community groups across the region and facilitated tours by 19 companies to 45 events across the region. 71 performances were supported, attracting audiences of over 4,000. The programme was also supported by Creative Scotland and the Holywood Trust.
Alcohol and Drugs South West Scotland offered service users an opportunity to undertake art and photography sessions and promoted the use of art as therapy for service users. The results were displayed in an exhibition at Castle Douglas Art Gallery and awards and certificates were presented to participants.
Alongside their concert programme, Newton Stewart & Minnigaff Traditional Music Festival organised a programme of learning opportunities linked to traditional arts and events organisation. 43 people took part in traditional music and Scottish language workshops and eight young people took up photography, live sound and film-making mentoring opportunities. The organisers calculate that the three day festival contributed over £10,000 to the local economy by purchasing goods and services from 26 local businesses.
Funding for 2018/19 will be distributed across two key areas: ‘Connecting’ and ‘Collaboration’, which have been identified as priorities for the arts sector by DGU and its Regional Arts Hub. Exact allocations will depend on the quality of applications and how they score against the fund criteria, which link to the Council’s priorities of building the local economy, providing the best start in life for all our children, protecting our most vulnerable people and being an inclusive council.
Councillor Andy Ferguson, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Community and Customer Services Committee said: ‘This fund gives us the opportunity to support arts projects that will make an impact across our region and will contribute to meeting the council’s priorities of improving the region economically and ensuring better lives for our children and other vulnerable groups’.
Cathy Agnew, Chair of DG Unlimited said ‘I am delighted to see this specific investment in the arts across the region. I look forward to seeing exciting and innovative projects come forward that will help to foster partnerships between artists, organisations and communities. These projects will help share the significant creative talent we have in Dumfries and Galloway with new audiences across the region and beyond’.
Details of the fund and how to apply can be found at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/artsfund and the deadline for submissions 12 noon on Monday 20 November 2017 for consideration in early 2018.
