Findhorn Bay Arts, creative practitioners, community partners and stakeholders take part in Combine to Create event at Universal Hall focused on making art with communities

MORE than 100 creative practitioners, community partners and stakeholders from across Scotland joined Findhorn Bay Arts (FBA) at a local showcase event.

Programme coordinator Elidh Brown confirmed the ‘Combine to Create’ event was a day of conversation, creativity and knowledge sharing at Universal Hall, Findhorn, inspiring new ways of making art with communities.

She said: “It was brilliant to hear so many of the programme’s participants shining throughout the day. We are delighted they felt welcome to be part of it.”

The day featured presentations, workshops and activities designed to encourage ideas as well as connections. Attendees saw a documentary developed by Jason Sinclair of Poppycock Films, showing the positive impact of the programme on Moray’s communities.The event closed with a premier performance of ‘Connecting Threads’ by Combine to Create Collective’s Rachael Macintyre, assisted by fellow members.

Representatives from Moray Council, tsiMORAY, Creative Scotland attended, as well as from Culture Collective programmes in Dundee, Aberdeen and Highland. Part of the wider Culture Collective Scotland network, since March 2021, Combine to Create has seen local artists and creative practitioners supporting communities’ identity and place through collaborative residencies responding to Covid-19. These include six members of the Combine to Create Collective encouraged by FBA to take part in long term residencies, and four residency artists who worked with rural village halls in the region last summer. Partnerships included with Moray Women’s Aid, Lossiemouth 2-3 Group, LGBTQ+ young people, neurodiverse children and families.

Contributions included: multi-disciplinary artist, Jen Cantwell, based at Moray Women’s Aid, Elgin for her residency, working closely with the Therapeutic and Community Outreach Team, and with families and young people through the Childrens and Young People team on communal making to build confidence and relationships; designer, maker and artist, James Chitty, working with Nature 4 Health on the ‘Branching Out’ programme and Findhorn, Nairn, Lossie Rivers Trust to explore the role creativity can play in a regenerative approach to restoring social and river ecosystems; ceramic maker and creative facilitator Amy Benzie, running creative workshops at Rafford Village Hall; artist Neil Callaghan connecting with communities linked to Findhorn Village Centre to gather recipes for a cook book in exchange for cakes and bakes; graphic designer, printmaker and kiltmaker, Andrea Chappell, working with the community at Dyke and District Village Hall to create a textile installation to enhance its interior and alleviate acoustic issues; and multi-disciplinary artist Andrea Turner, running creative workshops at Edinkillie Village Hall, engaging with Logie Primary School pupils on a collaborative visual arts project.

tsiMORAY director Fabio Villani, said it was a pleasure to see so many dedicated people gathered at Universal Hall, adding: “Hearing their experiences confirmed how crucial art and culture are to wellbeing and sustainability.”

Morvern Cunningham from Culture Collective Scotland was similarly delighted said: “It was a delight to see how creative practitioners collaborated.”

Moray Council youth worker Tracy Robbie finished: “The exchange was a fabulous opportunity to share feedback and be reminded of the positive impact that arts projects have on young people.”

Watch some of the action here: https://vimeo.com/findhornbayarts/combinetocreatefilm