Media Release: Large Capital Programme awards announced for Aberdeen

CREATIVE Scotland is pleased to announce today £9.4m of funding, set aside for 12 arts and culture organisations across Scotland, through the Large Capital Programme.

ABERDEEN

Aberdeen Performing Arts will further develop plans to redevelop Aberdeen’s 19th century Music Hall as an inspirational space and creative hub for the performing arts. The Music Hall will be developed in order to match artistic, social and economic ambitions for the future and to ensure its place at the heart of the artistic community. (Development award: £100,000; provisional Stage 2 funding: £1.4m)

ABERDEENSHIRE

Woodend Arts will redevelop Woodend Barn to include new and improved seating, sound and lighting equipment and the development of artist accommodation to enable Woodend Arts to host residencies. (Full amount awarded: £126,277)

The recipients of these significant awards, ranging from £0.1m to £1.5m are Aberdeen Music Hall and Woodend Barn in Aberdeenshire; Hospitalfield near Arbroath; Dunoon Burgh Hall and NVA’s project at St. Peter’s Seminary, Kilmahew in Argyll & Bute; the Fruitmarket and Collective Galleries in Edinburgh; the Citizens Theatre, Tramway, Glasgow Film Theatre, Woodlands Community project and Wasps Artists’ Studios Creation Centre at the Briggait in Glasgow.

Capital awards are designed to help organisations undertake major infrastructure improvements, refurbishments or to develop new cultural facilities that improve the access, presentation and enjoyment of arts and culture in Scotland.

The awards are for ‘stage one’ funding, which gives a green light and up to £0.1m to organisations to develop their projects within an agreed timescale, with the larger amount of funding set aside to support successful final plans.

We are also pleased to announce £0.6m Capital award for Cove Park in Argyll & Bute. This is ‘stage two’ funding that will enable Cove Park to progress with the improvement and expansion of this internationally important centre for artists’ residencies.

Janet Archer, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said: “These funding awards support important elements of the cultural infrastructure across Scotland and will enable exciting and important projects to progress and develop. All of these awards, and those that have come before, help to ensure that more people, in more parts of Scotland, can continue to access and enjoy excellent artistic and creative experiences.”

These announcements mean that there has been £166m of National Lottery funding for Capital and public art projects provided through Creative Scotland, and previously the Scottish Arts Council, since the creation of this funding route in 1995.

DETAILS OF THE AWARDS

ANGUS

Hospitalfield Arts: A New Future for Hospitalfield; a project that will establish this important cultural organisation as an impressive international facility for research, production and presentation of the arts in Angus. The Hospitalfield estate was left in trust in 1890 to support education in the arts and is located in a beautiful historic coastal site overlooking the North Sea. This project will develop the facilities, conserve the collections, remarkable architecture and carefully designed early arts and crafts interiors. Working closely with architects Caruso St John, the Hospitalfield trust will make the architectural additions and improvements that will support the development of vital cultural programme to be enjoyed fully by a growing audience. This proposal will reanimate the house that was once Walter Scott’s inspiration for his novel The Antiquary for the enjoyment of the public and support of artists. (Provisional Stage 2 funding: £1m)

ARGYLL & BUTE

The Artist Centre redevelopment project at Cove Park will focus on replacing the current artist centre building and adjacent studios. The new, expanded Artists Centre will provide dedicated meeting spaces for artists and the general public; public performance and exhibition space, studio space, office and accommodation facilities, and a library/ IT suite. (Full amount awarded: £621,663)

Refurbishment of the historic Dunoon Burgh Hall in the heart of the town will provide a high quality destination for a mixed performing arts programme; a high quality exhibition space for local and touring exhibitions and flexible gallery workshop space for residencies, learning and community activity. (Development award: £15,000; provisional Stage 2 funding: £465,000)

NVA will further develop plans to create a ground-breaking new cultural resource for Scotland within the internationally significant 1966 modernist building St Peter’s Seminary. This ambitious project will create exhibition, performance and workshop space. (Development award: £100,000; provisional Stage 2 funding: £400,000)

EDINBURGH

The Fruitmarket Gallery will further develop plans to reconfigure, develop and extend the existing Gallery to bring it into line with the requirements of art and audiences now and for the future. This will include improved space for exhibitions and art handling; improved and extended public spaces; and new, dedicated spaces for learning. (Development award: £100,000; provisional Stage 2 funding: £1.4m)

Collective Gallery will further develop plans to redevelop the City Observatory site on Calton Hill, including the City Observatory and Dome on one of the most important, historically significant sites within Edinburgh’s UNESCO designated World Heritage Site. This redevelopment will further support their work to place contemporary artists at the heart of Edinburgh and its historical and contemporary life. (Development award: £94,840; provisional Stage 2 funding: £905,160)

GLASGOW

The Citizens Theatre’s project will be the most comprehensive re-development of the building since it opened in 1878. Plans cover a range of improvements including renovation of the Victorian auditorium and new bar and cafe facilities as well as new rehearsal, learning and studio spaces that are accessible to all. This project will transform the experiences of audiences, performers and staff and secure the future of one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings, ensuring the Citizens continues to deliver world class theatre for the benefit of local, national and international audiences. (Provisional Stage 2 award: £1.5m)

Tramway will renew and upgrade its sound equipment, this will help to improve the experience for audiences and afford artists greater scope for creation. (Full amount awarded: £108,840)

Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) will extend, improve and enhance its existing listed Rose Street premises. The reconfiguration of GFT includes the redevelopment of café and refreshment facilities, development of its Educational Room, staff and volunteers’ area, and meeting spaces. This will enhance a unique cultural facility and one of the UK’s leading independent cinemas, delivering access to the moving image to the people of Glasgow and Scotland. (Full amount awarded – £536,900)

The Wasps Trust will develop plans to transform a currently undeveloped area of the Briggait as well as add a new contemporary building with glass frontage onto Clyde Street. The Briggait Creation Centre, Scotland’s first of its kind, will provide opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to make work, train, and participate in dance, physical performance and aerial work. It will house the activities of Conflux, Dance House, Indepen-dance and YDance. (Development award: £58,750; provisional Stage 2 award: £941,250)

Woodlands Community Development Trust plan to transform a derelict gap site in Glasgow’s west end, into a thriving community facility to be used as a centre for community arts and education. It will provide affordable workspace and studios to local artists and craftspeople and increase capacity to facilitate arts and cultural programming at the neighbouring community garden. (Full amount awarded: £114,071)

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Creative Scotland’s Large Capital Programme supports cultural facilities and refurbishments and equipment, in order to improve the access, presentation and enjoyment of the arts and film for the population of Scotland. For further detail on the Capital Programme, please visit: http://www.creativescotland.com/funding/capital

Success at first stage does not necessarily guarantee success at the final stage: projects that are unable to meet the final development criteria will have their in-principle commitment withdrawn and that investment would be reassigned to another open round of capital applications.

Creative Scotland is the national organisation that funds and supports the development of Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries. Creative Scotland has four objectives: to develop and sustain a thriving environment for the arts, screen and creative industries; to support excellence in artistic and creative practice; to improve access to and participation in, arts and creative activity; and to deliver our services efficiently and effectively.  In 2013/14 we will distribute over £100m in funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information on Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland

Media contact

Kenneth Fowler
Kenneth.Fowler@creativescotland.com
T: +44 (0) 131 523 0031
M: +44 (0) 797 055 7960
Switch Board: +44 (0) 330 333 2000

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Contact: Kenneth Fowler
Phone: 07970557960
Email: kenneth.fowler@creativescotland.com
Website: http://www.creativescotland.com