Changin Scotland - Scotland’s alternative festival of ideas, culture and politics - 1st - 3rd November 2013 - Newbattle Abbey College

Changin Scotland

Scotland’s alternative festival of ideas, culture and politics

Friday 1st November - Sunday 3rd November 2013 

    Newbattle Abbey College, by Dalkeith

This November Gerry Hassan and Jean Urquhart are at Newbattle Abbey College just South of Edinburgh for a weekend on how to do social change, activism and campaigning in a different way!

This weekend will be a departure in feel, style and setting – and is facilitated and led by Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert of the Centre for Artistic Activism who are based at New York University.

This will be a participatory weekend bringing together community politics with cultural and civic engagement. It will look at how to be a creative kind of activist, build alliances, and beyond tactics and strategy, start to envision a different kind of politics and world!

We cannot promise to change the world in a single weekend but we can make a start! The weekend will address how cultural activists and practitioners can develop a better political intelligence, and political campaigners nurture a more informed cultural awareness, and the two influence and cross-fertilise each other.

This weekend will be stimulating, demanding and challenging, enjoyable and fun. We ask that people come rested, open minded and willing to collaborate with others.

Weekend Details:

The weekend runs from Friday 1^st starting with a meal at 6.30pm, all day Saturday and Sunday concluding 4.00pm. Extra attractions include an intimate gig with acclaimed folksinger Karine Polwart on Saturday night.

Tickets for the weekend are £60 (accommodation and food extra). Please contact for booking: Newbattle Abbey College Reception: 0131 6631921.

What previous participants say about the Centre for Artistic Activism:

‘It’s magical. Recalibrating reality.’ ‘It made me rethink my politics and challenge people who say, “I am not political”’. ‘Culture is everywhere. We all do it and this helped me embrace how to do a more creative politics’.

What they say about Changin Scotland: ‘The alternative Davos’ National Collective

We have a limited number of places so book early!
Next Changin Scotland dates: March 28-30 at The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool

Jean Urquhart presentation

Jean states that it is no good for artists to talk to themselves - they need to talk to politicians

Saturday 1st October - big thanks to all involved

We thoroughly enjoyed our 3rd State of Play Symposium, and want say thanks to all those involved:

Thank you to everyone who came to AHM's State of Play symposium at DCA today.

Thanks, of course, to Gerry Hassan, 24 hour football, Jenny Brownrigg, Jean Urquhart, Ross Sinclair for their presentations and Ewan Morrison, Helen Shaddock, Jacob Kerray, Chris Dooks, The Anthropo-scene Evolution Alliance, t s Beall, Yuck n Yum for their artist manifestos.

We also want to express our thanks to all the team at DCA and DJCAD who made the symposium and CentreSpace exhibition possible - Clive Gillman, Alice Black, Katy Brignall, Ian Banks, Sophia Yadong Hao, Laura Simpson, Andrew Dodds and Graham Domke.

Thanks to the DJCAD students who volunteered throughout the day - Joanne Macfadyen for her work with registration and refreshments and Michael Pilkington and Michael Spink for the video and sound documentation.

It was a great day beginning with lots of thought provoking one-minute artist manifestos and followed by 4 great presentations.

Keep checking the AHM blog for photos, comments etc, and please do send AHM your thoughts and comments.

Changin Scotland : A weekend of politics, culture and ideas …. And fun!

Friday November 4th-Sunday November 6th
The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool

Friday November 4th
8.15pm Welcome
Gerry Hassan and Jean Urquhart

The Future of Scotland: The Union and Independence
Elaine C. Smith, actress and campaigner and Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph

10.00pm Live Music in the Bar from Babelfish

Saturday November 5th
10.15-11.30am Why did the SNP win?
David Torrance, author, ‘Salmond: Against All Odds’ and Ewan Crawford, former SNP Adviser

11.45-1.00pm A Decade of the Scottish Parliament and its Future
Robert Brown, former Lib Dem MSP and minister

1.00-2.15pm Lunch

2.15-3.30pm Being Second Generation Irish in Modern Scotland
Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, journalist and campaigner, author of ‘A Rebel Journalist’

3.45-5.00pm After ‘The Scheme’ and ‘NEDS’: How Do We Portray Poverty?
Nick Higgins, filmmaker with Morag Gillespie, Glasgow Caledonian University and Peter Mackie Burns, filmmaker

8.30-10.00pm Classic Films of Modern Scotland
Allan Hunter, Co-director of Glasgow Film Festival introduces the second in his series of recent Scottish films

Sunday November 6th
10.30-11.30am The Rise and Fall of the Scottish Left: Life After Tommy Sheridan
Gregor Gall, author, ‘Tommy Sheridan: A Political Biography’

11.30-1.00pm The State of the Scottish Media
Douglas Fraser, BBC Scotland, Kirk Torrance, SNP social media adviser and Joyce Macmillan, freelance journalism

Places are limited! So book early to avoid disappointment!
A weekend ticket £60 Individual sessions £8

To book tickets please phone: The Ceilidh Place Reception 01854-612103
Accomodation available from £25 per person per nite

AHM announce symposium 3 - Saturday 1st October 2011, DCA, Dundee

State of Play – Art and Culture in Scotland Today
Saturday 1st October 2011, 11am – 4pm (registration from 10:30am)
Cinema, DCA, Dundee
Tickets - £10 Concessions - £5

Symposium Themes

AHM’s third and final symposium will bring together the main themes of previous symposia in a debate about the role of art and culture in shaping Scotland’s future, while making reference to an earlier conference entitled “ What Kind of Scotland” organised by the magazine Scottish International in Edinburgh in1973. AHM regard that conference to be of particular relevance to the present debate about Scotland’s future as a nation and as a society.

The keynote address will be delivered by Gerry Hassan, a leading writer and critic on culture and politics. Presentations will be given by Jenny Brownrigg Exhibition Director The Glasgow School of Art, artist Ross Sinclair and Jean Urquhart MSP. Gerry Hassan, the main speaker, has consistently argued the case for cultural change and transformation “ It is time to start living dangerously and take risks. To think and act beyond tribes and labels. Instead, we need to develop new forms of engagement, discussion and debate, developing spaces, forums and places which aid this. This is time for humility, courage and listening, for trying a different kind of politics. It is time to start living, breathing and taking part in the new Scotland.”