The first few months of 2017 have seen Glasgow continue to build on its global reputation as fertile ground for creative and innovative minds to flourish. Check out some of the fruits of city’s success…

 

If any doubts remained about Glasgow’s credentials as a crucible of creativity, the first few months of 2017 have dispelled them once and for all.

Over the last decade, the city’s reputation as a focal point for the creative industries has accelerated, fuelled by a whirlwind of activity across art, digital media, film, TV, design and technology.

But a series of recent announcements and major events has not only reinforced Glasgow’s position – both in the UK and globally – as a city with a wealth of talent but also an approach to creativity which inspires its citizens and makes a highly significant contribution to our wider economy.

  • This year has already seen the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland unveil the Creative Campus, a fantastic new £2m complex which has delivered excellent new practice, rehearsal and one-to-one learning and teaching facilities for its students.
  • One of the city’s cultural gems, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, will shine even brighter following the announcement in January that it has received a substantial award from The Hunter Foundation to expand on the success of the Centre of New Enlightenment (TCoNE) which is designed to appeal to smaller groups of pupils at risk of disengagement from school.

    That funding will deliver an innovative, interactive experience which promotes intergenerational learning among the more than one million visitors who visit the museum every year.

  • January also saw the curtains raised on Rockvilla, the National Theatre of Scotland’s new permanent headquarters in the Speirs Wharf regeneration area, a new centre for creativity, production and talent development, which brings all of the company’s rehearsal and production activity under one roof.
  • Turning to our TV screens, many critics said the real star of the recently screened psychological thriller, The Replacement, was Glasgow, with the city’s stunning architecture providing the perfect backdrop for the BBC drama.
  • As far as events go, in March alone, Glasgow hosted the latest Aye Write book festival, welcoming authors such as Jo Nesbo, Chris Brookmyre, Paul Morley, Ian Rankin and Roy Hattersley and was the location for this year’s BBC 6 Music Festival which brought a host of top artists to the city, further boosting its cultural credentials across the UK.
  • And Glasgow’s pre-eminence as a conference venue was reinforced when it was named as the UK’s Best Convention Bureau for the eleventh consecutive year at the 30th anniversary of the Meeting & Incentive Travel (M&IT) Awards.

All these new developments are building on the excellent creative infrastructure and collaborative approach which already exists in the city.

Of course, we’re talking about a city which is already home to nearly 2,000 creative businesses and provides employment for more than 17,000 people.

That’s not happened by accident. We’re reaping the benefit of a willingness by our key agencies to collaborate and regularly invest in its creative infrastructure.

That’s epitomised by the Creative Clyde initiative which has successfully brought together the talents of our universities, arts organisations, production companies, design and digital businesses, broadcasters and public sector agencies to foster such a vibrant creative community in Glasgow.

That level of commitment explains why Glasgow boasts the title of UNESCO City of Music, why we can provide both the inspiration and location for the Turner Prize and why the School of Simulation and Visualisation (formerly the Digital Design Studio) is recognised as one of Europe’s foremost university-level institutions for creative education and research.

As with all our key industries, competition is intense and ever-increasing so the challenge for our creative sector is to continue to build on what has already been achieved.

But if the early part of this year is anything to go by, Glasgow’s reputation as a hotbed of creativity and innovation is stronger than ever.

 

The above blog post has been made possible through the generous support of Creative Clyde and the named contributors.