The Creative Ruralist

In this episode I’ll be talking with my friend Virginia Hutchison, an artist based in Glasgow and the Isle of Lewis. Virginia’s practice is wonderfully varied, with conversation, participation and authorship playing constant roles throughout. Virginia works predominantly within a social context, and her practice draws on the processes involved in collaborative creative production, exploring how different forms of artistic engagement influence the interaction we have with our environments.  She is also interested in how an audience or viewer becomes physically involved with what they see and aims to create conversation through the making of works. In this episode we talk about about te role public art can play in bridging urban and rural practices. Virginia and I also talk about “Stories of Radical Landownership”. Commissioned by Community Land Scotland with support from the Stove Network, this project was made in collaboration with the community, and brings together narratives surrounding the community land buyout of the Galson Estate in 2007. Get in touch with me // email: [email protected]  //  Twitter: @TRuralist  //  Website: www.sradagcreative.co.uk

In this episode I’ll be talking with my friend Jane Hepburn Macmillan.  Jane is a fiddle player and composer, and she lives in Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.  Jane has been a professional musician full-time since leaving school, and for over 10 years she has been playing locally, nationally, and internationally for various local bands such as Face the West, Portrona and The Tumbling Souls – and as she says herself in this episode – for any band that needs a Fiddle player.  She has also been involved in national and international collaborative projects; for example The Between Islands Project and Yatra; Journey. The theme music for this podcast is one of Jane’s compositions. I was drawn to ‘Creative Places’ because of how well it evokes the creative process, and we talk a little more about how that process in this episode. In this episode we look more closely at how being a rurally based islander has not only not held her back from an international career, but it has also been an asset. For Jane, being rural, fuels creative inspiration, from both the landscape the culture and its people,  and a community of people that collaborate and support eachother. Get in touch with me // email: [email protected]  //  Twitter: @TRuralist  //  Website: www.sradagcreative.co.uk

In this episode, I’ll be talking with Amy Dunnachie & Louise Kernaghan. Amy is from the Isle of Jura, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. She is a story-telling jeweller and visual artist who salvages old objects to make new treasures. Website: www.amyfinds.co.uk Instagram: @amyfinds Louise is an outdoor visual and walking artist, and outdoor education practitioner based in Fort William, in the Lochaber region of the Highlands of Scotland. Website: www.louisekernaghan.com Instagram: @louisekernaghan Get in touch with me // email: [email protected]  //  Twitter: @TRuralist  //  Website: www.sradagcreative.co.uk

In this episode, I’ll be speaking to Roxane Permar, an artist and educator based in Shetland, off the northernmost coast of Scotland. Roxane works at Shetland College, University of the Highlands and Islands, where she is Professor of Art and Social Practice, and her post is as a research fellow in the Centre for Island Creativity. She is also the programme leader of the MA Art & Social Practice Programme at UHI, which she initiated and then developed this programme along with a team of lecturers from UHI. Website: www.Roxanepermar.com & www.ColdWarProjects.com  Get in touch with me // email [email protected] // Twitter at @TRuralist // Website: www.sradagcreative.co.uk

In this episode, I’ll be speaking to Mairi Nicilliosa, another creative collaborator and friend of mine. Mairi lives here in the Isle of Lewis, and is a Gaelic visual artist, a sculptor, and an educator. Mairi’s next major step is that she’s in the process of setting up a Gaelic visual arts hub in Ùig, Isle of Lewis. Website: www.mairigillies.com Get in touch with me // email [email protected] // Twitter at @TRuralist // Website: www.sradagcreative.co.uk

In this premiere episode, I talk to two close friends from my master's cohort; Charlotte Mountford and Brodie Sim. Charlotte is a cultural programmer, producer, and one of the co-directors of Lyth Arts Centre, and is based in Caithness, in the North Highlands of Scotland. Brodie is a visual artist, social practitioner, and producer living on the Isle of Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. To get involved in the conversation follow me on Twitter @TRuralist or email me at [email protected] Brodie: Website: www.brodiesim.com   Charlotte: www.charlottemountford.co.uk  //  lytharts.org.uk 

Hi folks, this is a micro episode giving you a short introduction about the background and an overview of what to expect from the Creative Ruralist Podcast. Follow me on Twitter on @TRuralist to get involved in the discussion. My first episode will go live on Monday 26th April 2021.