Our project offered New Scots the opportunity to come together over three residential stays at our safe and welcoming residential retreat centre – the Bield – where they could share stories, create new work together, and showcase that work in our gallery space.
The Bield at Blackruthven
New Scots Artistic Residency, Commission and Showcase
New Scots reached
10
Key Information
The project aimed to:
- Reduce barriers and promote enjoyment and participation in the arts.
- Provide opportunities for refugees to share their culture, skills, and experiences, make connections, and build relationships.
- Explore and celebrate cultural heritages, promote a better understanding and awareness of refugees amongst the wider public.
Key Information
The project aimed to:
- Reduce barriers and promote enjoyment and participation in the arts.
- Provide opportunities for refugees to share their culture, skills, and experiences, make connections, and build relationships.
- Explore and celebrate cultural heritages, promote a better understanding and awareness of refugees amongst the wider public.
Situation
The Bield had previously worked with and hosted New Scots and was aware of how valuable short stays in this place of peace and nature could be for those coming to terms with the trauma of being forced to flee and trying to make a new life in Scotland.
Our project:
- Provided refugees with the opportunity to create and professionally present new work. They spent time away from their routines in a creative environment, where they could express and develop their ideas, supported by some facilitation. Mentoring played a key role, equipping refugees with skills and knowledge to take advantage of future creative industry opportunities.
- Brought together refugees who are practitioners in the expressive arts to foster collaboration and reduce isolation, boosting their confidence and helping them find their voice. The Bield’s facilities—residential accommodation, studio space, exhibition space, and performance venue—enabled the sharing of their culture and experiences with one another, the Bield staff, and the local community. Work was also documented and shared online, reaching a wider audience.
- Showcased participants’ work in an exhibition and performance at the Barn gallery space, giving people the chance to celebrate their diverse cultural heritages and share their stories with the public. By presenting their experiences in an artistic, sometimes eye-opening way, the project promoted a better understanding of their situations and helped integrate them into society, allowing them to be recognised as individuals, not just refugees.
Involvement of New Scots in project
After the initial introductory activities, the New Scots selected for the project collectively determined the format and content of subsequent activities that have taken and will take place. They designed and led these themselves, with our support in facilitation where possible.
Impact
Overcoming Anxiety – Many participants shared their struggles with anxiety. For them, simply arriving was a major achievement. Some had difficulty sleeping, but our team supported them by playing games and making music late into the night, ensuring everyone went to bed smiling and laughing.
Building Confidence – The selected artists were at different stages in their careers, with the more experienced working alongside those less so. As they collaborated and shared, experimenting with materials and creative expressions that were perhaps new to them, all participants developed new and bolder forms of expression.
Nurturing Inspiration – This was a central outcome shared by all participants; here, they found the space, peace, and time to step away from daily worries, allowing thoughts to transform into ideas that might inspire future artwork. A few participants who had previously turned down commissions due to a lack of inspiration returned home feeling confident enough to offer new work.
Providing a Therapeutic Space – The collage and playback workshops, along with sessions around the fire, created safe spaces that facilitated deep sharing. This enabled participants to feel heard and understood.
Making Connections – New friendships were formed; some participants have already visited each other, and we now have a WhatsApp group to stay connected. We have also been able to help connect participants with creatives in their local communities for ongoing support.
Challenges encountered
Language Barriers – Some participants had little or no English, and we identified at the application stage that translation support would be necessary.
Poor Internet Connections – Although we ensured everyone had a data connection to get online, some experienced very poor and intermittent Wi-Fi, along with issues with their devices. This made it challenging at times to stay connected and support each other between the residencies.
Reaching Out to New Scots – We did fill all available spaces on the project; however, we initially found it difficult to raise awareness of our programme among New Scots through the agencies working with refugees, as it was a national rather than local project.
Solutions
Language – We invited a bilingual artist to co-host the residency with us, which was immensely valuable, both for the energy and enthusiasm she brought to the project and for her insight into the cultural contexts from which the New Scots had come.
Maintaining Connectivity – We set up a WhatsApp group, which proved invaluable for staying in touch when Zoom calls were challenging. We also developed an online platform to store information about opportunities and resources.
Reaching Out – We successfully established connections with other agencies working with New Scots in Forth Valley, Glasgow, and other population centres, allowing them to refer those who could benefit from our project to us.
Reflections
Space was deemed more important than content – feedback from the first residency highlighted the value of New Scots simply having a space to come together and just be; to reflect and share with one another, free from the pressures of living in hotels and host families, and instead finding time and peace in nature.
