DG Unlimited’s Get Involved Get Inspired Fund (GIGI) supported Emily Tough and Blueprint 100 to produce Dumfries in Lino. In this DGU Story, Emily tells us more about how GIGI funding helped her project focus on the creative approaches to connecting people with their communities.
As part of The Stove in Dumfries, Blueprint100 provides creative experiences and opportunities for young people through a diverse programme of workshops, events, and public arts projects in partnership with established artists. In February 2018, Blueprint 100 in partnership with Emily Tough successfully applied to DGU’s GIGI fund to run a 2-part workshop in lino printing, producing images of buildings around Dumfries.
Emily said, “There are organisations and people working hard to preserve Dumfries as a lively and beautiful town. However, it is a big task, as Dumfries faces economic challenges, especially as an increasing number of town centre buildings become unused, underused or derelict. We felt that this project was needed to help the general public become more aware of the efforts that are in place to help Dumfries thrive, and encourage local people to feel a sense of ownership and connection with their community. Funding by GIGI helped us to purchase essential materials and equipment, and enabled me to dedicate time and resources to supporting the project.
Participants in the workshops learnt new skills and gained knowledge of the lino printing technique. They had the opportunity to discuss Dumfries’s history and culture. Comments from participants included, “This workshop is perfect”, “I’m so happy I get to pass on my knowledge of Dumfries”, “Oh I didn’t know that, thank you for showing me”, “I love mixing these colours.”
Emily says, “Our workshops worked really well. As a group, we learnt much from each other and it was a very nice way of collecting information. We highlighted upon the buildings we were going to replicate and talked about why they were important in the different eras they were built. Participants benefited from this group dynamic, intimately creating artwork together through a broad age range was a wonderful thing and I feel the group grew to know each other well.”
“Through the workshops, participants have been enabled to take ownership of their town and connect with the organisations that are working hard to preserve the town-scape of the area. It has also helped people feel more connected in a common cause, which in turn helps Dumfries continue to be place of significance and interest.”
"This workshop is perfect"
