NICK FEARNE, the Arts Development Officer for Moray, looks at the current state of play in arts development in the area, and sets the scene for festivals in Buckie and Forres.

THE AWARD of over £100,000 from the SAC Local Authority Partnership Scheme plus additional funding from MBSE, Youthstart and Community Development budgets has ensured that an arts infrastructure is now in place in Moray until at least March 2005.

Thanks to a major award from the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery, three Arts Development Workers (ADWs) were appointed in September last year. They are Fiona Herd (East – 01343 829026), Fiona Hay (West – 01309 676415) and Jacqueline Bennett (Central – 01343 563515).

The ADWs operate alongside the three teams of Community Development Workers covering East, West and Central Moray.

There is a significant emphasis on using the arts to work with young people to address issues of social exclusion and community safety.

Their developmental role includes identifying gaps and needs, co-ordinating with existing groups, delivering projects, seeking additional funding, organising training, working with other agencies and schools, offering support, advice and information, and enabling and facilitating community led or initiated events and projects.

The Cultural Co-ordinator for Schools, Pam Diamond (01343 563586), complements the work of the ADWs. Cultural Co-ordinator’s are now in place in all but one of Scottish local authorities thanks to funding from the Scottish Executive, administered by SAC. The programme, a result of a commitment made in the National Cultural Strategy, aims to make the link between schools and all areas of the cultural sector.

And it doesn’t end there! A recent Lottery award to Moray Council from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) means that the team will soon be joined by a Youth Dance Development Worker to encourage out of school activity with the 5–16 year age group.

The major projects involving the ADWs include the Forres Alternative Festival, the Buckie Festival, International Women’s Day, the Lossiemouth Mural, Forres Skatepark Public Art and a number of Youth Music projects.

A Buckie festival? Yes please, said Buckie! When North East Arts Touring (NEAT) decided to bring Walk the Plank to the North East the scene was set for a major community arts initiative.

NEAT is a partnership between Moray, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils and SAC. Walk the Plank is a touring company that brings along its own floating theatre, the M.V. Fitzcarraldo.

It is very much a case of the circus coming to town and an ideal opportunity to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Their current touring production is Jules Verne’s classic adventue 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The festival runs from Saturday 28 June to Friday 4 July 2003. It kicks off with a parade (of course), and continues with a gala, discos, open air church services, a welcoming flotilla, schools’ performances, community performances, young bands, storytelling, a comedy night on board the Fitzcarraldo and a live music night with a very special guest!

What is special about this festival is how readily the community of Buckie has come on board (sorry!) and been prepared to organise and take responsibility for events. Much of the credit for this must go to the Arts Development Worker, Fiona Herd, who has involved and consulted the community from day one.

Successful fundraising has meant that local freelance arts workers have been able to work in schools in the area from the middle of May, so that the festival is a culmination of much preparatory work.

The festival has received funding from Moray Council, MBSE, Moray Firth Partnership, Moray Tourism Initiative, Buckie Common Good, SAC Arts in the Community and Awards for All.

Forres hosted its first arts festival , the FAF (Forres Alternative Festival), last summer. Over the course of 4 weeks scores of local people worked with the Edinburgh based Puppet Lab to create six playlets in unusual venues, including a tearoom, an empty supermarket and an old greengrocers!

The festival culminated in a huge ‘Birds of Paradise’ display, when hundreds of people lined the High Street as a colourful and noisy procession passed by. Such was the success of FAF and the high level of community involvement that the second festival will take place from 21 to 26 July 2003 this year.

The centrepiece will again be the Festival Parade on 26 July 2003, with the theme of ‘Myth & Magic’ this year. The preceding week will feature a number of community led events including a skateboarding display, a music event featuring local bands, a performance by Roadrunner Theatre of ‘Elsie and Norm’s Macbeth’, workshops, and an evening of community performances.

A steering group is working with Arts Development Worker Fiona Hay on this year’s festival, with one eye on future festivals.

FAF has received funding from Moray Council, MBSE, Forres Common Good and money through a Moray Tourism Initiative.

Moray’s first festival of African drumming will be based at two venues, The Universal Hall, Findhorn, and The Loft, East Grange, near Alves, from 6 to 8 August 2003.

This small festival will feature performances by groups from Ghana and Senegal and a workshop/performance programme delivered by local musicians.

For further information on Arts Development in Moray contact Nick Fearne, Arts Development Officer, Moray Council (01343 563403, nick.fearne@moray.gov.uk ).

 © Nick Fearne, 2003