Creative Community Hubs Network

The Creative Community Hubs Network is a partnership project increasing connections and solidarity between community-based creative hubs across Edinburgh.

The project has a threefold focus. First, working to build and sustain a network grounded in trust, respect, and mutual support. With these values, the network champions collaboration over competition.

Second, through a small grants programme associated with the network, the project is supporting creative activities in local communities across Edinburgh, while simultaneously interrogating wider funding practices and models.

Third, to advocate for the value of community-embedded and people-centred cultural work across Edinburgh, Scotland, and beyond.

The Network

For the purposes of this project, a ‘creative community hub’ is an organisation that operates out of a publicly accessible building (the hub) within an identifiable community or locality, with culture and creativity as a primary concern. The Creative Community Hubs Network currently consists of eight partner organisations based across Edinburgh. There are many similarities and shared experiences between the hubs, yet each organisation has a unique offering and approach to their work. This reflects the rich history and real diversity of creative community practice across the city, developed over time in response to specific local contexts and shaped by people in communities.

WHALE Community Development Coordinator Tiki Muir and creative freelancer Morvern Cunningham have been working together with the Creative Community Hubs project – looking at developing the network and the impact of different funding models. These are shared in a new report, Funding Better Together, which focuses on relationships and approaches to funding.

Funding Better Together was printed and launched last week at participating hub Out of the Blueprint, a riso printing social enterprise based at Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Leith which seeks to provide opportunities for young people to work in the creative industries. At the launch, Tiki and Morvern gave an overview of the report and it’s findings and how this will develop with the Hubs work across the city and the project funders, City of Edinburgh Council and others.

WHALE Community Development Coordinator Tiki Muir and creative freelancer Morvern Cunningham have been working together with the Creative Community Hubs project – looking at developing the network and the impact of different funding models. These are shared in a new report, Funding Better Together, which focuses on relationships and approaches to funding.

Funding Better Together was printed and launched last week at participating hub Out of the Blueprint, a riso printing social enterprise based at Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Leith which seeks to provide opportunities for young people to work in the creative industries. At the launch, Tiki and Morvern gave an overview of the report and it’s findings and how this will develop with the Hubs work across the city and the project funders, City of Edinburgh Council and others.

Shared Learning Workshops

Sharing best practice expertise has been a valuable part of working together as a network. This video gives insight into how the hubs shared learning and skills through a programme of workshops throughout 2022 and 2023.

Say hello if you’re interested in learning more about the Creative Community Hubs Network, sharing learning, or collaboratively supporting one another.

Reach out! If you consider your organisation to be a creative community hub and you are based in Edinburgh but not yet involved with the network.

Got a platform? We welcome opportunities to speak about our work and to have a voice shaping cultural policy and funding structures.

Interested in partnering with the network? Please read our Working Better Together report. Consider the partnership principles in the How We Would Like It to Be section of the report before contacting us.

Edinburgh Creative Community Hubs...

Please see https://www.whalearts.co.uk/creative-community-hubs-network for a list of Edinburgh's Creative Community Hubs.

Contact Us

Enquiries about the network: tiki@whalearts.co.uk

Please contact hubs directly with enquires specifically concerning them. Contact details can be found on the respective hubs’ websites.