LEADER funding for innovative cultural project

Norette Ferns

Thursday 13 December 2018 - 13:53

A new collaborative project between organisations in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland has received funding from the LEADER programmes in these areas.

The Between Islands Cooperation Project will be overseen by An Lanntair, the main arts organisation in the Outer Hebrides. An Lanntair have been involved in organising collaborative arts and heritage projects with contacts in the Northern Isles. Activities to date have been small scale and created as part of larger projects.

The aim of the new project is to create an entirely new and much more ambitious series of collaborative events, with An Lanntair working with partners in Orkney and Shetland, and creating a legacy for future working practices.

The main aims and objectives of this new project are:

To highlight the historical links between the Islands whilst exploring the modern-day similarities and differences through the creation of a programme of cultural events
To create a physical body of work that can be shared though-out the island groups in the form of exhibitions and archive film materials
To provide a supporting artistic, education and outreach programme
To celebrate and enhance the distinctiveness of the Islands, highlighting history and heritage, whilst promoting the work of established and emerging creatives
To establish and encourage collaborative working, and the sharing of skills and resources
To raise the profile of the arts and heritage sector as a major asset to each region
To support the economic development of the creative industries through the creation of work and opportunities
To establish an online resource, which will collectively promote both the cultural heritage of the Islands and the bank of skilled arts practitioners who live and work there

The intention is not just to create an innovative cultural project but also to increase the sharing of knowledge, skills and resources, with meetings between those involved and an advisory group on each island established to provided practical help for each of the other proposed cultural activities.

More information

If you're interested in being part of a Cooperation project contact your local LEADER team. You can get contact details in our Local Action Groups section. You'll also find more information in our Cooperation section.