Support Us
Categories
News Opportunities

Instagram Takeover Call Out – Creative Spaces

The Creative Spaces team are looking for young creatives who are from or live in Dumfries & Galloway to feature on their Friday Takeovers on Instagram Stories.

Project Overview

This project aims to provide a platform for creatives to showcase their work, share insights about their practice, and connect with a broader audience. By taking over our Instagram Stories for one day, creatives will have the opportunity to engage with our followers, highlight their portfolios, and promote their creative endeavours.

Objectives

Showcase Creative Work: Allow creatives to share images, videos, and stories of their projects.

Highlight Creative Practices: Provide insights into their creative process, tools, and techniques.

Promote Individual Portfolios: Direct followers to the creatives’ websites, online stores, or social media profiles to boost their visibility.

Build a Creative Community: Foster a sense of community among creatives and our audience by introducing them to diverse creative talents.

Scope of Work

Each person will: Take Over Instagram Stories for One Day: Post a series of stories showcasing their work and creative process.

Introduce Themselves: Provide a brief introduction, including their background, artistic journey, and current projects.

Share Creative Insights: Offer behind-the-scenes content, such as sketches, drafts, or work-in-progress shots, and discuss their creative methods.

Engage with the Audience: Respond to questions and comments from our followers throughout the day.

Promote Their Work: Include links and information on where followers can find more of their work, such as websites, online stores or social media profiles.

Fee

Fee: £50
Payment Terms: Payment will be processed upon completion of the Instagram Takeover.

Requirements

  • Aged between 16 – 30
  • Either from Dumfries and Galloway or currently working/living in Dumfries and Galloway

Deliverables

  • A complete series of Instagram Stories for the takeover day, including:
    ◦ At least 5-10 story posts showcasing creative work.
    ◦ An introduction to the creative individual.
    ◦ Insights into the creative process.
    ◦ Engagement with the audience.
    ◦ Promotional information directing followers to the creative’s portfolio.

Interested? Get in touch!

Please send an email to [email protected] with the subject ‘Instagram Takeover’, and a bit about yourself and your creative practice and we’ll be in touch.

What is Creative Spaces?

We are a Dumfries-based collective of young creatives, working with and advocating for our region’s young artists.

Situated in the heart of Dumfries, Creative Spaces collaborates with young creatives from across the region, providing young people with opportunities to engage in the arts. Whether it’s through events, workshops, mentorships, or our annual Associates Programme, we aim to enhance Dumfries and Galloway’s creative scene by offering free access to opportunities and paid commissions

Categories
News Opportunities

We Are Looking for Freelancers

As a dynamic organisation with a diverse range of projects across the region, we’re always eager to collaborate with talented freelancers. Whether you’re a photographer, graphic designer, communications expert, project manager, technician, or possess other specialised skills, we want to connect with you.

Our work is primarily based in Dumfries & Galloway, so we’re particularly eager to connect with freelancers from the region—whether we’ve worked together before or you’re new to us. If you’ve recently reinvented yourself or expanded your skillset, we’d love to hear from you. Even if you’re not based in D&G but are available for work in the region, we encourage you to reach out.

To join our freelancer database, please fill out the form linked via the button below:

Categories
News Opportunities

Join the Creative Spaces Class of 2024

The Creative Spaces Project is looking for three new recruits to join its programme for 2024.

This is a paid opportunity for young creatives aged between 16 and 30, to join The Stove team on a part-time basis, for a fixed period of 10 months.

ABOUT THE ROLES

Fee: £672 per month (For each successful candidate)

Hours: Part-time, two days per week (14 hours)

Duration: 10 months, fixed term (Successful applicants will begin their contract on the week beginning 29th July, 2024.)

Contract Type: Freelance

Criteria: Applicants must be aged between 16-30 and have some form of creative practice, project or idea you would like to develop.

Deadline for applications: Monday 1st July at 12 noon

Based at The Stove Network in Dumfries, Creative Spaces works with young creatives from across the region providing a stepping stone into the arts and the world of being a creative freelancer.

