Arts

Arts Development Service

The Arts Development Service has a broad remit across arts and culture in Orkney. It offers advice and practical help to organisations and individuals on developing arts projects, sourcing funding and writing funding applications. The service can also facilitate and/or manages projects such as creative residencies, and educational and community initiatives such as the Orkney Youth Music Forum and projects in schools.

Orkney Arts Forum

The Service facilitates the Orkney Arts Forum, the organisation that feeds directly into the Orkney Community Planning Partnership. The Forum, which meets quarterly, consists of representatives from arts and community organisations and separate artforms, including music, visual art, literature, drama, dance, storytelling, craft, architecture and new media, and film. One of its major tasks is to consult with the wider creative community through the artform reps, and discuss the priorities for the arts in Orkney, to be incorporated into the Arts Development Plan. Please see the website for further information, a link is available from the Related Sites section of this page.

Scotland’s Islands

The Scotland’s Islands initiative, running from April 2011-March 2012, is a year-long celebration of the culture, heritage, people and produce of all Scottish islands. From a total funding package of £1.8m, groups and organisations in each local area were invited to submit applications for funding for appropriate projects, and the result is a year of exciting activity across all the island groups. In Orkney, a total of 21 projects received funding. The Arts Development Service played a key role in advising local organisations about projects and applications, and on the overall steering group for the initiative. There is further information on the website, a link is available from the Related Sites section of this page.

The Orkney Arts Education Network

The Orkney Arts Education Network was started in late 2010, following a funding award from Children in Scotland. The wider aim is to build bridges between the creative and education communities in Orkney, and to that end arts representatives have been appointed from schools, arts organisations and individuals. Membership currently stands at over forty. To launch the network, a two-day event was held in January 2011, Orkney Out There, which was an arts fair with associated events and activities, including mentoring sessions, workshops and discussion groups. Plans for the Network include developing an online resource of arts activity, and facilitating workshops, mini residencies and CPD sessions for network members.

Orkney's Creative Landscape: An Arts Development Plan for Orkney 2012-2015

The draft version of Orkney's Creative Landscape: an Arts Development Plan for Orkney 2012-2015, is available for public consultation until 27th April 2012. Please refer to the Related Downloads section to view the draft Plan. There are also copies in the Orkney Library and Archive, Stromness Library, the mobile libraries, and in Orkney Islands Council's One-Stop-Shop.

If you have any comments or would like to discuss the document, please contact Orkney Islands Council's Arts Officer, Pam Beasant. All comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

For further information on any of the above, please contact the Arts Officer, Pam Beasant, on 01856 873535 ext.2406, or email.