Gray's Staff Projects
Aberdeen Cultural Summit
Aberdeen Culture Summit is a research-and-outcome driven partnership between Gray’s School of Art, RGU and the University of Aberdeen.
The Culture Summit launched with an all-day event at RGU on Friday 3 March 2023, which was a day long discussion of the cultural sector in Aberdeen and the region, with delegates attending from universities, cultural institutions, and local authorities. The conference was addressed by RGU Principal Professor Steve Olivier and City Council Chief Executive, Angela Scott.
In addition to the conference, we worked with the Look Again team and LACER funding to run the short exhibition Aberdeen Open City profiling four creatives either based in, or shaped by, our city.
One of the major focuses of this inaugural event was the cultural economy and cultural funding in a very challenged environment. Subsequently, the University of Aberdeen inaugurated the Scottish Cultural Policy Research Network led by Professor Eleonora Belfiore. We will host an online session on winning cultural funding for graduands and recent graduate cohorts during degree show week, as well as a mini summit on Artist’s Exploitation featuring leading academic experts and contemporary artists. We have also appointed Lara Ratnaraja, a West-Midlands based cultural consultant, as a critical friend of cultural work in the city.
Project Staff
Aberdeen Culture Summit is co-ordinated by Dr Jon Blackwood, Associate Professor, Gray’s and Professor Eleonora Belfiore, Aberdeen University.