Blog by Suzi Simpson, Arts and Cultural Development Officer at Scottish Refugee Council
One of the most exciting things about working at Scottish Refugee Council is that you never know who’s going to walk through the door and what skills and talent they will have to offer our communities. Through developing arts projects and the Refugee Week Scotland festival I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many gifted artists from the refugee community – musicians, filmmakers, photographers, writers and dancers and more – with inspiring experiences, styles and artistic practice to share.
Many artists who come to Scotland can find it difficult to access cultural opportunities, develop their skills or meet other artists. This is what inspires the idea of our creative monthly exchange workshops. We want to bring together artists from the refugee community to share their creative skills with others, find out more about how they can access cultural opportunities and develop their contacts and networks in the cultural sector.
Our first meeting will be on Thursday 30 October 10.30am – 12.30pm here at Scottish Refugee Council’s offices in Glasgow and is for artists of any creative discipline from the refugee and asylum seeker community. At the meeting you’ll have the opportunity to introduce yourself to other artists, share your experiences and skills and have your say in the formation of our new creative workshops.
Following this initial meeting we will work with you to plan monthly creative exchange workshops, where you can share your creative skills, learn new ones, meet new people and collaborate with contacts working in the cultural sector. If you’re a refugee or seeking asylum and you have a background in the creative arts, then we want to hear from you.
To find out more and confirm your place, please contact Suzi on 0141 223 7939 or email arts@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk
