The Culture Café Animateurs programme supported contemporary artists and creative practitioners who had been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions from May to Septemeber 2020.

Artists and makers were and are still being impacted by economic hardship and social isolation, particularly due to loss of free-lance work and access to usual making spaces and collaborations. At this challenging time, and with lockdown restrictions, we invited artists and practitioners to explore and try out ways to stimulate and strengthen the Culture Café model and increase benefit to the people who attend the network events.

During the first series, we were able to support four artists and one collective of Culture Café Animateurs who took over the Culture Café platform. The second series involved 3 artists over a longer period of time. The brief was non-prescriptive, apart from what is written above, and the only expectation was that the activity must stay true to the spirit of the Culture Café Manifesto and include some form of networking.  Artists had to come from the Moray region, but they could use any artistic medium and also choose to work in collaboration with another artist, community group or business.  

BACKGROUND: Moray Culture Café was launched in 2011, and there have now been over thirty Culture Café events, hosted by a range of individuals and organisations, always in partnership with a local food producer or provider. Culture Café is designed as a meeting space for artists and those who work in the arts and related sectors, Culture Café brings people together to network, share ideas and good practice, develop partnerships and support one another. Culture Café is community-owned, adapting and responding to artists interests and concerns.

The Culture Café Manifesto is available on our website or Facebook page.  If you have any questions, please email info@culturecafe.scot

Culture Café Animateurs have been made possible by Highlands and Islands Enterprise Community Support Fund and produced by Dance North Scotland on behalf of the Culture Café network.