Case Studies

WHALE Arts visit to The Stove network

Building creative community hub networks

A group of people smiling looking up at a shop front sign

Our visit was split into two parts – first we had a short tour of the Midsteeple Quarter, a sister project of The Stove that seeks to reanimate the high street in Dumfries by offering studio and community space, local makers selling their wares, a risoprint studio and potentially even an artist flat for visiting artists. During and after lunch, we heard from Katharine Wheeler, Development Director and Lead on the What We Do Now Network about their work in their base and cafe space on the high street.

It was both interesting and useful learning about the origins and evolution of The Stove and the various projects they’re involved in, particularly when it came to reflecting on our own network and the challenges and opportunities we face locally. It was also helpful to think of our work in a larger political context, and of the various nuances involved in acting as a mouthpiece for a range of organisations, its drawbacks and benefits. It was also of interest to The Stove to hear about the work we have been doing over the last three years, and for them to gain insight into our developing methods of working together.

Learning Outcomes

  • To learn from other networks at different stages of development. The Creative Community Hubs Network is a relatively new entity, made up of a variety of community-based organisations in Edinburgh, some of which have been in existence for decades and some which have only been serving their local communities for a couple of years. This trip will allow us all to learn from a different sort of network which has evolved differently and which has years of experience to share with us.
  • To better advocate for our communities. All members of the Hubs Network are fierce advocates of our local communities, but we don’t always speak with a unified voice. Seeing how The Stove advocates for the work they do will inform our approach, and there is also the possibility of future work between the two networks to better articulate our collective needs and wishes.
  • To build bonds and solidarity across organisations with similar ethos and aims. We anticipate there will be a great deal of resonance between what the Hubs Network is trying to achieve, and the aims of The Stove Network. Visiting one another in each other’s place will help us better understand the successes and challenges we each face, and allow us to potentially work together better in the future.

Community Organisation:
WHALE Arts, North Edinburgh Arts, The Crannie Community Hub, Duncan Place Community Hub, Craigmillar Now, Lyra.

Exchange Host Partners:
The Stove Network

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Scotland's Urban Regeneration Forum

"The addition of insight into The Midsteeple Quarter was useful, not just to stretch our legs after a long drive as well as seeing some of Dumfries city centre, but also as a standalone project of an organisation having real impact on communities locally. A number of organisations in our network have recently completed Community Asset Transfers on their buildings and/or land their buildings stand on, and work like this is inspiring in terms of how a community-based organisation can continue to have impact on their local community, outside the confines of their building. The exchange also helped fund a member of Whale Arts staff gain their MiDAS certificate in minibus driving, which will be of benefit to the organisation for years to come."

Case Studies

Toisgeal Exchange

Gaelic & Island Arts & Culture

A small group of people visiting a textile studio

We discussed our hosts projects, exhibitions, practices, challenges and ways in which they collaborate with each other and with other artists, local and beyond, including the Even Here, Even Now project currently linking creative practitioners in the Outer and Northern Isles. We were able to reflect on our own aims and ethos as a group and think about ways in which we can grow our
creative community in a way that gives a voice to place-based art and practitioners, a Gaelic-focused approach to creating, and ways of mapping a path forward to future initiatives. The time we were able to dedicate to this was invaluable and in an environment that supports local creative practitioners in a very positive way.

In terms of peer-peer learning we discussed ways we could bring a joint exhibition/workshop event together and take it on the road around local village halls to engage different communities- we have started making a plan for a funding application to enable us to do so. We also identified details for a joint exhibition theme and highlighted threads to pick up for research and investigation, which we will take forward during monthly meet-ups.

Learning Outcomes

  • As our primary interest is in Gaelic/island arts and culture it would be incredibly useful to see how this has been developed and is managed in Lewis. We wish to visit and learn from groups of similarly-engaged artists who live within a similar island community facing comparable geographical and cultural challenges.
  • We have identified this visit as an opportunity to engage in peer-peer learning opportunities/skill-sharing. This will be a focused, informal environment and a supportive, effective way to encourage, strengthen and develop our creative practice.
  • We endeavour that this visit would be the start of an island-island exchange of practice and place-based learning as well as an opportunity to connect with fellow island artists and art centres/organisations on the island.

Community Organisation:
Toisgeal

Exchange Host Partners:
Reothart nan Ealain, Island Darkroom, Grinneabhat An Lanntair

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Creative Lives Scotland

"We've learned about the variety and vitality of place-based art practices on our neighbouring island which has motivated us to seek more time to spend time collaboratively, and have been inspired to identify funding streams we may apply to to allow us to support art in different ways within our communities."

