The Scottish Government

Pathfinder Report October 2008

Clackmannanshire Council in partnership with The Scottish Governments Cultural Policy Unit.

100 Days on SITE

Culture & Community Services present a Creative Regeneration Programme, SITES: Development of Cultural Property & the Impact of Culture in the community of Tullibody.

'Culture is today called to respond to various and disparate needs : reinforcing identities, maintaining human diversity, fostering development, encouraging social cohesion. Therefore financial resources must come together with coherent and inspired policies'

Raymond Weber / Guiseppe Vititello

(Strasbourg '99)

This report outlines activities and outcomes from the Scottish Governments 'Pathfinder' interest and investment in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire from 2006-2008.

Pathfinder: A model of best national practice

Report Clackmannanshire July 2008

Overall Aim

· To promote creativity and enterprise as tool towards life improvement

· To support entitlements to culture from grass roots level

· To transform a disused shop into arts and crafts base as an approach to initiate an Artisan Site for Clackmannanshire

Specific Aim

• To engage an artist to work for 100 days on site within disused shop studio, through which to creatively evaluate and encourage the growth and function of cultural property

• Commissioned Artist : Kenny Bean - New Digital Media

Pathfinder Artist / Creative Evaluator

Specific aims

• To involve local residents actively in the cultural regeneration of Tullibody, giving them, as far as possible, guiding informed choice though which to structure programme of activity

• To learn about cultural planning and associated processes and how to make them meaningful in the context of lifelong learning

• To redevelop in emotional, physical and intellectual aspects, a local site, with buildings and open space, using ideas and proposals from Clackmannanshire community residents and Tullibody Traders

• To bring authentic local cultural assets into the regeneration project plan though contemporary interpretation

• To participate in the creation of a 'hub: a new cultural centre within Tron Court, Tullibody including alternative library and public art development.

• To make community training, trading, skills and social enterprise development a central part of the project.

• To support the learning of Scotland's art students and young graduates by offering placement from Edinburgh and Glasgow Colleges. These will familiarise students with the area and in the design and creation of live projects

• To promote the approach of Tullibody with particular reference to developing a skills base for Creative Industries that supports regeneration through the provision of cultural properties

• To encourage creative thinking towards person led cultural planning

SITES - The Cultural Planning / Pathfinder Context

ü To communicate welcome, self worth and a person led culture.

ü To encourage access for both individuals and groups

ü To encourage family activity and events via intergenerational opportunities

ü To provide opportunities in cross communities participation

ü To guide the force of creativity as a tool for personal growth

ü To show creativity as a tool for social change

ü To encourage creative exchange within the context of skill building

ü To introduce and extend awareness of cultural rights and ownership

ü To reinforce and reclaim sense of ownership of natural and built environment

ü To provide learning creative environments sensitive to emotional, physical

and intellectual comfort

ü To celebrate achievement

Progress Information Comparative to Original Plan

Partners

• Original Partners
• Scottish Government - Cultural Policy Unit
• Clackmannanshire Council - lead Culture & Community Services
• Clackmannanshire Council - collaborators across council - Social Work (Mental Health Services & Learning Disability Service) Heritage, Education, Libraries, Community Safety, Rangers Service, Community Learning & Development. (see below for additional cross council partnership)
• Tullibody Healthy Living Initiative - via local artist in residence (self taught ,Tullibody born)
• The Scottish arts Councils pARTners fund - via Creative Writer in Residence, and Cultural Coordinators Programme.

Ø Change - Actual Partners

As above, with the exception of Tullibody Healthy Living Initiative who signposted members of the community to the project, and partnered on shared initiatives in kind. As a result Clackmannanshire Council supported the project further than originally intended via the Scottish Arts Council Creative Links and Cultural Co-ordinator Programme.

Unexpected Partners Joining the Project / Partnership Creation

Ø National Health Service - Healthy Creative Lifestyles Smoking Cessation.