Every year, Creative Spaces recruits three ‘Associate Artists’ t o complete a 10-month creative development programme where you will learn t o grow your creative interests, work with the Creative Spaces Team on various projects & events, and with guidance, will learn to develop your own personal project*.

Creative Spaces aims to build up and support Dumfries & Galloway’s creative scene. We d o this through putting o n events, hosting workshops, offering mentorships, and providing learning opportunities and networking connections to help people build their skills as creatives.

These opportunities aren’t just for people already working in the creative sector and you don’t have t o be an ‘established artist’, have a degree or previous experience to apply.

The Creative Spaces programme is designed to offer you the chance to explore the creative industries and try and find your
place.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • IT and media skills (e.g. using emails, word etc)
  • Interest and/or experience in t h e creative industries and community work Interest and / or experience in working with other people
  • Ability to self-manage your own workflow

PERSON SPECIFICATION

  • Adaptable
  • Engaging
  • Creative

COMMITMENTS

  • Time commitments will include a combination of regular hours (to be determined by team availability) and some flexible working across projects (evenings, weekend work).
  • You’ll be required to attend weekly meetings and take part in project development and delivery of work across our programme:
  • 1 x Fixed day per week based in The Stove (either on Tuesday or Thursday)
  • 1x Flexible day per week (either working from home or in The Stove)
  • Weekly Creative Spaces meetings with Creative Spaces Producer Weekly Projects meeting (With the full StoveTeam)

HOW TO APPLY

Deadline for applications: Monday 1st July at 12 noon

Please submit your application by email to [email protected] (max file size of 10MB) with the heading Creative Spaces – Associate

Feel free to be creative with your application. We’ll accept any of the following formats, but please remember to let us know:

  • Why do you think joining the Creative Spaces programme will benefit you?
  • Why do you think now is the right time to apply to this programme?
  • What do you hope to achieve?
  • Please include brief details surrounding a project you would like to pursue as part of Creative Spaces (this could be a series of workshops, an event or any other creative output).*

*Please note that this idea is just so we can understand the kind of areas you may be interested in and any projects you wish to pursue. This is not a final idea that you have to take forward.

APPLICATION FORMATS:

We’ll accept any of the following formats:

  • Covering Letter (no more than 500 words)
  • Video (no more than 3 mins)
  • Image pack or portfolio (10MB or less)
  • Voice note

Just make sure that you include a CV or text sheet with your name, contact details and a few examples of recent work (this could be images, videos or write-ups).

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you.

Categories
Opportunities

Artist Commission Opportunity – Open Call

This is a partnership commission with WWT Caerlaverock, and Glengoyne

WWT Caerlaverock, with the support of The Stove Network, wishes to commission an artist(s) to lead a public art project at their site in Dumfries.

Funded through a partnership with Glengoyne Distillery, the aim of this commission is to bring the partnership to life through a reimagining of the Glengoyne Bird Hide, highlighting shared key themes.

Expected outcomes include a permanent art installation and a series of community / stakeholder engagement activities.

Project Idea

The key theme for the commission is of slowing down and taking time – aligned with both WWT’s aim to encourage visitors to lengthen their stay within the Glengoyne bird hide, allowing the time to settle into the landscape, and with Glengoyne’s theme of the joy of slow.

Additionally, the works should aim to increase a sense of inclusion and welcome to the hide, whilst taking consideration of practical aspects such as durability and weather resistance.

The commission should begin with a period of research and development, the artist(s) spending time with the hides and gaining a thorough understanding of the accessible requirements of the space and it’s user groups.

This can take place both onsite, and off site through engaging specific communities of interest, such as with young people and / or school groups, with support from WWT Caerlaverock, The Stove Network and Glengoyne.

The artist(s) would also be invited to Glengoyne Distillery to see their wetlands and immerse themselves in the Glengoyne story.

From this initial development, the artist(s) should develop a proposal to focus on one of three key areas, to be completed within the scope and budget of the project commission:

  • Visual impact of the space through art installation
  • Alternative seating emphasising comfort and settling in
  • Alternative forms of interpretation within the space

Considerations

The visual art element could take several forms, including options for wall murals or wall mounted displays, free standing elements that occupy the centre of the Hide (currently under-utilised), or hanging from the ceiling.

