Our new member organisations for 2023
Our membership is at the heart of everything we do at SCAN, and we were delighted to see our network of organisations and individuals grow in 2023. Throughout the year, we welcomed galleries, artists, curators, studio collectives and other arts organisations and workers to the SCAN fold, widening the scope of our vision for a connected and celebrated contemporary arts sector.
Here, we introduce you to the organisations that we welcomed as members in 2023 – if you want to join them in contributing to the growth and strength of the sector, take a look at our membership page here.
Our membership in Fife grew considerably this year, reflecting an increase in connectivity across arts organisations in the area. Following its move to new premises, we were joined by Forgan Arts Centre, a hub for contemporary art and craft grounded in a rural context. The centre offers studio space and community events alongside curated projects like The Sentient Garden (above), an outdoor sensory space by artist Rowan Lear inspired by science and indigenous knowledge. We also welcomed a number of vibrant studio collectives from across Fife: Open Studios North Fife, East Neuk Open Studios and East Nook in St Andrews.
New members up north included the visual arts team of High Life Highland, who oversee the art programme at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, as well as giving out grants and awards to artists and makers in the highlands. Soulisquoy Printmakers in Stromness (above) also joined us after our summer trip to Orkney for our Artists Make a Better World campaign. Established for over four decades, Soulisquoy offers specialist printmaking facilities to artists and the wider public on Orkney – we loved trying out their screenprinting equipment in July!
Over in Paisley, artist-led initiative Refractive Collective joined as members, supporting their aim to create a space for digital arts and film in the town. Also in Paisley, community space Sculpture House became members, after being featured in our Artists Make a Better World poster campaign. Led by artists Laura Aldridge, Nick Evans and James Rigler, Sculpture House brings together professional artists and local people to turn the house into an ever-evolving document of creative activity. Elsewhere in Scotland, another new community-focused member is the Dundee Heritage Trust Community Network, who explore RRS Discovery’s polar collection in the context of the climate emergency.
In Glasgow, Take Me Somewhere joined to coincide with their 2023 festival, featuring thought-provoking performance work by local artists (such as Ashanti Harris, above) and international practitioners alike. East end gallery and studios Strange Field also joined, as did The Paper Stage, a collaborative drawing project by Anuschka Barlas and Alexandra Beteeva based between Glasgow and Edinburgh. In Stirling, the Tolbooth Gallery became members, and the George Wyllie Archive joined ahead of the opening of the Wyllieum, a new centre dedicated to the artist and playful creativity in Greenock.\
Find out about all of SCAN’s members and how to join as an organisation or individual here.
Top image: The Palace of Humming Trees, an exhibition by Jack O’Flynn and Maria Sledmere, curated by Katie O’Grady at Strange Field, French Street. Image by Sean Patrick Campbell.