Advertised opportunities:

Freelance Artist – HES Stirling Castle, New Renaissance Project

Freelance Basis - min 24/max 96 hours total between June and September 2024

£34/hour

Deadline for expressions of interest: Noon on Monday 20th May 2024

Project summary

Artlink Central is pleased to continue the collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland in achieving its goals for re-developing the Stirling Castle on-site learning facilities and associated programme to create a vibrant, accessible and inclusive creative learning hub, to support the diverse needs of learners of all ages and abilities.

Stirling Castle is Historic Environment Scotland’s flagship site for learning and a creative arts hub with an established programme of activities offered for wide ranging audiences. Currently learning spaces are situated in two separate areas of the castle, Douglas Gardens and Nether Bailey. Demand for learning services has always been high and pre-pandemic there were over 25,000 learning visitors in 2019/20 with a high percentage, 26% of those, taking part in facilitated activity.

After a scoping phase concluded in Autumn 2023 (accessible here), the current focus of the project is on reviewing and updating the outcomes of our consultation phase and on carrying out a targeted engagement programme in Summer 2024. 

We are now looking for one or more artists to work with up to 4 different target groups, as well as HES staff, to deliver creative workshops with the aim to gather insight and inform the plans for the redesign of the Learning offer.

The role

Working with a focus on your practice (a multi artform approach would be desirable - although not essential - for this project), you will plan, prepare and deliver creative at least 3 workshops or activities tying in with the objectives of the project and aligning with the themes of the wider programme.

You will be working with one or more target participant groups, likely on site at Stirling Castle or at partners’ premises where travel to the site is not possible for the group. 

Planning and design of activity content will be formed in consultation with Artlink Central and lead artist for the programme Lou Carberry. 

Delivery will happen in person, and may happen in collaboration with Artlink Central and/or other associate artists, or alone with support staff, according to the needs of the project, schedules, participants etc.

You will be required to attend planning meetings with Artlink Central and lead artist Lou Carberry, and with other engaged creatives. This project cannot be done without connection to the wider consulting group.

The activity you choose to facilitate may be events/workshops and/or participatory creation. There will be a culmination event/celebration to showcase the work conducted with your target group and encourage further reflection and discussion among other groups and wider staff/public. Informed by discussion and collaboration with Artlink Central and lead artist Lou Carberry, lead on design and delivery of formulating/organising creative content into a format that can be shared publicly at the culmination event. You may also be required to facilitate participatory activity at the event itself. 

The environmental impact of all activities should be considered in terms of materials harvesting/fairtrade purchase/reuse, circular economy etc. 

A full brief for the role, including timescales and budgetary details, is available here.

Please note you can apply to work with one group or more, please let us know in your expression of interest.

How to apply

Please email info@artlinkcentral.org with Object: ‘HES Phase 2’ 

• send us a copy of your most recent CV

• a cover letter detailing why you would be interested in collaborating with us and details of your availability (including whether you would have capacity and interest in working with one or more groups)

• any relevant experience working with young people and/or vulnerable groups, and whether you have a PVG. 

We will prioritise creatives living/working in the Forth Valley area for this project. 

We will match selected creatives with target groups based on previous experience and suitability of practice/art form proposed. This may mean we might not be able to work with all creatives who express their interest in this project, depending on the volume of interest we receive. We will contact all applicants to inform them of whether we are able to take their application forward or not on this occasion. 

Review and matching of the candidates’ profile will take place in partnership with HES Learning Team representatives. 

Expressions of interest are to be submitted by Monday 20th May at 12 pm.

If shortlisted, you will be invited to meet the project team to discuss your suitability on Friday 24th May between 10 am and 1 pm.

If you would like to discuss the project informally ahead of submitting your expression of interest, please email Silvia Sinibaldi at silvia@artlinkcentral.org