Creative networks give form to what happens when we connect: building relationships, knowledge sharing, mutual support and strengthening the collective. Acting as vital catalysts for collaboration, collected agency and future making, they reinforce not only their direct communities but our places, creative ecosystems, economy and society.
Beyond rippling benefits for people and place, creative networks can challenge the existing systems that limit and separate us – rebuilding them through alternative influence, visibility, equitable practice and infrastructures of care.
Tending To/gether is a one-day participatory forum, gathering creative network builders and those interested in collective ways of working to spotlight impact, exchange knowledge and platform the critical role that creative networks play in our cultural ecology and beyond.
Tending To/gether: creative network building in Scotland
Date and time: Wed 3 June 2026, 10:30am–5:15pm
(doors open at 10:30am for tea/coffee, event begins at 11:00am)
Venue: Apex City Quay Hotel, 1 W Victoria Dock Road, Dundee DD1 3JP
Tickets are free and a vegetarian/vegan lunch is included.
Tickets are limited – please be sure to book to attend.
Through short talks, resources, conversation and exchange, Tending To/gether will spotlight and champion the intrinsic value of creative networks. We’ll be exploring impacts, knowledge exchange, advocacy and avenues for support alongside the opportunity to connect with peers and encounter new perspectives around creative network building.
You’re welcome to join us from 10:30am, with time to grab a hot drink and settle into the space ahead of being seated for a welcome at 11:00am, followed by hearing from guest speakers. We will pause for lunch for an hour at approximately 12:45pm before an afternoon of activity that includes guided exchange, small group discussions and a 15-minute break at 3:45pm. The event will end at 5:15pm.
If you arrive before 10:30am, the hotel’s reception area has comfortable seating and is located next to the event space.
A full agenda, with timings and speakers, will be shared in May.
Our event will take place in Apex City Quay Hotel‘s main event space – this is located on the ground floor with step-free access into the venue. The room is a large open space – half of which will be set-up theatre style for listening to speakers, and the other half with smaller tables for lunch and group discussions. We will have space for up to 80 attendees.
Alongside breaks, there will be built in transitions throughout our schedule. Attendees are welcome to move in and out of the space as they please, and space on an upper floor can be made accessible for those seeking a quiet room. People are welcome to sit anywhere within the event space they feel most comfortable, even if it is not where people are being guided to sit.
Gendered toilets are located at the entrance to the event space – there is an accessible toilet within each of these spaces.
More information about access at Apex City Quay Hotel is available via Euan’s Guide and AccessAble.
If you have any access or dietary requirements you would like us to know about ahead of the event, there will be an opportunity to share this with us when booking your ticket, or you can email jen@creativedundee.com.
Our venue is located centrally in Dundee, close to the waterfront – approximately a 10-minute walk from Dundee Railway Station, six-minute walk from Dundee Bus Station and five-minute walk from Dundee’s Ember Bus stop (at average walking pace).
We have a limited number of travel bursaries for up to £50 per person available, to support people who may otherwise be unable to attend the event. These bursaries aim to support freelance practitioners and/or those who lead/facilitate creative networks on a voluntary basis, and can be used to contribute to or cover your travel for the event within Scotland.
Bursaries will be allocated on a first come, first served basis until funds run out, so we encourage you to submit a request for a bursary as early as you are able to. This page will be updated when all funds have been allocated.
Please note that bursary recipients will be reimbursed after the event, in exchange for valid receipts for travel expenses.
To submit a request: please email jen@creativedundee.com with the subject line ‘Tending To/gether travel bursary’ in the subject line. We’d be grateful if you could share a breakdown of anticipated expenses, and clarify whether you are a freelance practitioner and/or you lead/facilitate a creative network on a voluntary basis.
If this bursary would support you in attending this event, then please do feel welcome to get in touch – we want your voice in the room and these funds are available to enable folks to take part in this event.
We will be taking photos during the event. If you would like to opt out of featuring in photos or ensure your image is not publicly shared, please speak to a member of the Creative Dundee team on arrival.
This event has been informed by the learnings of Create:Networks 2024/25– a fund developed in 2019 by Creative Scotland, with 2024/25’s iteration designed and delivered by Creative Dundee, supported by Scotland’s Creative Networks.
The fund resourced both new and established local creative networks in Scotland to explore ways to build, grow and sustain themselves. Nine recipients were funded to create a 12-month programme of activity for their community, designed to enable creative practitioners and businesses to develop sustainable practices, and to explore their own structures of sustainability.
An evaluation report exploring reflections on, learnings from and impacts of Create:Networks 2024/25 will be published in May 2026. This report was researched and written by freelance practitioner Kathryn Welch.
The Create:Networks 2024/25 fund and evaluation, and this event, are supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
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We’re thrilled to say the 99 Things to See and Do guide to Dundee will be back for 2026! As ever the free guide is created by crowd-sourcing ideas from people who live here, know the area and love it and we’d love your thoughts on what to include.
This year we’d like to hear about what’s new to you! We’ll still make sure to include the big Dundee landmarks and perennial spots, but we’d love to know about the spaces, places, events, community groups, workshops (and more!) that you’ve discovered or reconnected with since 2023, when our last guide was published.
Your recommendations could include your new favourite places to: take kids; experience culture, live music, community and sports; learn new skills; take photos; gather with friends; enjoy the great outdoors or take in the sights.
To help share more of the Dundee love in 2026, we’re also asking for your stories of a place or experience from the last few years that has helped you connect to the city – shining a spotlight on what makes Dundee special.
Share your views and stories before Thu 30 April!
Thank you!
The 99 Things guide is a free guide distributed by partners across the city, and will be available early June 2026. If you are in a position to support the production of more copies, we’d love to hear from you – please contact us to discuss.
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Spring brings a chance for our Amps network to get together at a fun, friendly evening of connecting and community at our annual Forum.
This social evening is a highlight of our Amps calendar, with opportunities to catch up with old friends and meet new supporters of the network. With our usual relaxed and welcoming vibe, we’ll host space to chat, connect, and hear from all of the projects pitching for this year’s Community Ideas Fund.
Each team of Amps will share their collaborative idea, then everyone can choose which project should be awarded the fund of £2,500 to enable it to come to life – and the fund exists thanks to the subscription fees of our Amps community!
Want to join the Forum from the comfort of home? We’ll be streaming the pitching portion of the event on Zoom in order to include Amps who want to vote but are unable to attend in person. Please book a ticket and we’ll provide a link just before the event.
Wed 22 April 2026, 7:00–9:00pm
Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Dundee, Unit A, 75 Old Hawkhill, Dundee DD1 5EN
We will be able to welcome you into the space from 6:45pm
Please note: our event officially ends at 9:00pm, but you’re welcome to join us in continuing the conversation at a nearby establishment. :-)
Tickets are free and booking is essential.
