Artist Residencies: Scotland’s Creative Cities Living Heritage Residencies Programme
The Creative Cities Living Heritage Residency Programme is a new micro-residency programme designed to celebrate and strengthen the cultural and natural connections between Scotland’s UNESCO Sites.
Supported by the UK National Commission for UNESCO’s Local to Global UNESCO Network Community Grants, with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the programme will bring together four creatives, each based in one of Scotland’s UNESCO Creative Cities, for a week long immersive residency at a paired UNESCO site. Creatives will respond to their host location through sound, image, word, or form, producing new creative work inspired by the distinctive qualities of each setting.
Dundee (UNESCO City of Design) × New Lanark (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
A designer from Dundee, Scotland’s first and only UNESCO City of Design, will partner with New Lanark, the historic mill village founded in 1785 and internationally admired for its utopian model of community, education and welfare. The residency will explore how New Lanark’s pioneering industrial and social innovations can inform contemporary design.
Edinburgh (UNESCO City of Literature) × The Forth Bridge (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
A writer based in Edinburgh, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, will work with the UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Forth Bridge, a feat of engineering known globally for its striking red steelwork and enduring symbolism of Scottish ingenuity. The residency will focus on the sites and sounds of The Forth Bridge.
Glasgow (UNESCO City of Music) × New Lanark (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
A Glasgow musician, representing Scotland’s only UNESCO City of Music, will also be hosted by New Lanark, this time with a focus on the contemporary soundscape of the village. This collaboration will explore how historic spaces can inspire new sonic interpretations of a heritage utopia.
Perth (UNESCO City of Craft & Folk Art) × Arran Geopark (UNESCO Global Geopark)
A craft maker from Perth & Kinross, the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of craft, will work with Arran Geopark, famed for its extraordinary geodiversity and cultural heritage. This residency will investigate the shared geological stories of Arran and Perthshire and their influence on craft practice past and present.
Location: Dundee City, Edinburgh City, Glasgow City, Perth and Kinross
For further information, please contact perthcraftcity@gmail.com (Poppy Jarratt)
The deadline is Monday 13 April 2026 at 13:00.