Seating should consider accessibility and durability but could include bespoke finishes or seating covers, using materials and elements that create a more welcoming environment for spending longer periods of time within the hide. Sensory elements could be considered here, and their impact on the space’s adaptability for a wider range of visitors/space users.

The existing interpretation panels are outdated and could be re-designed or considered for younger audiences or with a more contemporary approach to information and local knowledge sharing.

Budget and Materials

The total budget available for this project is £4,000.

This should include all artist fees, materials VAT (where applicable ) and expenses. On agreement of final proposal with WWT, additional budget may be possible for delivery of final artwork.

Application Process

Please supply the following:

  • An outline of your approach to the project proposal (max. 500 words). If you would like to submit in another format such as video or audio file please get in touch as we are happy to accommodate accessibility requirements.
  • Three examples of your work
  • CV or similar outlining your experience to date

Your entire submission should not exceed 10MB and should be sent to by email to: [email protected] with the heading ‘Glengoyne Hide Art Commission‘.

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel before a shortlisted selection of applications that will be invited to interview. Interviews are expected to take place on 13th-14th May 2024.

Project Timeline

  • Open Call: 11th April – 5th May 2024
  • Application Deadline: 9am, 6th May 2024
  • Selection Process: 7th-15th May 2024
  • Project Start Date: Research and Development: End May 2024
  • Community Engagement Sessions: June/July 2024
  • Agreement with WWT on final artwork proposals: End of July 2024
  • Fabrication and Installation: August – September 2024
  • Project launch/unveiling: October 2024 (coinciding with The Wild Goose Festival)

About WWT Caerlaverock and Glengoyne

WWT are the wetland restoration charity working for wetlands across the UK and the world. By working together with people we unlock the power of wetlands – and help nature burst back to life. Wetlands have the potential to save species from extinction, tackle climate change and improve our lives but we’re losing them at a staggering rate. That is why WWT is on a mission to restore wetlands and unlock their power.

Wetlands teem with biodiversity. They’re part of the natural infrastructure, providing essential protection against climate change, floods, droughts and pollution. They’re also vital for our health and wellbeing.

Wetlands like WWT Caerlaverock are one of the world’s most biodiverse habitats. They provide homes for many endangered species, offer a lifeline for freshwater species and act as vital ‘service stations’ for millions of migratory birds to rest and refuel. Many endemic species are found only in specific wetland areas. About 40% of the world’s plants and animals depend on wetlands.

Set up 50 years ago WWT Caerlaverock is a 1400 acre nature reserve on the north edge of the Solway Firth. It is a special home in the winter for thousands of ducks, swans, geese and waders, and in the summer for dragonflies, moths, spectacular spreads of wildflowers and rare invertebrates.

Longstanding WWT partner, Glengoyne, is the first Scotch whisky distillery to build its own water treatment wetlands on-site. Like WWT, they are leading the way with their focus on slowing down – as Glengoyne is distilled more slowly than any other malt whisky. The Glengoyne bird hide is single room log cabin style bird hide built 25 years ago and sits on the edge of the goose pastures of the Eastpark farm part of the nature reserve. The name ‘Glengoyne’ is derived from ‘Glen Guin’ or ‘valley of the geese’, which works wonderfully as a namesake for the hide. It can be a good place to see the Caerlaverock speciality, flocks of barnacle geese, but WWT are working to bring more nature all year round closer to the hide and make it an even more rewarding nature-watching experience.  


Categories
News Opportunities

Creative Stranraer – Job Opportunity

(This opportunity is now closed)

Our friends at Creative Stranraer are looking for a dynamic and entrepreneurial Hub Coordinator to support our Creative Community Hub in the centre of Stranraer.

Role: Creative Stranraer Hub Coordinator

Hours: 15 hours per week, days and times to be arranged

Salary: £22,000 per annum pro rata (£12.09 per hour)

Term: 6 months fixed-term contract initially (may be extended, depending on funding)

Role Purpose: 

The Creative Stranraer Hub provides a space for the local community to participate in a range of creative activity, run by, with and for the people of Stranraer and The Rhins. Our Hub is a space where people can also access signposting to other projects, initiatives, and volunteering opportunities that welcomes anyone and everyone.