This event is for Amps only – become an Amp and come along!
Event hashtag: #AmpsDundee
A fledgling collaboration between Aileen Angsutorn Lees of Decolonising The Outdoors and Alison Scott and Cat MacLeod of Feminist Bird Club Dundee to deliver peer-led learning events that explore edge lands and urban environments from creative and marginal(ised) perspectives, as well as a community-led publication.
A brand new cabaret and theatre show by local actor/writer/musicians Jade Anderson and Taylor Dyson with Calum Kelly, exploring class disparity in the arts.
An accessible, interactive sculptural installation inviting the public to play and collaborate to create a shared clay world, by collaborators Ele Roscoe and Claire Morwood.
Inviting local participants to collectively create a devised theatre piece exploring climate and social justice issues, building to a public performance and sharing work via a Climate Café. A collaboration by Aylish Kelly, Zoe Sievwright and Sandy Campbell.
Amps is a community of people who make and cultivate creativity in Dundee, working together to collectively build on the future of the city. We connect through events and projects designed to help establish links, showcase work and develop collaborations. New supporters are always welcome – join Amps and help make Dundee even better!
The Community Ideas Fund is an annual cash award that enables a creative and experimental Amps collaboration to benefit Dundee. The more Amps there are, the bigger the fund is – it’s made up of your Amps subscription fee.
Help us grow the fund and make Amps more accessible by supporting a Pay It Forward subscription! Your contribution will help someone experiencing cost as a barrier to getting involved.
2025’s fund was awarded to Islay Spalding and Katie New for their project, Dundee Open Studios: the Jewellery Edition. Read their guest blog to find out about their experience.
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Organised by the Dundee Play Forum and built on the idea that ‘play is for everyone’, Dundee Play Festival will join a growing international movement that recognises play as essential to healthy communities and thriving cities.
From Thu 11– Sun 14 June 2026, communities across the city will be invited to explore, imagine and connect through the joy of play. Supported by NHS Tayside Charitable Trust and Foundation Scotland, the Dundee Play Festival will feature a lively programme of hands-on activities, interactive performances and creative experiences designed to spark curiosity and imagination.
The festival is committed to creating a welcoming and accessible environment where people of all backgrounds, abilities and generations can take part and have fun! Residents and visitors alike are invited to join the celebration and rediscover the joy of play through sport, drama, music, dance, and games across the city.
If you’d like to be involved in bringing Dundee Play Festival to life, register your interest at the link below! They want to hear from artists, digital and board game creators, community organisations, dancers, musicians, sports clubs, performers and everyone who views play as a key part of their work.
Share some ideas for events or activities, give an indication of support required and when you’d be available, and the project co-ordinator will be in touch with more information.
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Since announcing their first space in Dundee in July last year, charity Outerspaces rapidly filled their temporary studio space with creative practitioners, recent graduates, small businesses and collectives; all in need of space to make work. Located in the former TJ Hughes department store in the Wellgate Centre, the unit had been vacant since 2020 when the store did not reopen after the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Outerspaces is one of several charities which negotiates with the landlords of vacant units to provide free space for artists, responding to the need for affordable studio space and the increasing number of vacant spaces in towns and cities across Scotland. Organisations like EP Spaces and Hypha Studios are also using this approach and it is fast becoming the dominant model in Scotland. So, are temporary spaces the solution to both the desperate lack of creative space and the regeneration of our city centres, or just one of few options available to creative practitioners in need of long-term and secure creative spaces?
There is no doubt that temporary spaces offer a practical and affordable solution for short-term projects and emerging creative practitioners, providing a flexible option to those not ready to commit to a long-term space. They bring together a diverse mix of disciplines and offer exciting opportunities for experimentation and new collaborations. These models also tap into a strong interest from local authorities, landlords and the property sector in alternative uses for vacant units due to the decline of retail, and an appetite from communities for more community spaces and cultural activities in city centres.
Creative Dundee’s temporary pilot space, Hapworks_00, occupied a vacant retail unit at 7 Castle St in the city centre, in partnership with Dundee City Council. It gave us the opportunity to experiment, make creative work visible and develop ideas for a long-term space with the creative community. However, as we came to learn firsthand, temporary space has many limitations. It comes with unexpected responsibilities and risks, and often limits creative communities’ ability to invest in their spaces, practices and network.
The most obvious downside of temporary space models is the unknown lease length, with space typically offered on rolling 30-day contracts, leading to an understandable reluctance from either temporary space providers or the tenants to invest in improving the spaces. This means that spaces are not always fit for purpose. They often don’t have services such as wifi and aren’t adapted for accessibility and security, limiting who can use them and requiring tenants to trust one another with their work and property. Without staff onsite, many of these spaces rely on the community of artists to self-organise around maintenance of the space, implementing safety procedures, and covering heating and energy costs.
This work is all unpaid with the community themselves taking on responsibilities and liability. When a new commercial tenant is found for the space, the work of moving out, identifying a new space, and establishing these systems begins again and repeats indefinitely. These issues have been explored extensively with artists and creative practitioners through the More Than Meanwhile project whose manifestos highlight the concerns around temporary spaces and the amount of unpaid work required by creative communities to set up and run them.
In addition to this, the model predominantly benefits private landlords. Allowing them to retain their assets, accumulate wealth from them, and avoid non-domestic business rates (a tax on commercial properties) – all without the commitment of a long-term lease. Hammond Associates act as the property broker for all the temporary space providers mentioned in Scotland. According to Hammond Associates, landlords are able to save up to 75% of the business rates payable on their vacant property with up to 25% paid to the property broker. The temporary space providers may receive a small portion to support their charitable activity, and the creative community receive only access to the space. As a charity, the temporary space provider is eligible for tax relief, which makes the space more affordable but also results in little or no business rates paid to Local Authorities and the Scottish Government.
The diagram below aims to simply demonstrate the top down nature of the temporary space model and where wealth and assets are held.
Artists and creative practitioners might benefit from temporary access to space, but during their tenancy landlords are permitted to continue to market the property. By being in the space, the creative community increases visibility, footfall and overall market appeal of the space, ultimately helping landlords to attract the long-term tenant who will displace them.
Perhaps this is the price paid for free or low rent space. The pattern of creative communities making neighbourhoods, streets and spaces desirable only to be turfed out for businesses able to pay higher rates is not new, but the way this has been accepted and is becoming structural is concerning. While temporary space provision definitely has a role to play in the ecosystem of what creative spaces are needed, this alone will not provide the long-term security and space creative communities require, and a reliance on this model is increasingly problematic. Indeed, even long-term space suffers without development funding and coherent strategy, as we can see unfolding in Glasgow.
