Glasgow School of Art have received £122,500 to investigate why city has produced so many artists – the so-called ‘Glasgow Miracle’
Glasgow School of Art has been given a massive £122,500 grant – one of the largest of its kind – to investigate exactly why the city has produced so many successful contemporary artists. The so-called ‘Glasgow Miracle’ will be explored through the archived photos and recordings, as well as new interviews, to identify the conditions that allow artists to flourish.
This grant comes from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), who believe that, rather than a miracle, the multitude of Glaswegian creatives must be down to identifiable social, cultural, and economic factors. Preliminary research suggests the role of strong teaching, cheap studio space and the clustering of artists in one area of the city. Researchers believe that a better understanding of these factors could help bring in future investment to the city. So let’s just hope poverty hasn’t been a decisive cause!
Prof Seona Reid, director of the Glasgow School of Art, said: ‘Glasgow currently has one of the most active art-scenes in Europe producing artists of international significance and attracting many more to study and live in the city.
‘The AHRC grant will enable the GSA and the CCA to investigate the evidence of the last 30 years and to unlock some of the secrets of the ‘Glasgow Miracle’ and the subsequent building of a local arts infrastructure.’
CCA director Francis McKee added: ‘We are in a unique position of having access to both the critical historical sources as well as many of the relevant artists themselves’: ‘Our approach to the investigation brings together for the first time a range of evidence including the physical – objects, artefacts and documentation – and the ephemeral – aspirations, reflections and memories’. ‘Using these we hope to help define some of the key events, exhibitions and networks underlying the Glasgow contemporary art scene and enable past events to signpost future activity.’
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