Creative Scotland chief praises arts charity DG Unlimited as it celebrates early success

Dumfries and Galloway’s new arts sector charity is thriving according to the chief executive of Scotland’s public arts body.

Janet Archer, chief executive of Creative Scotland praised the local authority’s creative industries during a speech at the DG Unlimited (DGU) conference this week.

Around 130 artists and organisations had gathered in Stanraer’s Ryan Centre for the first arts convention it has held since DGU registered as a charity six months ago.

Throughout the event the audience heard the work DGU has undertaken to boost the area’s arts sector to a wider audience.

As well as two town centre regeneration projects being commissioned in Stranraer and Dumfries, an exhibition of work from Dumfries and Galloway has been staged at a London gallery and proposals have been supported to develop further close links with Russia.

“DG Unlimited is a powerful example of what can happen when the arts community across a large, rural region, comes together to deliver huge benefits for communities through creativity,” Archer said.

The next steps for DGU will see the creation of a new post, which will support and streamline the work of the region’s four area arts convenors.

There will also be a new website to act as a showcase to raise the profile of the arts and culture of Dumfries and Galloway.

Cathy Agnew, chair of DGU’s board of trustees, added: “There has been much to celebrate and a great deal to learn. Despite being such a young organisation, and one that is based on an entirely new model of arts leadership, we have been successful in raising the profile of the region’s vibrant creative sector.

"The arts currently face a great deal of uncertainty but they are vital to our culture, community and economy."