With the passing of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament last month, now is a key time to consider who temporary space models benefit and what other options are needed. How can we create the pathways from temporary to long-term space that enable creative practitioners to develop their practice, businesses to grow and communities to evolve? What other models are needed to unlock long-term, sustainable space? And how can we enable creative communities to own assets in a way that breaks continuing cycles of instability and builds community wealth?
Creative communities by nature already contribute meaningfully to Community Wealth Building strategies and have the potential to lead the way in Scotland. But to continue doing this work and realising its potential they need support from place partners, private landlords, and the wider property sector to access long-term space.
Temporary space activates vacant buildings, offers valuable flexibility for creative practitioners, and builds new, mixed-practice networks – but without longer-term pathways, it cannot build stability or wealth for local communities. We now need a clear transition from meanwhile-use to secure, incremental and ultimately permanent creative infrastructure.
Thank you to those who joined us for Meanwhile Space Ecologies; a workshop and panel discussion on Thu 19 March where we discussed the benefits and challenges of Dundee’s temporary and short-term space infrastructure in collaboration with researchers from Newcastle University. We’ll be sharing more from this continuing research in the coming months.
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Do you care about the environment? Do you like games? Join Tommy, Claire and Mal of Biome Collective for an afternoon workshop where you can collaborate in small groups to create games that explore climate justice and look forward to a brighter future.
You can make any type of game you like, but the focus will be on prototyping games with physical media (pens and paper) rather than writing code. The event is free to join and open to all ages and levels of game-making experience!
When
Sat 28 March, 12.30–4:30pm
Where
Creative Central,
Central Library,
The Wellgate,
Dundee, DD1 1DB
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Dundee-based fashion designer Omolola Olasoju (House of MO) has launched monthly repair workshops in collaboration with Transition Dundee, aimed at helping anyone extend the life of their clothing and reduce textile waste.
From reinforcing seams and replacing fastenings to resizing and structural alterations, attendees are supported in learning techniques that increase durability and reduce unnecessary consumption. Sessions are open to all skill levels with hands-on guidance for essential garment-mending skills.
The workshops are set to continue monthly, contributing to Dundee’s growing network of sustainability-led initiatives and reinforcing the role local creatives can play in environmental responsibility!
When
Last Saturday of the month.
Next workshop: Sat 28 March, 3–5pm
Where
The Wardrobe
112 Nethergate
Dundee, DD1 4EH
Follow House of MO on Instagram for further updates and event details.
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Spanning newly commissioned work across Motherwell and Dundee, and unfolding alongside a public programme of events, C’MERE by Leah McDonald draws on lived experience, labour, and landscape.
Bringing together a series of existing works alongside newly commissioned pieces grounded in Motherwell and Dundee, the exhibition invites visitors into Generator Projects, only to redirect attention outward, prompting reflection on place, surroundings, and who public space belongs to.
Running alongside the exhibition, wider programming will feature an artist talk with Leah McDonald, a live invitation to engage with a site-specific intervention, and further events.
When
Sun 29 March – Sun 3 May 2026
Thu-Sun, 12–5pm
Opening Preview: Sat 28 March 2026, 6–9pm
Where
Generator Projects
Unit 25, Industrial Estate
26 Mid Wynd
Dundee DD1 4JG
Follow Generator Projects on Instagram for further updates and events.
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Inspired by Dundee’s vibrant ecosystem of organisations, groups, and freelancers working hand-in-hand with communities to sustain hope, nurture wellbeing, and imagine better futures through creative placemaking – this Green Tease celebrates the power of building emotional resilience and networks of support for creative climate work.
Join Culture for Climate Scotland and Creative Dundee on Tue 31 March at Art Angel to explore the intersections between art practice, climate change and mental health. We’ll hear from four creative practitioners who embed climate and care in their work, reflecting on the emotional impacts of climate action and climate justice practice. Sharing how they navigate and mitigate these challenges through creative expression, meaningful communication, and community-building.
Art Angel, 45 N Lindsay St, DD1 1PW
Tickets are free and booking is required.
To frame our discussion on the emotional dimensions of creative climate work, the talks will reflect on the Inner Climate Response Alliance‘s idea of ‘communities of care’ and how collective processing and meaningful action together can nurture resilience and long-term change.
We’ll hear from our speakers, with time for you to ask questions and share your insights afterwards. Through short presentations, they’ll share how their personal relationship with climate change has shaped their creative practice, leading to the creation of initiatives and projects that support both personal and collective wellbeing.
The presentations will include an introduction to the work of the Climate Psychology Alliance by Kate Adams, Co-Chair and Artist. Kate will speak on emotional resilience, discussing eco-anxiety and how effective inner work can strengthen collective and creative action on climate.
Kate Adams is a performance maker, facilitator, lecturer and co-chair for the Climate Psychology Alliance. She’s interested in how we can draw on creative processes for sharing our experiences of the climate and ecological crisis, and how we can strengthen our relationship with the natural world. Kate is committed as a facilitator to developing co-creative spaces for people to explore new possibilities.
Aileen Angsutorn Lees is a Thai-British writer and artist based in Perthshire. She is the founder of Decolonising The Outdoors, an interdisciplinary project which aims to dismantle narratives of dominating land and extracting nature, to rebuild relationships with the more-than-human world, and to empower communities by imagining anti-imperial anti-capitalist futures.
Mel Kalkan is a Dundee-based visual artist and co-founder of Room To Be, a grassroots creative hub and garden celebrating diversity, environmental awareness, creativity, and wellbeing through nature and connection. Driven by playful curiosity, she champions making as a way to support wellbeing, working sustainably with what she can find and believing wholeheartedly in community engagement and creativity as powerful forces for connection.
Su Shaw (aka SHHE) is a Scottish-Portuguese sound artist, musician and producer based in Dundee. Her multidisciplinary work explores themes of identity and connection at the intersection of sound, space, environment, and ecology. Presenting sound works, performances, and installations internationally, SHHE is a Cryptic Artist, alumna of Julie’s Bicycle Creative Climate Leadership programme and co-founder/producer of dundee radio club.
5:30–5:45pm: Doors open, with light-bites style buffet
5:45–6:00pm: Welcome and Introductions
6:00–6:40pm: Talks
6:40–7:20pm: Panel discussion
7:20–7:30pm: Creative Reflection
This Green Tease is designed and delivered as a partnership event between Culture for Climate Scotland and Creative Dundee.
Green Tease is culture/SHIFT’s ongoing informal events programme connecting cultural practices and environmental sustainability across Scotland. Since 2013, Green Tease has provided a platform for those interested in teasing out the links between the arts, climate change and environmental sustainability through the exchange of ideas, knowledge and practices. Green Tease events are open to people from creative and environmental backgrounds and free to attend.
Getting here:
Art Angel is in the centre of Dundee, well served by public transport.
Dundee train station is 800m away. Travel assistance is available on the train service, for more information please visit the ScotRail guidance for accessible travel.