Ø Glasgow School of Art - Via Public Art and under / post graduate student placement programme in ceramics

Ø Clackmannanshire Council - participation targeting individuals and groups

Criminal Justice (Community Service) Psychological Support Services, Pupil Referral Education / CLD - Banchory Primary School

Ø Clackmannanshire Council - Environmental Planning

· Public Art planning in Tullibody - Commissions

· Public Art planning to enable participation via Artshop

· John Muir Award to children and young people for increased awareness of the environment

· Park development planning

• Locations

• Original Locations - intended
• Converted Shop to be known later as Artshop
• Converted House to be known as Arthouse

Actual Locations

ü Converted Shop - Artshop (named by participants)

Address : 2 Tron Court , Tullibody

v Converted House - Arthouse - did not happen due to rise in immigrant population. A house owned by the council in the area was not available at the start of the project. This was replaced by the growing function of the Artshop and complimented by the Vessel Gallery showing the work of local artists (including participants) and national artists from Clackmannanshire's Cultural Programme.

ü Converted Shop - The Vessel (named by Trader for the purpose - a place holding talent) This is a gift shop and gallery that aims to combine new and old residents through exhibiting work and as audience / consumers to local economy. All profits are used to help maintain arts projects in Tullibody.

ü In July 2008 the premises boasted a years long residency for a graduate jeweller (Duncan Jordanstone Dundee) living locally, as part of Culture and Community Services plan to encourage emerging artists to live and work in the area.

This role of the silver-smith linked to the history of silver mining and servesto encourage a pride in Clackmannanshires past in a contemporary way.

Address: 9 Delph Road, Tullibody

• See Sustainability & Impact

3. Impact

The Artshop is a name given to an arts studio, (by the people that use it) that once was a newsagents shop in a mall. Situated in Tullibody, a regeneration area in Clackmannanshire, the shop had been closed adding to a feeling of degeneration of a once thriving community built up to provide homes for miners and their families. The original idea was formed through increasing requests for arts and crafts workshops in the area, a joint incentive between the Local Authority and Tullibody Healthy Living Initiative to place arts opportunities in the heart of the village to assist in regenerating a sense of 'a centre'. From conception it was vital to engage the public in decision making about the types of activities that would happen there, and allow and support the premises to gradually become community driven.

The Pathfinder allowed the shop to host a digital media artist in residence initially for 100 days. This residency was designed to welcome the public, to the premises and through the immediacy of the media introduce ownership and an underlying concept for improved cultural planning. The project was given the name 'SITES' to emphasis the development of Cultural Estate designed around the needs of local people. Given complex issues relating to engagement with the community in the context of regeneration, a local artist was commissioned to work alongside the Pathfinder residency. Firstly two days weekly were allocated for opening without a predetermined programme and on a drop in basis. The culmination of drop in, and people led activities proved to be a challenging recipe for artists that was reliant on patience as locals gradually explored the premises and the facilities it offered. The gestation period resulted in increasing success, involving people of all ages from a wide range of background, health and social circumstances.

The premises and joint working of artists offered many immediate assets. These were as follows;

1 Two rooms available within the shop meant different activities could be undertaken simultaneously such as digital technology, and traditional arts and crafts. These rooms were initially run separately from one another until digital aspects were integrated throughout.

2 Two artists offered complementary skills and experience and complied with Health and Safety requirements of two workers at one given time on the premises.

3 The Digital Media artist commissioned for 100 Days on SITE had the dual role of creative evaluator and artist, through which to encourage a participant led programme

4 The local authority had access at reasonable rent of premises 24 hours per day 7 days weekly if required for creative purposes. This has enabled participants, and artists to engage in work by demand of the creative process. This has also enabled an ongoing training facility for community learning and development staff and part time youth workers, and additional workshops to take place stemming from this supported training development.

5 The Artshop has acted as a resource point for arts materials, for local people and local authority staff until this development without a dedicated access point.

