Local arts opportunity for national COVID memorial

Orkney Islands Council is reminding local artists of a unique opportunity to create a COVID memorial in close collaboration with the Orkney community, as part of the national ‘Remembering Together’ programme.

‘Remembering Together’ is a national programme aimed at helping communities create works of reflection, remembrance, hope and healing about the pandemic.

The programme is managed by greenspace scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, and is supported by £4.2 million of Scottish Government funding.

Memorial projects are being ‘co-created’ - through artists working closely with communities - in every local authority area of Scotland, with around two thirds already underway.

Orkney Islands Council’s Arts Development service is facilitating the local recruitment process for greenspace scotland.

Creative practitioners appointed will be expected to work with people in ways that are inclusive and relevant, with the emphasis on co-creation with local people.

Emma Gee, Arts Officer, Orkney Islands Council said: "We’re proud to be helping bring this opportunity to artists in Orkney, and play our part in helping the county reflect on and express the impact of the Covid pandemic in its own way.”

John Saich, Project Officer with greenspace scotland for the Remembering Together programme, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for creative practitioners to step into or strengthen their grass roots co-creation skills.”

Artists/creatives will be supported by a local Delivery Panel including representatives from NHS Orkney, VAO, The Blide Trust, The Pier Arts Centre, LEADER, North Isles Landscape Partnership along with Orkney Islands Council Arts Development and an OIC Councillor.

Artists and communities will be able find out how to be part of Remembering Together: Orkney at the Remembering Together website.

The callout for Expressions of Interest from practitioners opens on Thursday 30 June. The deadline for expressions of interest is 12.00 noon, Friday 15 July.

To find out more about this opportunity, email Emma Gee, OIC Arts Officer.

You can also read our previous press release: https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=5817

More about Remembering Together, Scotland’s Covid Community Memorial

Remembering Together: Orkney is a working collaboration between Orkney Islands Council and greenspace scotland, supported by a reference group of Orkney community organisations.

• More information about greenspace scotland can be found at www.greenspacescotland.org.uk
• Scotland’s Covid Community Memorial was announced by the First Minster in March 2021, on the anniversary of Scotland’s first national lockdown.
• Now named Remembering Together, the programme is being delivered by greenspace scotland and is supported with £4.6 million provided by the Scottish Government.
• Remembering Together will be managed in two phases. Phase 1 is a five-month period of co-creation in each local authority area between communities and the artists/creative practitioners selected following responses to an advertised brief. In phase 2, for up to nine months, the co-created ideas in each area will be realised in whatever way communities feel is the most appropriate for them.
• Local reference groups in each area are working with the greenspace scotland Remembering Together team to identify communities most impacted by Covid and to assist with access.
• A National Advisory Group has been established to work with greenspace scotland in the delivery of Remembering Together which includes LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland, NHS Charities Together, Age Scotland, Diversity Scotland and others.