Dundee Bus Station is 800m away. For more information on services operating to and from Dundee, please visit Stagecoach.
Art Angel does not have a dedicated car park. Limited on-street parking is available on Lindsay Street. The nearest on-street blue badge parking bay is 95m from the entrance.
Internal Access:
Art Angel is on the first floor of the Enterprise House building accessed via a lift. Accessible toilets are available.
Do you need support to attend?
Culture for Climate Scotland is committed to ensuring that our events are accessible for everyone, regardless of their disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, economic status or caring responsibility.
We will make any necessary adjustments to our events so that no one is excluded. These adjustments will, most likely, differ from event-to-event and person-to-person, so we need your help to get it right. In the past, we have provided quiet spaces, British Sign Language interpreters and internet dongles for portable internet access. We now provide access packs including ear defenders, sensory supports and reading overlays at in-person events.
Some adjustments may take more time to arrange than others, so we appreciate you giving us as much notice as possible about what you need so that we can support you to get the most out of this event. Please inform us of your accessibility requirements for this event during the registration process. If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email to hannah.imlach@cultureforclimate.scot or telephone +44 (0)131 243 2760 and speak to a member of staff.
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Across four weeks from November to December 2025, 3,906 people took part in Dundee City Council’s Budget Consultation for 2026/27. The resulting Budget Consultation Report was published on their website in February. Behind these numbers sits a bigger question: beyond balancing next year’s budget, what is the long-term future our elected representatives are working towards for Dundee?
Creative Dundee believes it’s important to highlight these report findings given that residents and visitors committed valuable time, thought and effort to the consultation process, and at a demanding point in the calendar year.
With 3,871 responses received online, the report states that it took individuals an average of 48 minutes to complete the consultation. This suggests that people collectively gave approximately 130 days of their time to engage in this process; equivalent to one person working full-time for six months. This, however, doesn’t take into consideration the significant amount of time spent by the staff and communities directly impacted by being listed within the consultation – an amount of time impossible to try and estimate.
The consultation asked people to rate how budget proposals would ‘impact on you’ – an individual framing that was challenging for rating services which aren’t universally used, as we highlighted in last year’s results. Yet what respondents often spoke about was not the individual but the collective; the communities, shared spaces and infrastructure, and the kind of city we want Dundee to be.
When asked which services had become more important over the past year, leisure and culture (libraries, museums, sports centres etc.) came out highest of all services included at 22.5%. The report contains many more interesting stats which we encourage you to read and explore.
“Leisure and cultural services were seen as being important for community wellbeing, especially during the cost‑of‑living crisis therefore this had raised their importance. Residents value libraries, sports centres, swimming pools, museums, and theatres for supporting health and social connection. Free or affordable spaces help reduce isolation, aid children’s development, and provide accessible exercise, notably swimming pools for life-saving skills and people with disabilities. Cultural venues like the DCA and Dundee Rep were noted to be central to Dundee’s identity.”
From page 43 onwards, the report focuses on the impacts of proposed cuts to external community and cultural organisations. Some common themes stand out to us:
Respondents recognised the financial pressures, with suggestions for mitigating cuts including the diversification of income, sharing premises, sponsorship, phased reductions and tiered pricing – with care, and without undermining access.
Those completing the consultation have given energy, time and clarity to the difficult questions posed, but it is hard to know how these responses will influence the final budget decisions. This is despite respondents calling for “stronger long-term strategic direction, and more meaningful opportunities for residents and stakeholders to engage in shaping priorities”.
The scale of the challenges we are collectively facing cannot be achieved through an annual scarcity-mindset consultation, which feels last minute, taking place at the most challenging time of the year. DCC selects the style, format and the wording of these questions – it is not a statutory legal requirement to do a consultation in this exact way. Other local authorities are using a range of methods to consult on budgets; using participatory budget simulator tools for example, and asking ‘how would this proposed cut impact your family, or communities you are part of?’.
If DCC continues working within this same structure, year-on-year, the cumulative damage will leave all of us depleted, with nothing left to cut. This approach does not enable a constructive, democratic route forward, nor will it help us achieve the Community Wealth Building laid out in Scotland’s ambitious new bill.
We need long-term vision from our local and national politicians, combined with ambitious and brave local authority leadership, and collective discussions with action to tackle these significant systemic issues. We need to strengthen democracy through the daily practice of shaping the world we collectively inhabit (community organising, participatory budgeting, considering grandchildren/future generations, people & planet assemblies), and find ways to gather, imagine and move forward together. This work is already being led on the ground in our communities – we need civic leaders to stay engaged between elections and budget setting periods, not only in the run up to them.
If this consultation tells us anything, it is that people are committed to Dundee. When asked: what is your perfect day in Dundee?; what are the unmissable things to see and do in Dundee?; what surprises you about the city?; what needs to happen next? and what might 2030 look like in Dundee?, people show up. The question now is whether DCC can match people’s ambitions for our city, moving beyond popularity ranking-style cuts toward co-designing futures that impact us all beyond short-term election cycles.
Imagine if DCC’s approach shifted to a flourishing mindset, which used to be our prevailing logic model. Imagine if all those collective hours spent filling in the consultation and rallying people to oppose these cuts was spent instead energising positive ways forward. How might this change the tone of the conversation and the direction of travel for our city?
With the final DCC 2026/27 budget due to be decided at the City Governance Committee on Thu 5 March, and as election season approaches, we invite you to ask your local and national elected representatives and local authority staff not only how they will save money, but what long-term vision are they committed to building? And how are their policies making this future real?
2025:
Our Year in Review 2025: Less About Us and More About a City that Cares
Dundee Budget Consultation Gathering
Protect Our Dundee – Your Voice is Needed!
Dundee: A City of Culture Cuts?
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Subscribe to our monthly News Mail Out for more events, features, opportunities and exciting content from Dundee!
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Running alongside their current exhibition ‘The Debtor’s Portal‘ from writer and filmmaker Bahar Noorizadeh, Cooper Gallery present Weird Economies x Scotland – a series of public workshops, discussions and performances.
Building on Weird Economies, founded by Noorizadeh in 2021, the event series engages with the distinctive art ecologies of Scotland to deepen and amplify Noorizadeh’s interrogation of the critical relationships between art, society and financialization.
By critically addressing organisational structures and forms of agency in culture production, Weird Economies x Scotland highlights the necessity for renewed investment in grassroots initiatives and solidarity-based practices. The event series aims to grasp the changing reality of being an art practitioner amid the ongoing precarity of public funding in a world suffering the political instability of authoritarianism.
Events are free, open to all and require no prior experience or knowledge to attend. Participants can sign-up via Eventbrite for one or all of the one-off sessions.
