An interactive arts project which aims to inspire north-east residents and highlight the range of artistic and creative opportunities in Aberdeen has been launched today.
The project, Inspiration Point, will give members of the public the opportunity to participate in a number of creative activities and also record what inspires and motivates them to achieve personal success.
Residents will be able to participate in a series of free Inspiration Point visual art and drama pop-up activities led by artists in the city centre. They have been designed to engage and inspire audiences in the weeks leading up to a celebratory event at The Lemon Tree on Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18, 2017.
The project will help to facilitate career progression for artists in the north-east and also act as a social engagement programme for positive outcomes for a number of groups, including children, young people and older people who, it is hoped, will pass on skills such as knitting and singing.
Inspiration Point, which will be delivered by Creative Learning, Aberdeen City Council, has been funded by Creative Scotland and will include a number of artist and writer residencies.
The project will be documented via Creative Learning TV, an online TV channel created especially for the project. A quirky beach hut will pop-up in various locations around the city and passers-by will be able to take a seat in the hut and have conversations about what inspires them. The recordings will be streamed online and shown at the celebratory event.
Project leader Kate Latham, Artistic Pathways Manager of Creative Learning at Aberdeen City Council, thinks the project is a great opportunity to celebrate what inspires residents about Aberdeen and the north-east.
She said: “There is a wealth of artistic talent in Aberdeen and through Inspiration Point we want to inspire residents from all age groups and walks of life to have a go at something new or rekindle an old interest.
“We are keen to deliver a project which engages Aberdeen residents and highlights the opportunities we have across the north-east, such as taking part in creative activities such as our Make Your Mark and Sustaining Life as a Creative programmes.
“Through residencies, Inspiration Point pop-up events, masterclasses and our celebration event in February, the project will allow artists of all ages and stages to get involved. We hope people will take part in our pop up events and be filmed talking about what inspires them for Creative Learning TV to help us to develop the project further.”
A total of five residency opportunities have been made available as part of the project which will cover drama, dance, creative writing and visual art.
The first Inspiration Point residency which starts this week is for a Visual Artist and the successful applicant is Gray’s School of Art Textile graduate, Elaine Grant.
Elaine will benefit from a studio space at the Northern Arts Club in Bon-Accord Square from December to January which will provide an opportunity to develop her own work in line with the Inspiration Point themes.
Other elements of Elaine’s residency include an opportunity to shadow artists delivering workshops through Creative Learning’s Make Your Mark programme of short courses, delivering a pop-up art activity, working beside visual arts masterclass artist Donna Wilson, and participating in the celebratory events in February.
For more information about Inspiration Point, please visit Creative Learning’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/creativelearningaberdeen, and follow Inspiration Point on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, which all have the handle @InspirationABDN.