Creative Dundee is delighted to announce it has joined Creative Scotland’s Regularly Funded Organisation network, which will support our ambitious programme of work over the next three years, from 2018 – 2021.
Creative Dundee is a creative network organisation supporting creative talent to base, grow and sustain their practice in and around Dundee, by connecting and amplifying the city’s creativity.
This invaluable funding over 3 years will enable us to develop our programme activities to support the continual growth of a vibrant, strong and sustainable creative sector and city; providing greater visibility, tools, resources and opportunities to local practitioners and businesses. Over the years, Creative Dundee has been a catalyst for the creative sector, the city of Dundee and its wider communities. Now, we can dedicate even more time and resources to that.
Custom designed and built, Creative Dundee has grown as a result of, and in response to, the opportunities and challenges of Dundee. Through events, online activities and collaborating with others, we showcase the city to the world and offer local creative practitioners and businesses greater profile. We are driven by a passionate knowledge and understanding of the sector and a desire to encourage collective growth, expertise and innovation, locally and globally.
It’s clear that 2018 is a significant year for the city. Beyond the major waterfront redevelopment underway, increased international awareness and the V&A Museum of Design, Dundee opening in September; this year also marks a new phase of Creative Dundee’s development, as we celebrate both our 10th year of our online presence and our 5th year of trading.
Creative Dundee was founded in January 2008 in response to the challenge that whilst Dundee’s creative scene has always been vibrant, its visibility has not always been as evident. Now, having joined the RFO network of 116 organisations across Scotland and working alongside our partners, including Dundee City Council, we will be able to dedicate more time and resources to amplifying, connecting, collaborating and cultivating creativity in the city.
More than a renewed status, we see this as an opportunity to further invest in the type of work that can promote inclusion, build communities, share resources and, ultimately, transform Dundee.
Gillian Easson, Co-Founding Director, Creative Dundee said:
“We are really thrilled that Creative Dundee has evolved from its humble beginnings 10 years ago in 2008 as a blog raising awareness of the creative scene, to now joining Creative Scotland’s RFO network in 2018. It’s fantastic to have the ability to plan longer term and most crucially put these plans into action. We look forward to working with Creative Scotland and all international, national and local partners including Dundee City Council to make sure Dundee is a thriving city full of creative opportunities.”
Gill Donoghue, Chair of Creative Dundee’s Board, said of the announcement:
“Joining the Scotland-wide RFO network is hugely significant in ensuring Creative Dundee can continue supporting the delivery of Dundee’s Creative Industries Strategy and work with partners and communities across Dundee to achieve aspirations for the city and its people at this exciting and transformational time.”
This announcement comes exactly 10 years on from the day (25/01/08) that we published our first post online, which briefly set out our future intentions for Creative Dundee – you can view this here!
Creative Dundee has developed and led a range of programmes and activities, a brief snapshot of some include:
- 99 Things to See And Do – the crowdsourced guide of Dundee’s best spaces and places as voted by people who live here and love it.
- Dundee’s Creative Industries Strategy 2017 – 2021 – the city’s first includes actions over the next 5 years to further develop the sector.
- European Creative Hubs Network – associate partner to Creative Edinburgh, enabling creative hubs to connect and collaborate across Europe.
- Amps Network – our supporters help create a better way to build Dundee’s local creative scene, our communities and the future of the city.
- The MIX IN: Cultural Tourism – bringing the tourism and creative sectors together to encourage greater understanding collaboration across the region.
- Original Features – putting a regular online spotlight on emerging, under-represented and established creative practitioners and businesses.
- Make/Share – our free monthly event with behind the scenes insights into the work of people from a mix of creative, science, social and technology backgrounds.
- Pecha Kucha Night Dundee – the speedy global events which give speakers just 20 images and 20 seconds per image to talk about any subject of their choosing.
- International Network Development – supporting Dundee UNESCO City of Design team activities; and network activities across the UK and internationally including: Manila, Philippines; Darlington, UK; Bandung, Indonesia; Renfrewshire, UK; Perth & Kinross, UK; Ulyanovsk, Russia; Skopje, Macedonia; Warsaw, Poland; Dumfries, UK; and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
For more information about Creative Dundee’s work, please see our Work With Us page, our Years in Review, and our Media page.
If you would like to get in touch, please contact news@creativedundee.com, find us on social media platforms, or join our news mail out list to receive our free monthly news across the city’s creative scene.
Photo Credits:
Pecha Kucha Night – Stephanie Fulke.
Light Bytes – Mihaela Bodlovic.
Live Audit at PKN – Erika’s Camera.
Culture Connects – Chris Scott Photography.
Energy/Experimentation Live Audit – Justina Smile Photography.