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Dundee-based DD Commons is a grassroots project exploring what a different kind of internet could look like: one shaped by care, community values, inclusion, and mutual support, rather than profit, surveillance, or harm.
Working with women and the wider community, DD Commons aims to establish an online network designed with care-led values in mind, providing a supportive and abuse-free environment for collaboration and learning. Opening up access to digital tools and confidence, particularly for people who have historically been excluded from shaping technology.
If you’re interested in helping to build an affirming, supportive digital space, DD Commons want to hear from you!
How you can help:
DD Commons also provides the inspiration for an upcoming series of Digital Change for Climate Justice workshops, which will invite people to explore the hidden systems behind the internet, learn practical community tech skills, and imagine fairer, greener digital futures together.
DD Commons is a Dundee-based, grassroots project exploring community-led alternatives to mainstream digital platforms.
The project has been initially funded by Connecting Scotland: Place Based Digital Inclusion a collaboration between Scottish Government and SCVO to increase digital inclusion. Original development partnership was between Cake or Dice, Scottish Refugee Council (Dundee), Scrap Antics, Dundee Makerspace, Abertay University (Computer Arts), In-Grid Collective.
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Inspired by listening practices happening elsewhere, dundee radio club is a project for sonic exploration in Dundee – a community radio station for listening together, sharing sounds and opening ears. Following a hugely successful inaugural 48-hour Listening Festival in 2025, dundee radio club are back with a 72-hour Listening Festival from Thu 26 Feb–Sun 1 Mar!
With more than 150 contributors from across the globe alongside familiar Dundee names, they’ve collated a hugely varied programme for listeners to enjoy.
Across the 72-hours they’ll be exploring memories and photographs, dancing hard with back-to-backs, listening with antarctic ears, jumping aboard the discovery, joining people in protest and solidarity, sharing thinking on stinking, joining Beirut bands and so much more!
Listeners can join dundee radio club in-person for a special launch event at Mana Coffee from 12noon on Thu 26 Feb. They’ll be joined by artist, musician and designer Tommy Perman to discuss and launch a new web directory of radio activity from across the globe!
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Inclusive youth work charity Hot Chocolate Trust are looking for two part-time Youth Music Workers who will support young people to discover and develop their creative confidence and potential.
Engaging with approximately 400 young people each year (aged 12-25), Hot Chocolate Trust blend responsive, whole-person youth work with specialist resourcing and opportunities to maximise young people’s participation, agency, and responsibility.
The successful candidates will work together to deliver their brand new Beautiful Noise project, a programme of inclusive, co-designed music-making opportunities for young people aged 12–21 in Dundee.
Through drop-in youth work, co-created small groups, individual support, and ‘bookable sessions’ you will support young people to experiment, play, and develop their confidence in music – overcoming barriers to cultural participation, discovering and developing their musical potential, and taking tangible steps towards creative, personal, and professional growth.
Applications close: noon, Mon 16 March 2026
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
With unprecedented levels of vacant commercial property across the UK, ‘meanwhile use’ – or the temporary use – of urban space has become increasingly popular. For artists and creative practitioners, who play a vital role in thriving cultural ecosystems, this can mean access to new spaces at low cost or even for free – yet, by its very nature, meanwhile use is precarious. Meanwhile Space Ecologies is a workshop and panel event, exploring temporary space models in Dundee and informing research into the impacts of meanwhile spaces.
Led by researchers Dr Emma Coffield and Gareth McMurchy from Newcastle University, our workshop will bring together artists, creative practitioners and businesses, grassroots organisations, existing creative spaces and researchers to map Dundee’s existing creative space ecology, the opportunities and challenges associated with meanwhile use models, and the impact they have on creative practice and communities.
At our evening panel event, hear from creative practitioners in Dundee who have navigated temporary space to exhibit, collaborate and animate spaces across the city, as well as insights from researchers Dr Emma Coffield and Eilish Victoria (Creative Dundee and University of Dundee) on how temporary space models work, and the motivations behind each of their research projects.
Choose to come to either the workshop or the panel, or join us for both! Following the event, you’re welcome to stay and continue chats at Jute Cafe Bar within DCA.
DCA Centrespace, 152 Nethergate, DD1 4DY
Ticket options:
Workshop and Panel Event (3:00–5:00pm)
Workshop only (3:00–5:00pm)
Panel Event only (5:30–7:00pm)
Tickets are free and booking is required.
3:00–5:00pm – Mapping Meanwhile Ecologies Workshop
5:00–5:30pm – Refreshments
5:30–7:00pm – Panel Event
7:00–8:00pm – Optional social upstairs at Jute Cafe Bar
Dr Emma Coffield is a Lecturer in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University. Emma is internationally recognised for her collaborative work around artist-run/led initiatives and meanwhile use. For over 15 years she has worked with a range of self-organised, grassroots artistic practices run by and for artists across the UK, as well as local and national governments, to highlight the working conditions and limitations imposed upon creative practice by temporary use. To date, Emma has led or co-led 10 collaborative, transdisciplinary projects in this area bringing together artists, creative practitioners, academics and local policy makers in order to foster co-designed, long-term urban futures. Emma also has a keen interest in notions of ‘employability’ in the cultural and creative industries, and the impact of this discourse on students’ experiences of teaching and learning within Higher Education.
Original Copy (OC) is a Dundee-based, grassroots, artist-led collective founded by Laurie McInally and Dana Leslie, with designer Lauren Bloor. OC supports early-career artists through accessible exhibitions, collaborative projects and community-focused events, often operating within temporary spaces across the city. Working responsively to Dundee’s changing creative landscape, OC uses short-term and non-traditional venues as sites for experimentation, visibility and collective learning. Their model explores how temporary space can foster sustainable peer networks, reduce barriers to participation in the arts and create meaningful connections between artists and local audiences.
Katherine Murphy(she/her) is a working-class feminist independent curator and producer from Dundee, now based in rural Perthshire. Her practice centres care, collaboration, and long-term relationships, working closely with artists to develop thoughtful exhibitions, publications, and public programmes. Katherine has worked with artist-run spaces, cultural institutions, and higher education, and is a board member at Generator Projects and the Scottish Working Class Network. She previously lectured in Professional Practice at DJCAD and now works with Dundee Ceramics Workshop. Recent projects include Unfolding ~ Correspondent with Dundee Contemporary Arts and Jerwood Arts, and Sulfur V, an ongoing collaboration with artist Alexia Laferté Coutu.
Eilish Victoria (Facilitator) is a Creative Producer at Creative Dundee, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Dundee and currently 1 of 6 Community Innovation Practitioners leading projects across the UK through the AHRC Creative Communities programme. Her current work looks to unlock creative space for creative communities providing space to make, collaborate, gather and act; and demonstrating Community Wealth Building in action. This work follows on from Hapworks which brought together Dundee’s creative communities to better understand what spaces are needed and the current challenges around accessing space, developed a future vision for creative space in the city and animated a vacant retail unit between February 2024 and June 2025 through pilot project Hapworks_00.
