CCA Picture by Alan Dimmick IT has been an incredibly tough year for Scotland s arts sector - but now galleries and studios are urging visitors to return to in-person cultural experiences. And the sector has launched a new campaign - #ArtUnlocks - to encourage people to find out what cultural opportunities are opening up in their neighbourhoods. Across Glasgow a range of exhibitions and galleries are taking part in the push, organised by Scottish Contemporary Art Network (SCAN). SCAN Director Moira Jeffrey said: As Scotland begins to open up after a long, tough winter, we’re delighted to be sharing the good news that contemporary art is safe, family-friendly and opening soon in your neighbourhood.
“At uni, I was looking at women in the European Parliament,” she said. “I noticed the European Greens were so far ahead in terms of women’s representation. “That made me take them seriously as a party that was committed to justice and equality.” Long, a Dennistoun councillor, is second on the Glasgow regional list for her party, and a candidate in the Glasgow Provan constituency. She believes the Greens are “the only party that takes seriously the idea that social justice, economic justice and environmental justice are interlinked”. “Not just on a global scale,” she added. “It’s going to happen right here in our city.”
1 OUT for Independence is hosting an online coffee and a chat with some of the MSP regional and constituency candidates, so you can get to know them a little better. A drop in and out session is on today between 12 noon and 5pm. It is open to all. Register via Eventbrite, www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meet-your-snp-candidates-lgbtqi-ally-edition 2 ANUM Qaisar-Javed is the SNP Westminster by-election candidate for Airdrie and Shotts and April 23 is your opportunity to get to know her and other members of the Airdrie and Shotts SNP branch. Join them for an evening packed with entertainment and special mystery guest speakers (pssst one of them is Nicola Sturgeon herself). Anum is standing to be elected in the seat vacated by Neil Gray after he stood down to be selected as the Holyrood candidate. The night promises to be a lot of fun and Anum is the cat’s pyjamas so lets send another indygirl down to Westminster to settle up. Register at Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/anums-adop
In the last year, we have all become digital humans, casting our virtual net far and wide as our lives shrank to hearth, home and heath, punctuated with the odd supermarket visit to spice things up. In visual arts, festivals and galleries alike have had to weather many a storm in order to come out the other side. The good news is that Scotland s art spaces should start opening up after April 26. So if like me, you have been missing seeing actual art, what is there to look forward to this year?
1. Glasgow International
www.glasgowinternational.org, June 11-17 Last year, just weeks away from opening, Glasgow International (Gi), Scotland s major biennial festival of contemporary art was forced to postpone. It s back with a Director’s Programme of commissions and exhibitions in collaboration with partners and venues. News of the full programme is still to be announced, but a highlight is sure to be a new installation by Barbadian-Scottish multimedia artist, Alberta Whittle and I