shmu-led consortium awarded £300k

North East Culture Collective will bring creative solutions to Covid-19 recovery

A consortium bid led by shmu on behalf of Culture Aberdeen has secured PS300,000 of funding from Creative Scotland's Culture Collective programme, which aims to provide an opportunity for organisations to explore and test new models of cultural engagement and participation and to learn from each other.

The funding, which includes investment from both the Scottish Government and the National Lottery, will be used to establish the North East Culture Collective, a network of creative practitioners, organisations and communities who will work together across the North East over the next 18 months to create a positive difference, both locally and nationally, in response to COVID-19.

The network, led by a Programme Coordinator, will deliver activities and new commissions, and connect and support practitioners, organisations and community groups to create a strategic and collaborative network of arts interventions across a variety of artforms.

Another key element of the project will be the sharing of good practice with other Culture Collective initiatives across Scotland.

Pete Stollery, Vice Chair of Culture Aberdeen, said "We're really excited to hear that shmu's application on behalf of Culture Aberdeen has been successful.

"We're looking forward to working with creative artists, communities and organisations in North East Scotland on the continuing development of a cultural infrastructure which will allow us all to continue to enjoy participation in creative activity in the region. This is a huge endorsement of the high quality creative experience which is available to us all in the North East."

Murray Dawson, shmu Chief Executive, said "It's fantastic news that we have secured the Culture Collective funding through Creative Scotland.

"Although shmu was the lead for the application, it's a true partnership approach that will enable cultural partners across the region to work together to support our communities as we all recover from the pandemic.

"It's incredibly exciting and a hugely important piece of work for the region, and for the visibility of our collective work across Scotland. "