MORE than 20 artists and cultural companies are to be based in each of Glasgow's wards, in a new Artist in Residence scheme.

The programme (AIR), funded by £400,000, will see the artists, the city said, "immersed in communities, working creatively with local people and organisations to co-design the residency activity which will take place in the second phase."

Glasgow's scheme, it said, hopes to gather views from people in the city about how to "improve health, wellbeing, confidence and quality of life throughout the city by strengthening local links with arts and culture."

Art forms to be involved in the scheme,first mooted in 2017, will include music, performance, visual art, film and craft.

The second phase of the programme which will start later in the year and run until April, 2020.

Each of the 23 projects selected has been given £10,000 to carry out the work in their area.

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The rest of the budget being used to fund "development of support networks, training and resources for the artists and for participants, research and evaluation of the initiative’s impact, as well as direct costs of activities the selected artists and arts organisations undertake, such as provision of materials, venues, and equipment hire."

Councillor David McDonald, depute leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of Glasgow Life, the city's cultural organisation, said: "Culture can have a transformational impact and has been pivotal in Glasgow’s rebirth in recent decades.

"Our ‘Creative Communities – Artists in Residence’ programme takes arts and culture to a local level, into the heart of our communities where it become a tremendous force for good; improving health, well-being and the general quality of life, boosting the confidence of individuals and communities, raising educational outcomes and breathing new life into some neighbourhood facilities.

“We know from studies from participatory arts projects elsewhere that they deliver real positive outcomes from healthy eating through to increased physical activity.

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“Recognising how central culture is to the vibrancy, vitality and profile of our city, this programme is also an investment in our creative talent, supporting our artistic community and working closely with them as they make a positive impact in every neighbourhood in our city.

“By nurturing a supportive environment for the cultural and creative industries, we can remove barriers which prevent the sector from reaching its full potential – whilst at the same time ensuring arts and culture are readily accessible to all those who live and work within our city."

The artists involved, from Ward 1 (Linn) to Ward 23 (Partick East/Kelvindale) are: Deirdre Nelson, The Village Storytelling Centre, Daniele Sambo & Hannah Brackston, Fiona Fleming, The Glasgow Barons, Alec Finlay & Henry Bell, A Kind of Seeing, Ailie Rutherford, Alex Wilde, Rae-Yen Song and Brian Morgan, John Binnie, Donna Rutherford, Creative Electric, Elena Mary Harris, Ignite Theatre, WAVEparticle, Louise Nolan, Glasgow Sculpture Studios, Springburn Winter Gardens Trust, Skye Loneragan, Street Level Photoworks, Fraser MacLeod, Walker and Bromwich, Karen McGrady Parker and Tricky Hat.

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