Luminate is Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, and we work to ensure that older people’s creativity can flourish whatever their circumstances, experience, interests and ambitions. The final word in that sentence is important to us: we believe it’s important that older people have the opportunity to fulfil their creative ambitions whatever they are – whether that’s joining a local arts group, learning a new musical instrument, or developing a professional practice.
Our work with older, early career artists began back in 2017 when we first collaborated with Magnetic North Theatre Company on a residential lab for older artists at Cove Park artists’ centre. We received over 130 applications from all over Scotland and were inspired by the high quality of the proposals; there was clearly a demand for this kind of opportunity, and it convinced us that there was a need for an ongoing programme of support.
Applicants included people who wanted to study an artform in their youth but didn’t have the chance, as well as those who had discovered a new talent in their later years. There were others who had been to art college, conservatoire or university when they were younger, but life had taken them down a different route and now they wanted to return to their artform. There were some who already worked in the arts sector but were looking to make a change – community artists for example, who had spent their careers nurturing other people’s creativity and now wanted to develop their own practice.
Becoming a professional artist in early adulthood brings many challenges, but doing so in your later years can be tougher still.
Becoming a professional artist in early adulthood brings many challenges, but doing so in your later years can be tougher still. Finding opportunities to develop skills, experience and networks can prove tricky. You may have caring responsibilities, perhaps for teenage children or young grandchildren as well as for ageing parents; you may have work and financial commitments that limit your flexibility. You almost certainly have less energy than you had in your 20s. And then there are societal attitudes to contend with – the commonly held view that older people don’t have anything new to say, and that innovation is only possible if you’re young.
We have offered a number of opportunities for older artists since 2017, including a programme of bursaries. The bursaries are small – £500 to £1200 – but they can be used flexibly to meet applicants’ individual needs. To date, they have been spent on activities including research trips, attending courses and paying for mentor support. So, what are the key things we’ve learned from this programme?
Firstly, we’ve learned that confidence can be a huge issue for older artists. Of course, this can be the case at any age, but for older emerging artists the high profile generally given to younger emerging artists can affect self-belief. Many artists have told us that our bursaries are seen as validation of their practice. A number of people have gone on to submit larger applications to other funders and tell us they wouldn’t have done that had they not received Luminate’s bursary first. Some say they wouldn’t have had the confidence to sign up for certain courses and other development opportunities without the endorsement of Luminate’s support – so while the money itself is valuable, the self-belief it can bring is crucial.
Confidence can be a huge issue for older artists
We learned early on that flexibility is key for a programme like this to be successful. Understanding that timelines or even the nature of the activity may have to change for all sorts of reasons – unexpected demands of caring responsibilities for example, or health difficulties faced by the artist. Again, these are things that can happen at any age, but they are more likely as people get older.
The opportunity to be part of a network of older artists was hugely valued by bursary recipients, who found the chance to share experience with artists in similar situations an important one. We’re planning more networking events over the coming months as a result.
We think that the support we offer to older emerging artists is extremely important, and we know it is valued. I want to give the last words of this blog to two artists we have supported, in both cases covering the costs of mentor support: Shetland-based visual artist Berenice Carrington who was awarded a bursary in 2019, and choreographer and performer Christine Thynne from Edinburgh, who was awarded a bursary in 2021.
Being awarded a Luminate bursary was a critical turning point for me: after having been a carer for a terminally ill family member, and then raising their children, I was looking for a place to restart my creative life. The most lasting benefit, four years later, was the group session that I attended in Glasgow. Two years’ worth of recipients were brought together for a day of facilitated discussions and interactions. To be surrounded by other people who were each striving for something creative gave me a feeling of being on firm ground – I gained so much confidence from seeing and hearing about everybody else’s work. Up ’til then I thought I had to find a way to ‘fit in’ to a world that had passed me by. With Luminate I discovered I already had a legitimate place and I was in good company.
Berenice Carrington
What a difference a four-day bursary can make.
Exploring my love of the outdoors, sea kayaking and dance.
I found a confidence and was inspired in my 80th year to move forward.
Since April 2022 I’ve had the opportunity to show 13 minutes of film and live dance of my Luminate experience, and to have two weeks of studio space at DanceBase, to explore bringing my outdoors indoors.
And what next?
Hopefully some research and development this year
Then
A solo performance piece for 2024.
Who would have thought that possible for an 80-year-old?
None of this would be happening without the Older Artists’ Bursary
Thank you Luminate
Christine Thynne
Readers might also be interested in The Artist in Time, a beautiful coffee table book celebrating the lives of practising artists born before 1950. Free copies available here.