6 The development of the premises containing all of the above has enabled Culture and Community Services to examine aspects and recently transfer the concept into a more rural area.

7 The success of the Pathfinder has led to a shift in Public Art Policy to examine more efficiently methods to bring Art close to the Public.

8 As no central Arts or Cultural Centre exist in Clackmannanshire the lessons learned through the Artshop provide a vital lesson in audience development and capacity building for a future centrally located venture.

Opportunities through the range of media used during the Pathfinder has extended and diversified by interest and demand, encouraging participants to make informed choices. To begin photography was used to welcome visitors to the premises, this included portraiture as they learned to take photographs of their friends, family, and one another. Portraiture facilities have consistently encouraged from the outset, people to use the premises to record important transitions in their lives, for example, soldiers before going to war in Iraq, baby portraits, and other celebratory family and friend images. The media was also used to begin to explore a sense of place, in exploring images, and making of images of Tullibody. A social history of the area in this time was and continues to be documented.

Once familiarised with the options available as described above some community learners used visual digital media to create images to promote dance and music events by making work suitable for projection. Inevitably these aspects moved into arenas of use of music software, and through linking with Clackmannanshire's Creative Writer in Residence, storytelling by voice technology also using visual media.

Professionals in the field of arts, health and well being in addition to community learning have been motivated by the resources offered in the Artshop and this led to increased partnership not originally anticipated. These were:

1 A smoking cessation project partnered by the NHS began to run a 'Creative Lifestyles project' that enabled smokers to choose creativity as a pursuit and value their abilities in these areas. This work included partnership with Glasgow School of Art Product Design Department, working to a design brief created by participants for an 'encouraging non smoking / healthy living device'. The project continues with participants now sitting on the Steering Group for the Artshop.

2 Glasgow School of Art ran workshops in ceramics for a primary school referral group

3 A basic glass fusing workshop also took place with a local Primary School Arts Group.

4 An after school class prepares young people towards peer tutoring in aspects of digital media through photography and web design skills development.

5 Literacy is developed through the combined leadership of visual artists and Clackmannanshire's Creative Writer in Residence.

The HMIE have used the Artshop as model of good practice in the Journey to Excellence for which aspects of the work has been filmed. Particular focus has been given to :

Dimension 3 - Developing a common vision

Dimension 4 - Fostering high quality leadership at all levels

Dimension 5- Working in partnerships with other agencies and the community

This is a significant accolade and development in Clackmannanshire in the context of life long learning , also signifying a potential for closer working with formal education.

Overall the reputation of the Artshop exceeded expectation. Opportunities in arts and crafts originally anticipated as being most popular in the community were overtaken in interest by modern digital technologies, while health and well being groups developed more interest in arts and crafts. Rather than create social enterprise in digital media, the media was used by people already undertaking enterprising transitions in D.J work, dance, and music. Confidences gently gained through more traditional arts methods only now lend themselves to becoming more public and reaching a point of exhibiting and craft sales.

The culmination of past work has led to the continuation and development of the Sites project as one which instils public ownership and has inspired a small gallery in the area that recognises artist's partnerships and skills. The Vessel Gallery now exists as a neighbour to the Artshop showing and retailing the work professional artists alongside that of local people whose interest and experience began or was encouraged through the Artshop and the partnerships it has inspired.

The traditional heritage of Tullibody and the surrounding area was explored as part of arts, crafts and digital opportunities. Glass and ceramics have provided diversity and growing interest. As a development of Art School partnerships the curator of the Vessel is a graduate in jewellery from Duncan Jordanstone College of Art and a contemporary silversmith to those of days gone by in neighbouring Alva. A plan to integrate heritage and traditional arts was always viewed as a likely function of the Artshop, through activities and as a response to exploring 'a sense of place. At present participants are exploring 'territorialism' through historical aspects of tribalism. This examines the Myatti Tribe of the close by Dumyat Hill. Using the creative process to excite and expand ideas this period of work includes the medieval instrument the carnyx, and early music as both original, and digitised tattooing, design and body decoration, and many other symbols of identity. It is likely that this will develop into a light projection event about the Ochil Hills and contemporary 'tribalism and informed concepts of community'

