Conference explores Orkney’s creative force

Orkney’s arts scene is the focus of a special event taking place next month.

The two-day Creative Orkney conference, in Kirkwall’s St Magnus Centre, on September 26-27, will use a mix of workshops, talks, a discussion forum and field trips to explore why Orkney has such a successful and active arts community, and how it can continue to prosper.

The event is being organised, hosted and presented by the Centre for Nordic Studies (CNS), part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, with funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Creative Scotland via Education Scotland, Visit Scotland, and Orkney Islands Council’s Arts Development Service.

Professor Donna Heddle, director of the Centre for Nordic Studies, said: “The conference will be an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our rich cultural and artistic tapestry – but it’s also a chance to tap into the academic resources through the centre and the wider University of the Highlands and Islands network to try and understand how we got here, and how we can continue to go from strength to strength.”

Speakers at the conference include Franҫois Matarasso, writer and independent researcher with a long career in community-based arts and cultural practice, who was commissioned by HIE in 2012 to conduct a study into the reasons behind Orkney’s success.