Even Here, Even Now: Legacy Open Call

This role will be managed by Shetland Arts and encompass a number of tasks that ensure the visibility and progression of the document, Even Here, Even Now. This role advocates for the document and the information in it, summarising the vital work of artists in the island communities of Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.

This is an outcome focused role. Hours are flexible for the successful candidate, ensuring that work is delivered appropriately across the months, from Aug/Sept 2024 - Mar 2025.

This role has a fee of £12000 with a £4000 budget.

This will involve:

• Ensuring the work and impact of the Island-based Culture Collective projects and the Even Here, Even Now manifesto are known at a national and political level. We anticipate at least three national campaigns.
• Shaping and disseminating the message from this document, internally amongst staff in the four participating Regularly Funded Organisations and externally, to the public, stakeholders and media.
• Creating opportunities for islands-based artists to tell their story and influence and shape policy.
• Creating communication plans to convey this message, and follow them through to delivery.
• Reflecting and reevaluating where required, ensuring that coverage of the document is delivered. This will involve analysing the effectiveness of your communication strategies, using the data from this to inform future communications.
• Ensuring that there is national news coverage about the impact of Culture Collective projects in Scotland’s Islands, including projects, artists and Even Here, Even Now.
• Effectively conveying the achievements of the four organisations and Culture Collective projects (past and present).
• Having a clear voice that accurately expands the reputation of island-based artists.
• Managing a small budget that can allow you to collect content for distribution. This could be gathering or creating new media from Culture Collective 3 project delivery and run events.
• Coordinating the local Artist Advocate programme for Even Here, Even Now, which will deliver facilitated sessions focussing on the manifesto with local communities, creative practitioners and stakeholders.
• Advocating for remote and island-based arts in media across Scotland.
• Writing, editing and distributing content, including press releases, newsletters and social media posts, to enhance and progress the visibility of Even Here, Even Now. You will be responsible for distributing these and sharing them with the marketing teams in each organisation.
• Investigating the possibilities of organising and managing national events, such as press conferences or promotional events.
• Coordinating with the RFO organisations and artists to gather information to support your advocacy of the themes of Even Here, Even Now.
• Have clear communication with the RFO organisations and the Artist Advocates about your deliverables.

Please note that there is no training provided in this freelance role, and that there is an expectation that this person will be able to fulfil the above deliverables with their existing knowledge and skillsets. There will be communication with the marketing departments of the RFO organisations, but not support from them.

Qualities and skillset required:

• Ability to write clearly and concisely
• Ability to work independently and utilise own initiative
• Desire to listen to local artists and showcase their work and what they stand for, locally and nationally
• Contacts with and experience of national media campaigns and ability to utilise these to progress Even Here, Even Now to nationwide awareness/status
• Experience and skillset in large media campaigns
• Experience in timeframe and budget management
• Liaising and communicating with multiple organisations
• Experience of working with a shared drive to share plans of delivery and activity plans
• Marketing experience on a local and national scale, including press releases and social media
• Ability to formulate distribution plans from current content and media
• Experience to support the RFO organisations in the implementation of the visibility of this campaign
• A passion for creating change through the work that you do

(A knowledge of creative arts practice, particularly in a rural context would be beneficial but not essential.)

These roles will be based one in each location, managed by the local RFO organisation (Uist - Taigh Chearsabhagh, Outer Hebrides – An Lanntair, Orkney – Pier Arts Centre, Shetland – Shetland Arts). The role of the Artist Advocates will be to manage and facilitate a series of local events and gatherings that help support locally the national work delivered by the Even Here, Even Now Communications and Advocacy Lead.

This is an outcome focused role. Hours are flexible for the successful candidate, ensuring that work is delivered appropriately across the months, from Aug/Sept 2024 - Mar 2025. The fee for this role is £3500 with a budget of £500 for project spend.

This will involve in your local area:

• The organisation and delivery of eight workshops and events for local artists and participants, with a focus on Even Here, Even Now, Culture Collective and responding to needs in each location. Workshops can happen in the local RFO organisation’s buildings, where technical and marketing support will be provided, although you must create the information to be shared and marketed.
• Liaise with local press and local RFO organisation marketing team to promote and celebrate events and artists involved.
• Co-ordinating delivery with Artist Advocates in the other three locations.
• To attend meetings with the organisations, Even Here Even Now Communications & Advocacy Lead and the other Artist Advocates.
• To share your plans and proposals for approval with your local RFO organisation, ensuring that all work is in-keeping with the wider project plan of providing legacy for Even Here, Even Now and Culture Collective.
• To respond to what is happening in the other areas, replicating successes and finding opportunities for artists to connect across the islands.
• To establish a collaborative conversation with the artist community that the RFO organisations’ serve.
• To promote Even Here, Even Now locally.
• Liaise between local artists and creative practitioners and the RFO organisations.

Qualities and skillsets required:

• A good working knowledge of the arts and creative practice in your local area
• Demonstrable ability to organize, manage and lead workshops/talks/events
• Demonstrable ability of timeframe and budget management
• Experience in marketing events and media releases
• A desire to connect with local artists and participants and the Artist Advocates, across the four island groups
• Experience in updating shared online spaces, which will be used in communicating the delivery of events between organisations and other Artist Advocates
• Demonstrable experience of inclusive and accessible practices