Standing here in the spring of 2014, The Stove has an incredible opportunity to make a difference for the future of people and places locally. Through the generous support of our funders—Creative Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Holywood Trust, and Edward Marshall Trust—we have the chance to move forward simultaneously on three interrelated fronts:
100 High Street: Converting the Stove building into a fully accessible HQ for The Stove that is welcoming to all and reflects the high quality of The Stove’s ambition.
Our organisation: To be viable in the long term, The Stove needs to creatively use the skills and facilities available to us to generate income that will continue to support the vision of the arts at the heart of Dumfries. We have business development support to build the foundations of The Stove for the future.
The Stove @ The Stove: We are creating a detailed programme of artwork projects between now and July 2015. This will include opportunities for residencies, commissions, and volunteering—to be part of new public art events, gatherings, workshops, etc.
Working on all three of these fronts at the same time is an incredible opportunity to show what the creative community is capable of when we are given the chance to properly be part of the ‘real world’ (not just fluffy stuff stuck around the edges). Let’s get it done!
We’ll be publishing more details about ways to get involved in The Stove @ The Stove soon—but do give us a shout if you have ideas about what The Stove could be doing or other people we could be working with.