'How should we respond in terms of culture (and education) to the challenges of politics and identity - using culture not only as a tool of human rights and democracy but also as a key element in intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and personal identity-building as expressed in people's desire for identity, roots and a sense of belonging in a community and a place, in their need to discover and express themselves and make sense of their life experience, and in the urge to create?'

International Cultural Studies - Raymond Weber, Council of Europe

The Artshop story is one that responds to individual need and inspires a self driven agenda from the community it serves. In respect of Cultural Planning the Artshop has prompted a need to change Public Art policy to one which engages artists more closely with public. This has emerged through the engagement of leading Scottish Sculptor, Andy Scott working in the area as part of the Public Art Programme of 2008, and 2008-2009 sees a continuation of support for the Artshop by Public Art Sponsors Carronvale Homes as part of a planning gain cost to build new homes in the area.

The legacy is evident in hard outcomes that have influenced the shape of cultural planning in Clackmannanshire, such as those in audience development, artists intervention and enabling a transfer of this working model into the more rural area of Aberdona Farm on the outskirts of Dollar and Coalsnaughton. Artists between premises are now able to signpost groups and individuals to other art forms and skill bases, also offering to participants a variance of working environments. For example the results of Pathfinder were exhibited to the public at Aberdona Gallery, offering further experience to Tullibody residents and further encouraging an exploration of the county and its varying charm. The nature of the project in its entirety offers written, spoken and visual evidence that supports regeneration aspects that record social history and change. The steering group is also made up of participants who see the value and potential of the 'shop'.

The legacy is ' the extending of opportunity and provision for the artisan within the Tullibody community, as workshop and enterprise leaders and participants' This has included a shift in Public Art policy to include planning gain funds being targeted towards creative regeneration projects , inspired cross media partnerships, and transference of models of practice learned.

By way of traditional art forms and new creative industry, the overall experience fuelled by the Pathfinder '100 days on SITE' has inspired a vitality within growing creative communities and cultural planning partners of Clackmannanshire.

Outcome Indicators - changes and differences

Quantitative

• Increase in creative life style - generated through NHS partnership - assisting smoking cessation
• Increase in family / cross generational activity - photography, arts workshops - lack of childcare facilities or help for families means that cross generational work becomes a natural asset to some aspects of work in the Artshop.
• Increase in mixed ability - disabled & able bodied. Social service partnership develops .
• Increased organisational proactive partnership - model of work is repeated and developed elsewhere
• Improved school homework - book provision / library partnership. Books available through Artshop to explore with artists and used for topic work
• From one to two premises - business development funding made available via public art aspect of cultural planning - Carronvale Homes grant sustainability funds via Public Art Programme
• Increased artistic resource

ü Arts period 1 - Kenny Bean (Pathfinder, New Digital Media) Bobbi Vetter (Local Artist)

ü Arts period 2 - Addition of Tom Murray (Creative Writing)

ü Arts period 3 - Addition to area of Claire Maxtone jeweller via The Vessel residency

Qualitative

· Increased self confidence of residents

· Healing to return to work - therapeutic aspects. Some work returners.

· Socialisation through shared interest - cross generational

· Self promotion - Contribution towards employment & enterprise - leaflets / cd covers / digital imaging / recording

· From participant to steering group - confidence change and leadership role becomes apparent

· Networking resulted in partnership between NHS and Glasgow School of Art Product Design Department in production of training pack material produced at the Artshop as Smoking Cessation training model.

4. Evaluation data - exhibition

Outcome Examples - To be found within exhibition Aberdona Gallery for Artisans, Clackmannanshire August 29th - Sept 29th 2008 and available as additional material supporting report thereafter.

