24.09.21
Not only does September bring a chill to the air it also brings wonderful new faces to the city to begin the University and College year. One of the things that makes Dundee so fantastic is its welcoming creative scene, get ready – we are going to tell you all about it!
Before we start our creative journey, we would like to thank the Amps community for sharing some top tips on how to make yourself at home and find your voice in sunny Dundee!
Museums & Galleries
In genuine Dundee DIY spirit, the always mischievous and supposedly haunted Wooosh Gallery is open 24/7 in a car park just off Perth Road. Volk Gallery is another unique and unusual artist-run space that dispenses small art editions from a vending machine in the Keiller Centre. Get them while you can – they change the artists exhibiting monthly!
Gallery openings and artist talks are a relaxing way to meet new people, Keep an eye out for happenings at The Cooper Gallery, GENERATORprojects, Kathryn Rattray Gallery and Nomas* Projects. Not forgetting Double Door Studios who are always busy presenting design showcases and exhibitions.
Then we have the big hitters; housed in architecturally stunning and purpose-built digs. The McManus is a good place to start discovering what Dundee is all about. With eight galleries full of art, environment and historical exhibitions, you’ll need to go more than once to take it all in!
Dundee Contemporary Arts is home to a gallery, cinema, print studio and cafe/bar with a varied and engaging selection of films and an exhibition programme that will knock your socks off.
V&A Dundee always comes through with an impressive show of Scottish and international Design talent accompanied by a fantastic participatory programme of talks and events.
Get inspired out and about
Do a bit of urban exploring – down cobbled alleyways and in between buildings you will find an abundance of street art generously organised and mapped by Open/Close Dundee, you can download a map to guide you here.
Looking for inspiration? Dundee Botanic Gardens and the D’arcy Thomson Zoology Museum will provide a bountiful selection of colours, shapes and textures of creatures and plants to get those creative juices flowing!
Need the motivation to put your imagination out into the world? Fun a Day is a community that will help you to unleash the creative beast and Dundee Ceramics Workshop will also help you bring your ideas to life in clay!
Dundee is blessed with green spaces in every corner of the city, there are almost too many to mention so here’s a swift run down;
Slessor Gardens is a great place to experience some joy and relaxation – on the edge of the silvery Tay the waterfront is always a hub of activity! You will find people whizzing round on all sorts of wheels but can escape to a quiet nook to read a book or catch an outdoor exhibition at Sharing Not Hoarding.
For some train, plane and dog spotting – Dundee’s oldest park, Magdalen Green is the place for you! If staying active is your thing, to the north and east of the city you will find Dudhope Park and Baxter Park, both of which provide free access to tennis and basketball courts.
Catch the Dawson Park blossoms in spring or get a fantastic view of the night sky from Mills Observatory and have a wander round Balgay hill!
Events
Dundee keeps a very full and active calendar of cultural events all year round. Dundee Fringe has just made its debut, Dundee Design Festival is underway with ten days to celebrate design in our everyday lives, shortly followed by NEoN Digital Arts Festival who have a mix of in person and online events this year!
Hotchpotch is a spoken word evening that regularly celebrates creative writing and is open to everyone and anyone! DCA’s annual horror film festival, Dundead promises a wicked selection of spooky films!
Like to collaborate? Keep an eye out for activities from Biome Collective or Dundee Print Collective or maybe have. a snoop around Dundee Zine Fest!
When it comes to having a bit of fun and a boogie Church is the place to be with drag shows, club nights and punk rock bands – this genreless venue has something for everyone!
Find out what’s-what, who’s-who at our PechaKucha Night on 4 November in real life from the Dundee Rep Theatre stage. If being around people isn’t your thing the event will also be life streamed! Being active on Social media is a great way to find safe digital spaces for socialising, like Amps Breakfast or Digital Comics Club.
Going Green
One of the best ways to change the world one small action at a time is to get to know the community and to think local!
Frasers Fruit and Veg shop is well known for a healthy portion of banter as well as delicious vegetables, go plastic free with the Little Green Larder and pick up all sorts of 100% recycled creative supplies from Scrapantics.
Looking for something old? Dress to impress with the Community Wardrobe, their mantra ‘reuse, repair and share’ is a great one to live by! Maybe pick up something new from a local designer or get down to Exchange Street for some independently run shopping!
Foraging is welcome all year round in the Edible Garden and just down the street The Community Fridge are redistributing food that would normally be wasted! If you fancy growing your own food, GROW Dundee have an amazing community library full of tools, seeds and books to get you started!
Here at Creative Dundee, we make sure to highlight and shout about all things creative in the city! We couldn’t fit everything in to this blog post, for a crowdsourced guide to the city check out – 99 Things To See And Do in Dundee.
We want to hear from everyone so make sure to tag us on Instagram or send us a Tweet to share your creative journey! Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook for a heads up on any cultural happenings.
#CreativeDundee
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