Those attending the workshop will be provided with information on how their contributions will be captured and asked to consent to taking part in academic research on arrival. A stipend is available to support the participation of creative practitioners in this work. The workshop will inform the outcomes of two research projects: AHRC Creative Communities, a partnership project by Creative Dundee and the University of Dundee; and Understanding the impact of ‘meanwhile’ spaces on the ecology of artists’ studios in Scotland: A scoping review led by Newcastle University on behalf of Creative Scotland. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to contact eilish@creativedundee.com.
As our workshop seeks to better understand artists’ and creative practitioners’ experience of accessing and running creative spaces, we are offering a £75 stipend to freelancers or volunteers who would benefit from financial support to attend. If this stipend would support you in taking part, please contact eilish@creativedundee.com by 12 noon on Wed 11 March. Recipients will be selected at random and be notified on Thu 12 March with the offer of a supported place.
This event will be held in Dundee Contemporary Arts’ Centrespace on Level -2. If you are arriving from the rear of the building next to the Science Centre, there is a lift which will take you directly to Level -2. If you are arriving via the main entrance on the Nethergate and a lift would be helpful, there is step free access and a lift straight ahead to the right of the main gallery entrance. There are three accessible toilets located on the Ground Floor, Lower Ground Floor and Level -1 all of which are accessible via lift. A quiet room can be found on Level -1. Further access information about navigating spaces within Dundee Contemporary Arts can be found on their website.
If you have any access requirements you would like us to know about ahead of the event, there will be an opportunity to share this with us when booking your ticket, or you can email eilish@creativedundee.com.
This event will be alcohol free with the exception of the optional social upstairs in Jute Cafe Bar at the end of the event.
Photography and audio recordings will be taking place during the event. If you would like to opt out of audio recordings or ensure your image is not publicly shared, please speak to a member of the Creative Dundee team on arrival.
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
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If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Each year, Creative Dundee’s Amps network comes together for our Forum, an annual event where people in the network present pitches for the Community Ideas Fund – a fund that encourages Amps to collaborate on a new, experimental idea that will result in a positive social impact in Dundee. With the recipient chosen by Amps and approximately 50% of all Amps subscriptions going towards the pot, it’s a fund that exists thanks to our growing community.
In April 2025, jewellery designer/maker and Double Door Studios founder Islay Spalding and jewellery designer and educator Katie New teamed up to present their project: Dundee Open Studios: the Jewellery Edition. In this blog, Islay and Katie share their experience of their project to life thanks to the support of the Community Ideas Fund.
The 2026 Community Ideas Fund is open for applications until Mon 31 March! Find out more about the fund and how you can pitch a project or take part.
The idea started as one of those late night conversations: fuelled by wine on a dark winter’s night, talking about how we get more people to know about the independent jewellers working in Dundee, and comparing the differences with the jewellery scene in London. Katie shared how open studios were a regular fixture in London’s creative calendar, which she had participated in and helped organise, offering a simple but powerful way for makers to connect directly with people.
We both knew that Perth, Fife and Angus held open studio events, and Wasps sometimes opened their doors in Dundee, but there was nothing organised for local makers outwith that. The conversation turned into a plan: with Katie’s experience in London and Islay’s knowledge of Dundee, why not do something similar here, to celebrate Dundee’s own vibrant and diverse community of jewellers?
When we were awarded the Amps Community Ideas Fund in April 2025, we were excited to bring an idea we’d been talking about for months to life: Dundee Open Studio: the Jewellery Edition.
We decided to hold the Open Studios over two weekends in September, between summer markets and the pre-Christmas rush. The final weekend also coincided with Doors Open Days, which helped create a sense of shared city-wide discovery.
We spent April to September inviting participants, gathering information, developing a brand identity, and designing maps, posters and promotional assets. 22 jewellers across 10 studios signed up to take part. Some opened their own studios and gave visitors the chance to see where and how their jewellery is made; some exhibited a collection of work with others. Participating studios were encouraged to open for all four days, but we realised we had to be more flexible so as many of us could take part as possible, so participants signed up for their chosen days and submitted their opening times for us to share.
Some studios hosted talks and workshops where people could exchange ideas and learn new skills. These were all promoted on participants’ own social media platforms so they could control timings, any last minute information and visitor enquiries. Everyone was supplied with graphics, branding and copy to use on their own social media posts and mailing lists to help consistency across promotion. We used the already existing Dundee Jewellers Collective Instagram profile as the online hub to collate and share all information leading up to the event.
Islay took on the map design, combining her love of graphic design and local knowledge. Growing up in Dundee, she had a strong sense of what details would help people navigate and what landmarks to highlight. Designing the map ourselves turned out to be a huge advantage as we could keep it flexible, update details as plans evolved, and make it something that felt handmade and personal.
We decided to prioritise a print edition of the map rather than an online version, because as well as making a beautiful piece of art for people to keep, it directly supported local business and kept the money in the city. The map and posters were printed by fellow Amps supporter Luke Cassidy Greer of Yalla Riso and were really well received, leading people round the city, with a place to collect a stamp at each studio, becoming a memento of the event and a list of local jewellers for future use.
We distributed the maps with the help of DCA, V&A Dundee and The McManus as our three main pick-up points, as well as independent shops, coffee shops and libraries. Our participants took maps to markets and gave them to customers which helped spread the word further, and we promoted the event through social media and events listings such as Craft Scotland and Dundee What’s On websites.
We wrote press releases and managed to get some good local coverage which really helped get the word out – and we learned that a good press photo really helps this! Big thanks to Kristin Beeler for taking our photo, and to Jilly Noble for the atmospheric shots of our opening night.
Over the two weekends, visitors could experience first-hand how jewellery is made, ask questions to the makers, and try on and buy jewellery. Demos, workshops and talks were held, from traditional Japanese metalwork techniques to making new materials for jewellery out of ground coffee beans.
Our visitors were wonderfully diverse, from curious locals and art students to people travelling from Aberdeen, Fife, Angus and Perthshire. Many students from DJCAD’s jewellery course came along, eager to learn more and expand their understanding of professional practice.
We were very pleased to meet some visitors making it their mission to see every single studio, proudly showing us their fully stamped maps after completing the full tour. Others commented on how strikingly different each space was and how it deepened their appreciation for the craft and its materials.
We already have a strong network here through the Dundee Jewellers Collective – but bringing everyone together under one event revealed new links and formed new connections.
“One of the lovely things that was discovered by bringing together a collection of jewellers at my venue,” Katie said, “was that one of them had actually been taught by another years ago, which nicely rounded the circle that everyone taking part was either a DJCAD graduate or had been trained by one.”