Main Responsibilities:

  • To manage the day to day running of the Creative Stranraer Hub
  • Provide support to the Creative Stranraer volunteer programme
  • To promote and manage room bookings of our space
  • To meet visitors and members of the community with a polite and friendly manner, offering excellent customer service
  • To provide information and signposting to visitors and members of the community
  • Act as the point of contact for all enquiries
  • To support the Creative Stranraer Arts & Engagement Officer with planning and implementing events and activities taking place in the hub
  • Liaising with the Communications and Marketing team, ensuing relevant information is passed on to support the outreach aims of Creative Stranraer
  • To support with basic administration tasks
  • Promote the charity in a positive manner to other businesses and services, encouraging joined up working where possible
  • To undertake other appropriate tasks needed to support the running of the project

Person Specification:

Essential:

  • Excellent organisational and coordination skills
  • Outstanding communication skills both verbal and written
  • Proficiency in digital administration and event promotion tools such as Microsoft office, social media and email
  • Customer service skills
  • Excellent multitasking and task prioritisation skills

If you are interested in this role and want to find out more before applying, please email; [email protected]

How to Apply:

We encourage you to apply in a way that you feel most comfortable or you can fire over your CV and a short covering letter, or video, to [email protected],  explaining why you’re interested and what you could bring to the role.

Just make sure that your application is in by 5pm, Wednesday 10th January 2024

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you.

We will accept applications from anyone and everyone who feels they have the skills required to fulfil this role.

Sound like the right job for you? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.


About Creative Stranraer

Creative Stranraer is a project based in the Southwest of Scotland which focuses on supporting innovation and change in the historic town of Stranraer and the surrounding areas. Using creativity to connect people with their local environment, Creative Stranraer works in partnership with local and regional organisations to develop new opportunities and projects, encouraging communities to take part in the culture and enterprise to support a new vision for the town.

Categories
News Opportunities

Commission: Waterfront Artist Stranraer

(This Opportunity is Now Closed)

The Stove Network is seeking a creative practitioner(s) to design and develop a programme of their own creative work which will be delivered with and for the community of Stranraer.

About the Commission:

Fee:

A fee of £10,000 is offered for this commission. This fee is inclusive of all expenses, materials, and VAT (if applicable)

Timescale:

The work is to be completed within a six-month window – mutually agreed milestones at beginning of commission (e.g., research period, schedule of events planned by Creative Stranraer and how work of Waterfront artist fits with this). 

Timeline: October – March 2024 

The purpose of the commission is to creatively engage the local people in the town’s waterfront area.

The creative practitioner is invited to utilise their own creative practice (and/or collaborate with others), to inspire a new conversation in the town about the waterfront and how it could once again form a vital part of the town’s future.

The commission will form part of a wider process of re-imagining the Waterfront and the Waterfront Artist will join a small team comprising:

  • Arts and Engagement Officer (AEO) – who has been working within the Stranraer community gathering the creative sector and working with them on creative community engagement with local people as part of the revitalisation of Stranraer. The AEO will support the Waterfront Artist in building relationships with local people/groups/partners, communications/marketing, and event production.
  • Research, Recording and Reporting (R, R+R) commission holder – this is a special commission to support the work of the Waterfront Artist by helping to gathering information research leads that surface through the work and write up all the information/ideas and opinions that are generated through the creative work with the Waterfront.
  • Support from The Stove Network – The Stove Network has been working in Stranraer supporting community-led regeneration projects for two years. The Stove is a leading Creative Placemaking organisation in Scotland and will actively support the creative engagement work on Stranraer Waterfront with the full range of services offered by the full Stove team (from production and communications to partnership building and operational systems)
  • Support from DG Council and local community groups – the Local Authority is working in partnership with a diverse range of local community groups as a broad-based community leadership group to deliver capital projects(including Waterfront projects such as Stranraer Marina, Stranraer Watersports Centre and a marine research facility) that will underpin a future Stranraer. This group will support the creative engagement work on the Waterfront with information, contacts, partnership events and assets.

