22/03/2019  

Paisley 2021 UK City of Culture Bid

This was a Major Partnership Project of Renfrewshire Council. Steven Thomson, Creative Producer of Outspoken Arts Scotland was seconded to the core bid team from April 2016-May2018.

ABOUT THE BID

As Scotland’s only bidding place, Paisley rediscovered its sense of pride and transformed its reputation in the process of bidding to be UK City of Culture 2021. The competition was run by the UK Govt’s Dept. of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It resulted in a higher profile for Paisley with unprecedented levels of coverage across Scotland, UK and the world. Paisley people, affectionately known as the Buddies, gained a new belief in their town again and confidence has brought many more visitors to Paisley.

Despite losing out to Coventry, the journey to regenerate Renfrewshire through culture and heritage continues. Paisley’s bid was only ever one part of a bigger plan to change the town’s future. Major infrastructure investment will revitalise the economy and the town centre over the next decade, as a direct result of bidding process.

Core Bid Team

Paisley 2021 Partnership Board

  • Sandra Black, Chief Executive, Renfrewshire Council
  • Jean Cameron, Bid Director, Paisley 2021
  • Dr Emilia Crighton, Head of Health Services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
  • Audrey Cumberford, Principal, West College Scotland, and president, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce
  • Councillor Eddie Devine (Labour)
  • Chief Supt Jim Downie, Local Police Commander for Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division of Police Scotland
  • Councillor Neill Graham (Conservatives)
  • Ian Henderson, Chair, Paisley First Business Improvement District
  • Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes (SNP) chair, Renfrewshire Leisure
  • Prof Tom Inns, Director of Glasgow School of Art
  • Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive, Young Scot
  • Craig Mahoney, Principal, University of the West of Scotland
  • Sharon McAulay, Project Manager, STAR Project
  • Councillor Eileen McCartin (Liberal Democrats)
  • Councillor Iain Nicolson (SNP), Renfrewshire Council leader (chair)
  • Ross Nimmo, Head of Planning & Development, Glasgow Airport
  • Nick Shields, Director of Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service, Scottish Enterprise
  • David Watt, Chief Executive, Arts and Business Scotland
  • Philip Deverill – Creative Scotland

OUTPUTS

FURTHER READING

paisley2021.co.uk

https://paisley.is

twitter.com/Paisley2021

http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/paisley

10/10/2018  

Engagement Programme

Outspoken Arts Scotland Limited is undertaking a programme of outreach and engagement with cultural organisations in Renfrewshire over the next year.  This engagement programme is funded by Creative Scotland and the National Lottery Awards for All. The activity is as a result of the legacy of Paisley UK City of Culture bid.

We are an equalities and protected characteristics focused arts organisation that delivers work in the performing and visual arts. We wish to begin a process of engagement and project development with up to a dozen local community, voluntary and arts sector organisations in Renfrewshire to build a cultural programme of some social impact. Our organisation worked closely with Renfrewshire Council as a Creative Producer on the Paisley 2021 bid and have met and consulted with many groups in 2016.

From that process we recognised there are many arts and community groups in need of professional and meaningful collaborations with the wider professional arts sector outwith Renfrewshire. We also recognised that many communities in the area are in zones of multiple deprivation and have vulnerable people that require more recognition, support and regular arts activities to promote inclusiveness and better health and well-being. We wish to develop our work through a process of genuine engagement that fosters collaboration, leading to shared creativity and co-production that is truly empowering for all participants.

We have identified a dozen organisations we wish to collaborate with to develop new projects. Those are as follows:

1. Create Paisley, a local mixed arts/multi media youth charity
2. Erskine Music & Media Studios, Bargarran – a music and participatory arts for vulnernable people
3. H-arts – a local theatre company in Paisley which focuses on new writing
4. PACE Youth Theatre, Paisley largest youth theatre for under 18s
5. Disability Resource Centre – a local support project for disabled people in Renfrewshire
6. THCAR2 – Renfrewshire Council’s Heritage Arts programme – regeneration/social history
7. Paisley Arts Centre – a key venue and local co-producer – theatre
8. University of the West of Scotland – spoken word/music – young professionals
9. Diversity & Equality Alliance Renfrewshire – a network of local equalities groups
10. Thread Mill Museum – a local social/industrial heritage group in deprived East End of Paisley
11. ROAR Connections for Life – a participatory arts, health and wellbeing group for older people
12. STAR Project – a local arts/community group in Love Street, north side area of high deprivation

Part of our process will be engaging more deeply and regularly with the groups, their leaders and participants to identify shared interests, stories, dramas, everyday life issues and experiences and seeing where and how we can match the organisation to a like minded professional artist. These collaborations would then lead to the development of larger project which might result in performances, exhibitions, training, presentations and the like. This programme of engagement would be continuous, with regular meetings, workshops and creative development sessions to build capacity.  We will deliver the outcomes of this engagement process as part of our 2019-2021 programme.

For further information please contact our Creative Director mailto:steventhomson@outspokenarts.org

06/08/2018  

Make it Fabulous! 2019

COMING OUT IN 2019
Call for acts and participation in a brand new programme of events for LGBT History Month Scotland – February 2019.

To mark the 50th year since the Stonewall Riots (July 1969), Outspoken Arts Scotland wants to hear from acts, troupes, performers, artists and activists.

We want to capture what is to be LGBT in 2019 but we also want to remember where it all began and celebrate the fabulous explosion of LGBT culture since Stonewall, through Gay Liberation and Pride Marches. We want you to be inspired by and perhaps celebrate the wonderful troupes of artists who led the way such as Hot Peaches, Bloolips, The Cockettes and even London’s own Duckie.

If you have an act, performance, show or idea that could make us laugh, sing or cry we want to hear from you. Whatever your identity, be you drag queen, femme, dyke, diva, bitch, boy, bear, or ally or none of these- if you can get up on a stage and tell your story – we want to hear from you.

Send us some of the following things –
a headshot, CV, publicity materials, youtube or other social media or website links to your work. mailto:steventhomson@outspokenarts.org

P.S. Make it Fabulous!

Stonewall Inn, New York City, 1969

Hot Peaches, NYC