Hello, and welcome to the Inverclyde Culture Collective!
Put simply, Culture Collective is a network is made up of 26 projects across Scotland, all exploring community-rooted created activity. You can read more about the network, and who’s in it, here. Inverclyde Culture Collective is one of these projects being delivered by various partners and organisations across Inverclyde, these include
Inverclyde Council https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk
RIG Arts: https://www.rigarts.org/
The Beacon: https://www.beaconartscentre.co.uk
Inverclyde Youth Theatre (Kayos): https://www.kayos-theatre.co.uk/wordpress
CVS Inverclyde: https://www.cvsinverclyde.org.uk/
Our intention for Inverclyde Culture Collective is to create a context for artists to experiment with alternate modes of sharing practice. Our activity is primarily routed at this stage on test piloting new local partnership and community projects that offer a window into new collaborative ways of working including residency and artist exchange process. There is no pre-determined outcome however there are opportunities for artists and the community to reflect and evaluate across a National Network. This funding will provide a context for both emerging and established artists to push the boundaries of their practice and think about radical solutions to how we can sensitively collaborate and make work with local communities.
Located on the west coast of Scotland, Inverclyde is arguably one of the most attractive places in Scotland to live, work and visit. The area enjoys beautiful scenery, excellent transport links, some of the best walking and sporting activities in Europe and one of the best schools estates in Scotland. A strong sense of community identity exists within Inverclyde and to local neighbourhoods. However, the area is subject to a high degree of de-population, and a lack of local employment opportunities and other markers of multiple deprivation are the main causes of this. Deprivation levels vary significantly across the area with residents in Greenock and Port Glasgow experiencing some of the worst income inequality in Scotland. .
Our aim over 18 months is to investigate key areas specific to Inverclyde: health and social care (focus on adult mental health), young people, regeneration of communities, outdoor work and engaging with Inverclyde communities that have low arts engagement and barriers to access.