That sense of connection ran through the whole event, with faces being put to names, new working relationships being formed, plans for collaboration and skill sharing made, and customers being introduced to how their jewellery is designed and made.
“I loved meeting the jewellery students and other makers that visited – their enthusiasm for the subject was infectious” said Islay; “It’s important to be able to form these connections within the industry as it’s such a broad subject the need to outsource certain techniques and know who can do them becomes an essential part of the job as a jewellery designer”
We also partnered with digital content creator Blessing Afolayan to give our audience a taster of what they might experience. Blessing was selected for her innovative content and understanding of fashion and style in both Dundee and London, and as a young fresh eye on what we were building.
She created three Instagram story sets that helped people understand that they were at the right venue, and explored the customer journey to find us in parts of Dundee that visitors might not have explored or known about. She also shared a sneak preview of the variety of venues, styles of jewellery and materials explored contributing to creating excitement to motivate people to visit.
As this was our first time working with a content creator, it was really valuable to get a viewpoint of a visitor perspective. Although all of the jewellers involved understand the importance of the visibility and connection that social media offers, we predominately prefer making to marketing; we are often so dedicated to and engrossed in our creative practice that an overview of how that looks from the outside is not always attainable. It was interesting to see what attracted the focus and interest of Blessing, and potentially others like her, who are curious about our hidden world of jewellery making. It was great to work with someone who could intuitively pick up our vision in a short time frame.
Our aims were to:
We’re happy to say we achieved all of these in some way. Between us we sold work, received commissions, ran workshops, and built valuable new connections with customers and other makers. The curiosity people showed reminded us why we love what we do. Jewellery is such a natural connector, carrying stories and meaning in ways that open conversation.
We also learned a lot about the practical side of running a city-wide event. For example, we initially focused on distributing maps through the city’s cultural institutions as these have wide audiences, including visitors to the city, and provided prestige to Dundee Open Studios as a cultural event. This provided a level of endorsement to approach a variety of independent venues that shared our common values.
Local connections are central to our long-term viability – therefore it seemed natural to want to align with other small independent businesses, coffee shops and community spaces. There were places that we knew would provide excellent word of mouth marketing and promotion, and these personal recommendations were actually more effective, though it did involve a lot more leg work. Placing maps in local favourites and university spaces like the Creative Hub helped us reach a wider mix of people and strengthen ties with local businesses.
If working with influencers on future promotional marketing, it would be advantageous to provide a comprehensive brief with a list of key values to be communicated and key objects and locations to highlight. However, having this as organic and just an honest response to being in our spaces and seeing our work for the first time gave an authenticity to her content.
Given that it was at the end of our marketing budget and funds were limited, we were grateful that Blessing was able to schedule us in and was happy to take part payment in kind, in the form of a silver ring making experience in the Orangery, which was later set with a Pink Tourmaline – a nod to our Pink Diamond motif physically placed as signage at each venue and on the map.
The interactive element of collecting a different gem stamp at each venue was very successful and made the map into a creative passport of venues visited. We were suitably impressed with people’s engagement with collecting stamps and it provided a fun way to initiate conversations with visitors about which venues they had seen or could visit.
We collected lots of lovely feedback from visitors:
“It’s lovely to spend a day wandering about Dundee finding new local jewellers. I hope I can come back next year.” – Ruben
“Interesting, lovely place with lots of characters and ideas floating about. Would love to come for workshops someday! Thank you for opening your doors!” – Ineta
“A wonderful event, we very much enjoyed talking to all the artists.” – Kasia
It was fortunate that Josephine Chanter, the deputy director of London’s Design Museum, was also visiting Dundee and visited some of the venues. With over 20 years experience in communication and audiences and an international understanding of design and contemporary craft, it was really valuable to have Josephine experience our Open Studios and continue championing the creativity in Dundee on her return to London. As well as providing lovely creative chats and connecting with Dundee designers in fun-filled venues, she also has a lasting directory of us by treasuring the iconic Riso-print map. Josephine’s attendance contributed to our aim for Open Studios to be part of Dundee’s story, building its reputation as a cultural destination with creative hubs making it the vibrant city that we want it to be.
There’s already a strong appetite to do it again. The jewellers who took part are keen, and the feedback shows that visitors would love to see it expand to include other disciplines too.
Of course, that would make it a much bigger organisational task. We now understand how much work it takes to coordinate even a small-scale Open Studios and how difficult it would be to manage something larger alongside our own businesses. For it to grow sustainably, it would need a broader team or organisational support, perhaps through a charity, CIC or an existing group like Creative Dundee, along with funding from local businesses or sponsors.
We’d be very happy to share what we’ve learned. We’ve kept everything, from participant info and venue lists to distribution records and promotional notes for whoever wants to take the next steps. We’d love to see this project evolve and continue – perhaps it could be a different group of makers that organise the next one for their discipline? Perhaps we could build a committee of makers and artists from each discipline to organise something bigger? We’d love to keep the conversation going!
Keep in touch with Dundee Jewellers Collective on Instagram.
The Community Ideas Fund is made possible thanks to our Amps network. Each year, approximately 50% of everyone’s subscription helps fund an exciting new collaboration that benefits Dundee. New supporters are always welcome – join Amps and help make Dundee even better, and find out more about the 2026 Community Ideas Fund!
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
Curious about creativity and wellbeing? Care about your own or other young people’s mental health? Want to meet inspiring people and help shape change? Are you ready to be part of something that’s collaborative, creative and transformative?
Fabric is for you – let’s imagine new ways to care, together.
“We believe that it’s in our collective interest to take a proactive approach to nurture the talent and values that will lead us to tomorrow.”
– Claire Dufour, Fabric Host, Creative Dundee
Fabric: Creating Care is a creative peer-led journey run by Creative Dundee, bringing young people, creative practitioners and people working in health and community spaces together to explore, imagine and shape better ways to support young people.
Fabric isn’t a course or a training – it’s an informal creative space to connect where your voice, perspective and energy are what make this shared journey come alive. It’s free to attend, and this is the fifth Fabric we’ve held since 2016.
This year, Fabric will bring together a balanced group of around 20 people, including:
Across four day-long sessions between March and June 2026, we’ll explore how creativity, care and systems that currently support young people can be stronger, better shaped and more hopeful in Dundee.
Research shows that young people know that creativity, empathy, collaboration and care are essential skills for their future – yet these are too often missing from the spaces that are meant to support them. Fabric creates a peer-led space to take these insights seriously, by shaping ideas and practices together.
You can read more about this in our blog post, What our Future Needs Now? Young People Already Know.
Fabric will support you to build confidence, connections, skills and agency – giving you the chance to explore new creative approaches to health and wellbeing, and share your ideas with the people shaping services and making decisions.
