Arts organisations welcome council’s support for cultural rebuilding in 2021

Three leading arts organisations have welcomed Dumfries and Galloway Council’s ongoing commitment to support major events and festivals.
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Spring Fling Open Studios, run by Upland CIC, and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, are two of the region’s Signature Cultural Events and DGU is the region’s chamber for the arts.
This year the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival was forced to cancel and Spring Fling was postponed to October and had to move online. Both are now working closely with the Council for a safe return to physical events in 2021.

Between them they will receive up to £108,000 over two financial years, funded by the Council’s Major Festivals and Events Strategy (MFES).

MFES makes an important contribution to Dumfries and Galloway with every £1 invested by the Council generating or safeguarding £30 for the economy.

A further £30,000 is being allocated over two financial years to Together Again, an arts season curated by DG Unlimited. This will have an emphasis on small-scale, outdoor, online and community-based events and will have an emphasis on rebuilding social cohesion and economic regeneration.

Cathy Agnew, DGU chair, said: “It has been impressive to see how effectively and imaginatively so many of our arts organisations across the region have been adapting to the current situation. Many have been highly successful in engaging new audiences while still nurturing their existing supporters.
“This new funding will help us take the next step forward in rebuilding and strengthening the cultural economy, and will provide much-needed support for some of Dumfries and Galloway’s vibrant and talented creative practitioners and cultural organisations.”

Councillor Adam Wilson, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Events Champion, added: “This funding for the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival and Spring Fling continues a cultural partnership built up over more than a decade. 
“The Together Again arts season will provide dozens of additional cultural events and activities across Dumfries and Galloway next year. The combined package of support will ensure that all of our communities can establish and put on cultural events in 2021 that will be fully marketed and promoted and help social and economic recovery.”
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