A street mural take shape on a building wall, a bus driving past in the foreground

The mural at Cathedral St, Glasgow

Unique initiative unites care experienced young people through street art

Posted 13.07.23 by Alice Hinds

Five bold and inspiring new murals will soon be on display at locations across Scotland as work on the next phase of an exciting “artivism” project brings together care experienced young people through artwork.

Led by organisation The Articulate Cultural Trust, the nationwide Artivism (Art + Activism): The Gable End Edition project centres around the creation of murals in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Dundee and Aberdeen, with each one designed to explore and illustrate our “shifting social and cultural landscape” through the eyes of inspiring young people.

A graffiti artist works on a new outdoor mural

Artist Frank Carty

Two murals have already been completed in Kilmarnock and Dundee, and work is now underway at the University of Strathclyde campus, where artists Frank, Mandy and Skye Carty – known collectively as Artisan Artworks – will create a hand-painted scene that visually references different periods in history that saw social changes, informed by young people supported by Articulate.

Once complete, it is hoped the Cathedral Street artwork will become a feature of the popular Glasgow Mural Trail (click here for more).

Frank Carty said: “Working with the young people from Articulate has been amazing for me. I’ve worked with them for 18 months and seeing them learn and develop their artistic flare is inspiring. Sign-writing is my family business and sharing some of what we do and approach with the young people is incredible. The challenges they face are harsh and it’s humbling to see their passion and hard work emerging into this large-scale work.”

Supporting marginalised children, young people and families to access and benefit from the arts and culture, Articulate finds ways for people to express themselves in positive ways, while also gaining skills and experience that support positive wellbeing, destinations and learning outcomes, reflecting Article 31 of the UNCRC, the right to create and play.

Laura Frood, producer and The Gable End Edition project lead for Articulate, said: “We are thrilled to have completed two of the five murals and see the commentary across the Scottish towns and cities beginning to take shape. The young people have approached the opportunity with maturity, curiosity and a sense of fun. We know that individually and collectively the murals will help communities think differently about the skills, talents, interests and aspirations of care experienced young Scots.”

All five outdoor artworks are due to be completed by 2024, after which a digital mural trail will be available online alongside images and videos that explain the ethos behind the project.

For more information, click here to visit the ACT website: www.articulatehub.com

Young people across Scotland encouraged to Access All Arts as phase two of Fund launches

13 October 2022

Following its success last year, the Access All Arts Fund is back to support more young people to access creative opportunities.

Applications to the Fund are open from today (Thursday 13 October), with young people who have encountered any barriers to accessing arts experiences in their lives encouraged to apply.

Click here to find out how to apply to the project

The Fund, delivered by Children in Scotland as part of Creative Scotland’s youth arts funding, aims to help children and young people experience creative arts opportunities and strengthen wellbeing as a result.

While in its first year, the Fund focused on young people with disabilities or additional support needs. This year the emphasis is on any young people who are facing obstacles to taking part in creative experiences. These could include poverty or cultural barriers.

David Mackay, Children in Scotland’s Policy & Projects Manager and Access All Arts Fund project lead said:

“We’re delighted to launch phase two of the Fund after the success of its first year, which saw 235 applications from children and young people and £68,000 being distributed to support visual art, music, film and TV and creative writing projects across Scotland.

“We know many young people face barriers to accessing the arts, including disability, poverty, and poor mental health. The Fund is designed to help overcome these so that as many young people as possible can enjoy creativity and experience improved wellbeing.

“This Fund is unique: it is truly ‘made by young people for young people’, and we’re hugely looking forward to being able to support more young people get involved in the fantastic creative projects that are out there.”

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 14 November.

Apply today!

Find out more about the Fund and how you can apply. Deadline: 14 November

Click here for more

Year one success

106 young people took forward arts projects as a result of Phase 1 funding (Image by AAA awardee)

Click here for more

Fund partner

Access All Arts is delivered as part of Creative Scotland's youth arts funding

Click here for more

Design is for everyone

16 December 2021

Head of Learning at V&A Dundee, Jo Mawdsley, on how good design can bring us together, foster wellbeing and strengthen partnerships

Design shapes our world. It's part of everyday life and it's everywhere. V&A Dundee is a museum with a vision of the future where everyone is inspired through design and recognises its far-reaching impact in our lives.

As a result of the pandemic, the museum was acutely aware of how crucial good design is to all of us. Good design is about equity, value, access, and joy. Reflecting on our role as a 21^st century design museum and a centre for design excellence in Scotland, we have been refreshing our mission and vision.

Following the appointment of our wonderful new director, Leonie Bell, we have been on a journey in recent months to examine what we are, what we do and how we can make changes and a lasting impact for the future.

Things have changed this past year or so, and this is true for V&A Dundee. We are a pivotal part of Dundee, a city which is transforming. Throughout lockdown we engaged hundreds of families through our fun Design Busters hotline – every week a new challenge would be shared with budding designers via the special phone line. These design challenges encouraged intergenerational learning in fun and creative ways, using things most people have around their home.

Deepening our reach and impact across the community

Through our Learning Programmes, we are building on and developing a programme for all, that has at its core care, health and wellbeing.

Our successful and ongoing partnership with social empowerment, Dundee-based organisation Front Lounge has welcomed a new cohort of seven young people from their Kindred Clothing project. The eight-week course, Totes Sewing, is an introduction to machine sewing skills in which participants design and create bags inspired by the museum. What is so lovely about this project is that the participants, many of them young mums, feel so much part of the museum, using our studio space to socialise with each other and their young children.

We are developing a strong relationship with our fellow members of Children in Scotland and Families Outside – a national charity that works solely on behalf of families in Scotland affected by imprisonment. A series of outreach workshops is being developed with one of the outputs being some wonderful Christmas tree decorations designed by a group in Castle Huntly that will be displayed on the tree in the museum.

Promoting community health and wellbeing

Following on from the success of our first health and wellbeing trail, Labyrinth, we continue to work closely with medical students from the University of Dundee and design students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design to develop the second trail, Orikalmi – aimed at people who are feeling stressed, under pressure and experiencing anxiety. Using design, architecture, and museum spaces as a starting point for exploration and reflection, the trails will be available to anyone and will be distributed in partnership with NHS Tayside.

Sensory-Friendly Days for families and communities are core to our programme and offer a more relaxed way to enjoy the museum for those with autism spectrum conditions, sensory processing differences or profound and multiple learning difficulties. We work with key partners across the city, such as Dundee Carers Centre and Capability Scotland, to build on this programme.

This is just a taste of some of the wonderful programmes and activities we offer, so if you are interested in learning more about how you can engage with V&A Dundee, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Click here for more information about V&A Dundee