#artcore Youth Arts Project
#artcore was a project led by Out of the Blue in collaboration with Edinburgh-based arts organisations, young people, artists and young creative apprentices. The aim was to develop a new and vibrant youth arts scene, one distinct from adult arts, where young people took charge. The project ran from 2014 – 2016.
#artcore was funded as one of nine Scottish youth arts hubs as part of Creative Scotland’s ten year Youth Arts Strategy: Time to Shine. From the start, #artcore sought to position itself as a project that would develop organically, that would change and evolve over time as more young people got involved: a ‘hive’ rather than a ‘hub’.
#artcore provided paid employment opportunities, and empowered Creative Apprentices and participants to develop youth arts in Edinburgh. The team included four young Creative Apprentices working in the following roles, while also working toward a Modern Apprenticeship qualification;
- Community Arts Apprentice
- Live Events Apprentice
- Sound and Technical Apprentice
- Print Studio Apprentice
The team worked across the city with a host of partners to develop an exciting regular programme of youth arts, with activities ranging from music, game design, film-making, creative writing, circus, theatre, scriptwriting, printmaking, publishing, radio production, guerilla art and programming. Over the two years, over 1,500 young people took part.
Among the highlights were;
Basement Takeover event at MacDonald Road Library
Dead Ends – a radio drama podcast produced by Strange Town Young Company
Demo Lite – a 10 track CD, featuring work by nine young bands/producers/musicians, produced by Patrick Walker and Gavin Fort
Edinburgh Youth Music Festival – a month long series of events, working with a range of Edinburgh based youth music organisations, including Totally Sound, Reel Youth Media and Born to Be Wide
Fragility – a performance developed by Creative Electric and performed as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016
FreeMachines – hacking club at Granton Library
Life is a Circus – performance by #artcore circus, developed by Pyroceltica/Full Cirqle
Opposable Thumbs – comic launch and exhibition, featuring work by 17 young artists
Out of the Blueprint – riso print studio set up providing traineeships, and supported young people’s self publishing prints, comics and zines.
In the autumn of 2016, we undertook a review of the programme and produced a report with recommendation for how the youth arts might be further developed in the city. A summary of the report is available as a PDF document.
Thanks to all the key #artcore partners – Edinburgh City Libraries, Pyroceltica, Strange Town, North Edinburgh Arts, Creative Electric, Thistle Foundation, Colin McGuire, Malcy Duff, The Bongo Club, WHALE Arts, Patrick Walker, Gavin Fort, Hoda Productions and Active Inquiry.