This commission builds upon the Dandelion community garden project, which occupied a section of greenspace located by the waterfront as a community garden. The ‘Unexpected Garden’ was utilised as a community events space, hosting workshops, gigs and other events. 

Who we’re looking for:

We are in search of an experienced creative practitioner(s) with a strong background in community-embedded and social arts practices. 

An ability to effectively engage and acknowledge the diverse voices of Stranraer’s populace is vital. 

We seek an audacious individual(s) who can facilitate and envision exciting possibilities, instilling fresh connections with one of the town’s most valuable assets.

The commissioned practitioner(s) will have access to the Creative Stranraer ‘Hub’ located in the town’s High Street as well as significant support in community engagement as well as strategic interaction with the town’s established community events and festivals.

It is hoped the creative practitioner(s) will interact with Creative Stranraer’s programme of activities, weaving thematic considerations and activities, offering a diversity of experiences to ensure as wide a range of the community’s voices are heard.

What you’ll be doing:

The Creative Practitioner(s) will be expected to engage the community through creative activities, installations, interactive elements, and inspire conversation towards re-thinking the future use of the waterfront as a connected, culturally significant feature in the future of Stranraer.

The creative practitioner(s) are expected to:

  • Embrace the Waterfront’s inherent value and its potential for rejuvenation, using your creative lens to inspire new ideas, spark conversations, and incite actions that will lead to its revival. (Background: up until 10 years ago the waterfront was predominantly an ‘industrial’ environment as the embarkation point for the Stena Line vehicle and passenger ferry to Belfast)
  • Reflect the value of the Waterfront and the potential therein through a creative lens to inspire new ideas, conversations, and actions towards its regeneration.

Required outputs:

  • A series of interventions situated at the Waterfront to encourage a new relationship to the site. 
  • Contribution to one large-scale public event situated at or near the Waterfront at the commission’s conclusion (NB additional budget is held to produce this event)

How to apply:

Deadline for applications: Thursday 24th August 2023 at 5pm

We would like to hear from creative practitioners/artists with an initial response to the project in the form of a short proposal.

We are looking for proposals from creative practitioners/artists working in any discipline.

We are interested in processes that are responsive and adaptive, demonstrate a commitment to collaborative working and give a clear idea of the creative skills and tools you bring to developing this. We are open to joint proposals or those from performance collectives but would want to hear how this might impact on the financial support for the individual freelancers involved.

We are open to video/recorded sound applications that address the brief and would encourage those who may have additional access requirements or support needs, both in application and anticipated through delivery of the project, to please let us know what we can do to make this opportunity as accessible as possible.

TO APPLY:

Please send by email to [email protected] with a maximum file size of 10MB, before Thursday 24th August 2023 at 5pm and include the following:

  • Subject line: Waterfront Artist Stranraer
  • A statement of no more than 600 words stating what interests you about the Waterfront Artist commission including a brief description of your practice and an initial idea of how you might approach the project.
  • Current CV (max 2 pages)
  • Up to 4 examples of past work that you feel best supports your application – this can be in any form (images, films, texts, testimonials, links to online video or other online resources). 
  • If you are willing, please also complete our Equalities Monitoring form as part of your application:

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you. We will accept applications from anyone and everyone who feels they have the skills required to fulfil this role.

We will always send an email acknowledging receipt of any applications. If you do not receive an email, please contact us again. If you require specific support when making an application, please let us know. 

If you have any questions you’d like answered before submitting your application, please contact us by email at: [email protected]


Background

Stranraer is at a pivotal point in its history. Ten years ago, the Stena Line ferry moved its operations from Stranraer to run their route to Northern Ireland from Cairnryan. A period of decline has followed for the town, but now Stranraer stands on the brink of a new chapter in its story with investment secured for a series of significant capital projects. These include projects for the Waterfront: a marina, a watersports centre, and a marine research facility. In the town centre the centrepiece project is the re-development of the former George Hotel into a culture and community centre including a bouldering centre and bunkhouse. These projects are all stitched into the community-led Place Plan for the town. The local community have worked in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and South of Scotland Enterprise, and this commission is part of an ongoing commitment to keep the community right at the heart of the future vision for Stranraer.

Skip to content