Fabric is free to attend. Your time and energy is what you bring to the journey, where you will:
“I already knew Dundee was an incredible place, but spending time with the variety of awesome humans on this programme has deepened my appreciation and understanding of what the city and its people have to offer in creating a resilient community.”
– Shona Cherry, Fabric participant 2024/25, Dundee Changemakers Hub Manager
Fabric is open to people living in and around Dundee who want to shape better futures for young people’s mental health and wellbeing through creativity, care and collaboration.
We want the Fabric group to reflect the fabric of the city. Everyone’s welcome – whatever your background, identity or experiences, or regardless of your job role, creative practice or position in your community.
You might be a young person, worker, freelancer, volunteer, resident, carer, organiser or community leader – what matters most is your curiosity, care and desire to be part of shaping more supportive futures for young people.
We know the term ‘young people’ is broad, so when we say this we mean people aged 16 and over – this includes people in their late teens and in their 20s, and anyone who feels connected to youth experiences, community care and hopeful futures.
We want Fabric to be a welcoming space where everyone can take part comfortably. We’re always happy to talk through any access adjustments or support you might need. You can read about our commitment to access and equity and our access rider template.
Each session combines conversations, creative activities and reflection at interesting youth-led spaces across Dundee. You’ll also take part in a study visit to Edinburgh.
This is a shared learning space, meaning we’ll work as a group and co-create some elements as we go. The structure we’ll use is:
You’ll get behind-the-scenes access to various community spaces and take a field trip to Edinburgh to visit a youth project and the Scottish Parliament, with an opportunity to meet staff and representatives – exploring how care, creativity and change happen in real life.
Throughout the sessions, we’ll be weaving together a living record of what supports us, what fails us and what we’re building together. We’ll creatively capture experiences, insights, reflections and evolving understanding.
Day 1: Safety and Belonging
Date: Fri 27 March 2026
Times: 9:30am–5pm
Locations: Dundee – Feeling Strong, Hot Chocolate Trust, Dundee Rep
Focus: Belonging, creative expression and emotional literacy for young people
We’ll spend the morning at Feeling Strong, including a tour of the space and hearing from young people about their Mental Health Manifesto work and sharing at Parliament. Comics Youth will then lead relaxed creative activities to help us connect, co-create group agreements, and explore emotional literacy. After lunch, we’ll visit Hot Chocolate Trust and hear from their youth work team, followed by insights from their associate clinical psychologist Lucy Paterson. We’ll then go for a short visit to Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre to meet the drama therapy team and learn more about their youth engagement work.
Day 2: Care in our Communities
Date: Thu 30 April 2026
Times: 9:30am–5pm
Locations: Dundee – Art Angel, Boomerang Community Centre, V&A Dundee
Focus: Reimagining youth provision and creative approaches to mental health
We’ll first go to Art Angel for a guided tour, sharings from THAT and CAMHS, followed by a playful creative visioning session where we’ll reflect on hopeful futures for youth mental health in Dundee. In the afternoon, we’ll visit Boomerang Community Centre and learn from local organisations about their community-led work (including Room To Be, How It Felt, and Wild Dundee) and explore how systems/practices of care are nurtured within communities, support wellbeing, and relationships with nature. We’ll then go for a short visit to V&A Dundee to reflect on the day with the Young People’s Collective.
Day 3: From Experience to Influence
Date: Fri 29 May 2026
Times: 9.30am–5pm
Locations: Dundee – DCA, Dawson Garden
Focus: Understanding policies and decision-making with support from Scottish Parliament staff
We’ll start the day at DCA with a session led by The Scottish Parliament’s Participation and Communities Team, including an introduction to parliamentary awareness, deliberative methodologies, and an opportunity to collaboratively discuss solutions and draft recommendations for youth mental health support. We’ll also have a guided tour of DCA’s creative spaces and learning activities. We’ll then spend the afternoon at Dawson Garden with SAMH exploring the Growing Chrysalis project, seeing how gardening and outdoor activity support wellbeing and community.
Day 4: Imagining What’s Possible
Date: Tue 23 June 2026
Times: 8:30am–6pm
Location: Field trip to Edinburgh
Focus: Expanding our perspective and learning from others
We’ll spend the day in Edinburgh, starting with a visit to The Scottish Parliament where we’ll share reflections, discuss what we’ve learned, and have the chance to meet some MSPs. After lunch, we’ll head to a local youth project (to be confirmed) to continue exploring and connecting with young people’s work.
Partners include: Feeling Strong, Hot Chocolate Trust, Comics Youth, Art Angel, Boomerang Community Centre, Room To Be, How It Felt, RSPB Wild Dundee (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), CAMHS Tayside (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), SAMH Growing Chrysalis (Scottish Action for Mental Health), Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Young People’s Collective at V&A Dundee, and The Scottish Parliament’s Participation and Communities Team.
We know that applications are unpaid labour so we’ve kept our application form short, and we welcome applications in writing, audio, video, or in another way that you would prefer.
Please note: all applicants need to complete the application form – there is a section that asks you to provide some information about yourself, and then a question that lets you select the way you would like to apply. If applying by audio or video, or in another way, please remember that files must be received by the application deadline.
There are four questions to answer:
Each of these questions in the application form has a word limit of 250 words or a time limit of 2 minutes if applying via audio/video.
If you have any questions or want to talk through your application, get in touch with Fabric host, Claire Dufour: claire@creativedundee.com.
Applications deadline: Mon 9 March 2026 at 9am.
Decisions communicated: Mon 16 March 2026 before 4pm.
Fabric is led by Creative Dundee, and delivered in partnership with healthcare, community and creative organisations, with support from the Participation and Communities Team at The Scottish Parliament, as part of Creative Minds – a creative youth mental health project designed by Creative Dundee with project funding from NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.
Creative Minds brings together young people who are aged 16 years and over, healthcare professionals and creative practitioners to respond to youth mental health challenges – building resilience, amplifying lived experience and equipping young people to shape the systems that support them.
Through collaboration, experimentation and shared leadership – and by centring creativity as a driver of health innovation – Creative Minds enables creative, inclusive and community-rooted approaches that prioritise prevention and collective care. More to come soon!
Claire is a people-lover, proud mum and creative thinker who has called Dundee home for the past 15 years. She’s passionate about bringing people together to share ideas, learn from each other and imagine a better future.
Since joining Creative Dundee in 2015, she’s designed and led projects including Ampersand+ (peer support), CULTIVATE (creativity for climate justice), Press Change (youth journalism) and Fabric – a collective journey that equips and connects people to make a positive difference in Dundee, with many past participants still sharing creativity, care and ideas across the city.
“Fabric was a timely reminder to continue on the path of disruption to push for a more equal and sustainable world which we all deserve.”
– Feedback from Fabric participant 2024/25
If you would like to support us in creating even better content, please consider joining or supporting our Amps Community.
