Edinburgh Festivals: The world comes to Scotland
This year’s Edinburgh Festivals already look to be a great success with the city full and every imaginable type of cultural experience on offer at the worlds largest arts festival.
Cultural Diplomats invited to Scotland
Among the throngs of international tourists visiting Edinburgh were a delegation of cultural diplomats, invited to Scotland by the Scottish Arts Council and Visiting Arts for a packed three-day trip where they visited venues and met with leading cultural figures in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Cultural diplomats or attachés are based in their country's embassy with special responsibility for promoting the culture their homeland. Diplomats from 16 diverse countries including South Korea, Mozambique and Belarus, took up the invitation to visit Scotland and meet with people from across the artforms to learn about the Scottish art scene, develop contacts and investigate the potential for future collaborative work.
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The international theme continued at the Scottish Arts Council's annual festival reception at which the diplomats were guests of honour. This year’s reception took place at the Dovecot a new home for the Edinburgh Tapestry Company in converted Victorian swimming baths on the city’s Infirmary Street. |
Dovecot provides much-extended space for design and production and two large public galleries for exhibition. It will also be home to Innovative Craft, the recently-established exhibition commissioning agency, which receives Scottish Arts Council development funding.
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Scottish artists received an additional boost this year through a new Expo Fund announced by the Scottish Government designed to support the development of Scottish-based work at the Edinburgh Festivals it will provide £6million over three years. All 12 Festivals will benefit from Expo funding which will be administered by the Scottish Arts Council. |
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Made in Scotland
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To support the Fringe a new open fund entitled Made in Scotland has been established which will support a curated showcase promoting high quality Scottish dance and theatre artists at the 2009 Fringe.
More details of the fund, including application details can be found on the following pages. |
Further details are available on our Made in Scotland webpage. |