1) Dialogue - talking / story box

2) Diaries - plasma screened imagery , projections

3) Registers

4) Databases - participants creative profiles/ portfolios

5) Visual tools

6) Relationship Maps - making friends, building support networks

7) Service use maps - 'drop in'

8) Lifelines - what happened to the Pathfinder user

9) Body Maps - how do people feel about themselves , such as self image and self esteem before and after participation

10) Participants become part of the Steering Group

OUTCOMES

INDICATOR DETAILS

Sustainability

The area, while more recently a spot for new housing developments was at the start of this project, better known for high unemployment and deprivation that was rated amongst highest in Scotland. With this reputation lay a poverty of aspiration amongst residents of all ages.

As Public Art commissioning is part of the function of Cultural Planning within Clackmannanshire, this has enabled new developer planning funds for Public Art to consider a broader context. In this way Public Art and Arts and Public become integrated and encourage a greater sense of community ownership and pride. Examples of this in Tullibody include the integration of Andy Scott Public Artist into the arts programme in the design for a sculpture for the Muirside Roundabout Tiullibody, and support from Aldi Supermarkets in the purchase of a mobile gallery. Both of these initiatives have engaged the people of Tullibody and importantly complimented and encouraged participants of the Pathfinder.

Most recently Caronvale Homes agreed to pledge £20k for public art in the area as a contribution to planning permission for a housing development in Tullibody. This fund will sustain 2008-2009 further programming at the Artshop and The Vessel.

This is the first time in Clackmannanshire that plannning gain funds designed for Public Art have been shifted to support a creative regeneration initiaitve.

As more projects and media integrate with a focus at the Artshop to be a greater part of Community Learning and Development service increased opportunities towards sustainability will occur. It is envisaged that the Steering Group will help support more independence of running the premises.

Future Planning

The Artshop

A Steering Group now meets quarterly to discuss ways forward for the project. This includes a range of individuals from a broad range of personal and professional interest, as below.

• Rachel Collins - Business owner Retro Glass Alloa, and Tullibody resident
• Maureen Michael - Glasgow School of Art - Project Manager Public Art (Ceramics, Textiles and Product Design - Clackmannanshire Partnership)
• Jim Bayliss - Participant and work returner - Tullibody resident
• Gary Jackson - Mental Health worker
• Kenny Bean - Bobbi Vetter - Tom Murray - Claire Maxtone ( artist representation)
• Jan Hay - National Health Service - participant
• Ruth Couper - Participant - representation social work
• Tullibody Trader representation
• Creative Links Youth Representation Lornshill Academy
• Primary School Representation Banchory Primary School
• Norman Shakleton - Clackmannanshire Volunteer Service
• Angela Drayer Larsen - Director Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust

The Vessel

Local resident jeweller Claire Maxtone,a graduate of Duncan Jordanstone College of Art continues work with resident artists at the Artshop to promote the achievements of participants. This includes both workshop provision and displaying a variety of arts products from the Artshop in the community gallery along side that of new British designers.

Budget

Budget: 18 months programme

SITES design objective remains to be; to create a people led cultural estate that makes sense to participants and is able to welcome new connections between people through a 'creative community of interest' .

Pathfinder in Tullibody as part of project SITES

ü 'realises the potential of creativity as an integral force to daily living, affirming dignity, expressing and sharing value'

(Pathfinder application original aim)

ü Supports community - provides varied opportunity

ü Develops community engagement and capacity building

ü Engages people with little self esteem

ü Includes broad range of interest and background via creative skill building - mixed age and ability workshops

ü Innovates in learning and personal development - uses the arts as a tool to engage people academically, personally and socially

ü Instigates and encourages connections and communications - between residents, traders, new building developers and the local authority

Kathleen O'Neill

Cultural Planner

Clackmannanshire Council

July 2008

For further details please contact koneill@clacks.gov.uk

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