Case Studies

Weaving Words and Wonder visit to Orkney Folklore and Storytelling Centre

Storytelling tools for inclusion

Image of a cairn in Orkney by the sea

Seeing how Orkney Folklore and Storytelling works with additional support needs has reinforced what is unique in our own practice. The storytelling is interactive with the audience and has space for children’s different ways of receiving the stories. The Centre also run ceramic workshops for children and families and we could really see the quality of what the children produce and the experience of a traditional craft – the slow process of drying the clay, firing, glazing and glaze-firing and how stories build through the characters which emerge. Also the environmental
benefits of this slow craft where there is a lot less waste than with other forms of art ‘n’ crafts.

We explored how the peoples’ Island Calendar and their partnership with the ancient landscapes and surrounding seas has shaped the social landscape of today in these magical Highland and Islands of Scotland. This will enable us to share this knowledge with our Moray audiences – to enrich our tales with the first hand account of The Islands, the islanders and their history, culture, traditions and lives.

Learning Outcomes

  • Find out about past Highlanders’ and Islanders’ culture, social customs, work traditions and beliefs.
  • Learn how to make our story telling sessions inclusive of those children who may find it challenging to just sit and listen to a story – enabling our stories to reach a broader audience and include those with Additional Support Needs.
  • To learn the Folklore, Folk Tales, Legend, Rhymes, Poetry, Sagas, sea legends, crofting tales and myths to share with our Moray audiences.

Community Organisation:
Weaving Words & Wonder CIC

Exchange Host Partners:
Orkney Folklore and Storytelling Centre

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Creative Lives Scotland

"The experience of being on Orkney brings a depth and detail to our stories which would be missing if we hadn't seen the height and majesty of the standing stones, crawled through the deep dark tunnels of the ancient chambered burial cairn of dogs and re-emerged into the bright light of morning, gentle green hills sloping down to the turquoise loch and affirming that we live because of those who have gone before."

Case Studies

Grey Matters Active Ageing visit to The Community Bureau

Crafting connections

A small group of people sharing crafting and knitting practices

Members had the chance to showcase their current projects and share their hobbies, sparking lively conversations and exchanging ideas on how to approach similar activities. The visit offered valuable guidance and inspiration, and there’s a strong sense that future collaborations between the groups could grow from these new connections. Despite the distance between Helensburgh and Campbeltown, the visit clearly strengthened community ties. Both groups expressed a strong interest in meeting again, with many hoping this marks the beginning of an
ongoing relationship. The day was especially valuable for newer members, offering them the opportunity to connect with others and gain insight into different approaches to active ageing in another community.

Learning Outcomes

  • Enhanced Craft Skills: Participants will have the opportunity to learn new techniques, methods, and approaches from each other, broadening their skill sets. This may include working with different materials, exploring new styles, or mastering specialist techniques that one group has more experience in. By sharing practical knowledge, troubleshooting common challenges, and offering hands-on demonstrations, members will improve their craftsmanship and refine their creative processes. This exchange will also encourage the development of
    unique and innovative work.
  • Increased Confidence & Creativity: Engaging in a supportive learning environment will empower participants to take creative risks and push their artistic boundaries. Many members may feel hesitant to try new methods or display their work, but through encouragement and shared learning, they will gain the confidence to experiment and express themselves more
    freely. Seeing others’ work and receiving constructive feedback will spark inspiration, leading to fresh ideas and a more adventurous approach to crafting. As a result, participants will be more willing to showcase their work and even explore opportunities to teach others.
  • Stronger Collaboration & Networking: The learning exchange will not only enhance practical skills but also foster meaningful relationships between individuals and groups. Through working together, participants will establish valuable connections that could lead to future joint projects, exhibitions, or even collaborative with other groups. The exchange will also create a lasting network of support, where members can continue to share resources, advice, and opportunities beyond the event. Strengthening these relationships will help sustain the craft groups, ensuring that knowledge and skills are continuously shared and developed over time.

Community Organisation:
Grey Matters Active Ageing

Exchange Host Partners:
The Community Bureau

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Creative Lives Scotland

"It was actually just a lovely friendly day. People went away feeling happy. They commented on the kindness and friendliness they experienced and it strengthened the working relationship between the two groups. We feel this is something we should do more often now. Shared learning, shared experiences and shared resources really brings together communities."

Case Studies

Door in the Wall Arts CiC visit to Edinburgh Tool Library

Sharing networks for supporting access, re-use and diversity.

