What is Creative Spaces?
We are a Dumfries-based collective of young creatives, working with and advocating for our region’s young artists.
Situated in the heart of Dumfries, Creative Spaces collaborates with young creatives from across the region, providing young people with opportunities to engage in the arts. Whether it’s through events, workshops, mentorships, or our annual Associates Programme, we aim to enhance Dumfries and Galloway’s creative scene by offering free access to opportunities and paid commissions.
Want to Learn More About Creative Spaces?
Events
Discover more about our diverse range of events & workshops.
Opportunities
Find out about opportunities for artists, creatives, and community members to get involved with Creative Spaces.
Associates Programme
The Associates Programme at Creative Spaces offers a 10-month developmental journey for three artists, supporting personal and professional growth through collaboration and individual project development. It is a programme that strengthens Dumfries & Galloway’s creative community by providing events, workshops, mentorships, and networking opportunities for young creative freelancers.
Associates Directory
Learn more about our previous associates and friends of Creative Spaces.
News
Find out about the latest news and updates about our associates programme, projects and events.
The Team Behind Creative Spaces: Who Are They?
Ali Pidsley | He/Him | Creative Producer
Ali’s background is as a theatre-maker, director, and participatory arts facilitator. He also co-founded and ran Barrel Organ, a theatre company and arts charity, where he learnt all about the joys and challenges of creative producing.
Ali is always interested in his work in liveness, collaboration, and initiating a shared imaginative act, whether between audience and performer, participant and facilitator, or just between one person communicating a story and someone else listening. He is always looking for new forms of experimentation, ways to widen access to and develop the arts, and methods to empower others to see themselves as artists.
His work has seen him travel all around the UK, but he is enjoying a more settled existence in his new home in Dumfries and Galloway, where, if he isn’t at The Stove, he’s outside with his dogs.
Lili Ashton | They/Them | Associate (Wild Goose Festival)
Lili moved to Dumfries in 2022 to study environmental science and sustainability, and is motivated by the belief that culture, arts, and creativity are central to confronting and solving environmental challenges.
Working as a Creative Spaces Associate on the Wild Goose Festival, Lili is excited to bring together their background in environmental science with their keen interest in printmaking, fibre arts, and storytelling to inspire a healthy and stewarding relationship between people, nature, and place.
Craig Duncan | They/Them | Associate (What We Do Now)
Craig’s background is in game design and digital art. With a strong belief that anyone can be a game-maker, Craig travels across the region collaborating with local communities to explore their stories through games and digital art.
Inspired by the communities of Dumfries and Galloway, Craig’s practice explores the use of digital arts and interactive media within the community arts scene. Their work aims to improve access to technology and encourage collaboration.
Liv McDougall | She/They | Associate (Print House)
Liv is an emerging visual artist, musician, and activist born and raised in Dumfries town centre. They are driven by a passion for community, justice, and making the arts more accessible.
For the past three years, they have been involved in the local arts scene and studying creative practice at the Crichton. Seeing first-hand the ways in which creativity allows for community and catharsis has led them to seek a role that enables them to use it to engage directly with communities and create positive change.
What Is Our Mission at Creative Spaces?
Focusing on partnerships with organisations, places, and funders to influence national policy and be a voice for young people, we also aim to make young people’s creative expression central to the creative sector regionally.
We aim to spotlight, showcase, and create platforms for young creatives to highlight their practice. Also, we create responsive projects and activities that align with the needs and desires of young people in Dumfries & Galloway.
We recognise young people’s potential and are creating tailored development pathways to foster their careers. Also, we offer flexibility in our programme to ensure we are acknowledging practices outside of the traditional arts.
Young creatives are uniquely positioned to challenge power structures and services. We offer flexibility and the opportunity to reinvent. We channel energy through creativity towards broader personal and societal outcomes, i.e., health and wellbeing, careers, and creation. We also embrace fluidity and adaptation for change.
We aim to build spaces that are both nurturing and experimental. We acknowledge that the creative process can be messy and chaotic. We recognise that fun is as important as impact. Additionally, we provide opportunities to try out new experiences not traditionally offered by other youth programmes.
Want to see our mission in action?
Head over to the Creative Spaces YouTube channel for engaging content from young emerging creatives in Dumfries & Galloway.
Discover inspiring stories about a variety topics from astrophotography and drag performance to art film directing.
Follow Creative Spaces on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for your creative fix:
Creative Spaces Is Supported By