3 people sitting at a table

We feel that the Community Learning Exchange with the Edinburgh Tool Library helped us better understand the processes of lending equipment and how to create a robust sharing network with our access library. It allowed us to discuss the nuances and differences in our sharing library and to create some processes around ensuring that it didn’t burden our staff and potential volunteers with time commitments.

It also allowed us to understand how to effectively deal with organisations who may be borrowing our equipment for events and to create processes around ensuring the equipment is returned on time. We established what we would need to include in a user agreement and what policies to have in place for staff and members. We also discussed how to set up a payment model for the different organisations and individuals that would be using this equipment that allows us to safeguard our services.

It gave us an opportunity to see how we could bring members and staff together to share skills and knowledge, creating a community ethos around making events accessible and learning from this work.

We learnt a lot about carbon tracking and how we can monitor and evaluate the carbon footprint our project has and how we can measure this as well as showcase the benefits of our project on reducing organisations buying these plastic products.

We had the opportunity to discuss the administrative factors around the sharing library such as insurance and the My Turn software. It gave us the opportunity to think about how our other offerings such as consultancy and training in this area might be beneficial to supporting organisations/individuals to create more accessible spaces within their events and the additional support they may require from us and how we can provide that.

We discussed how we can promote our access library to organisations across Scotland, curating information to promote the importance of creating more accessible spaces that we can display at events to raise awareness. It also helped us consider the messaging we use around our access library.

Learning Outcomes

  • Through working with the Edinburgh Tool Library, we feel that we would learn about their processes in lending equipment, creating a strong and robust sharing network with our Access Library. Learning about the policies, paperwork and administrative side of creating a sharing library.
  • This opportunity would aid us in creating hyper-local volunteering opportunities to learn skills and build a community around creating safer spaces and accessible environments.
  • We want to learn how to create learning and community opportunities around our access library sharing the benefits with the organisations and individuals that we collaborate with. The Edinburgh Tool Library is an exemplary example of an organisation that has brought members together to share skills and knowledge and create a community ethos around their sharing network and we would like to learn from their work.

Community Organisation:
Door in the Wall Arts CIC

Exchange Host Partners:
Edinburgh Tool Library

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Circular Communities Scotland

"The team at the Edinburgh Tool Library were incredibly welcoming and supportive and said that we could contact them in the future if we had any further questions so we have contacts with experience within the industry should we need any further support. It was a great opportunity to make connections and see first-hand how things run in a successful and established sharing library."

Case Studies

Creative Dundee exchange

Using ancestral and creative tools to connect with nature.

A group of people standing outside a thatched cottage

During our day at The Scottish Crannog Centre, we discovered more about the ways of living and sustainable practices from our ancestors 2,500 years ago – how these resonate with and can inspire our current ways of living, making, growing, sharing and connecting with the land beneath our feet, and how we make sense of the world through experimenting and storytelling.
In the village, we also had the opportunity to feel a slower pace of time and get our hands on ancestral tools. We chatted with staff who were demonstrating ancestral making, weaving, cooking, blacksmithing etc. We also had time to reflect in small groups about our own ways of living and connecting with others and nature, how these ancestral ways of being and doing could be applied in our everyday lives, practices and the ways we work together. In the afternoon, we heard more about  Bioregioning Tayside, their past and present actions and projects, their impacts and challenges, and how we need to expand our ways of thinking and care for the natural environment that nourishes us literally and creatively. Through the presentation and discussions afterwards, we gained a better understanding of our natural surroundings and ways to re-inhabiting them – for example, the natural boundaries that define the Tayside catchment area should be more relevant to us than the arbitrary political lines.

Both The Scottish Crannog Centre and Bioregioning Tayside have radical approaches in the way they engage with (and outreach) partners, audiences, and their local communities, making sure that their voices and stories are woven into their work and advocacy for better ways of live together with people from different heritage and cultures, and with nature.

Learning Outcomes

  • Develop and exchange creative, environmental and leadership knowledge and skills within a network of peers.
  • Learn from and make new connections with radical and innovative community-rooted and climate-focused
    actions and projects across the region.
  • Explore and share understanding of community engagement and creative climate work.

Community Organisation:
Creative Dundee, Dundee Change Makers Hub,

Exchange Host Partners:
The Scottish Crannog Centre, Bioreging Tayside

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Creative Lives Scotland

This learning exchange has generated a sense of hope for many participants, and revealed the importance of storytelling. We also had discussions on how to become ‘good ancestors’, what we are leaving behind, and what future generations will carry on or learn from us. It has given us the space to understand what climate action means and to connect with others who are sharing my values and drive for change. The size of our world, what makes up our life, changes how we value things. We need to better connect with the small parts and nature around us!”