Summerhall Arts make urgent appeal to the public for financial support to help preserve the future of artistic and cultural events in the iconic venue
Summerhall Arts, an independently registered charity launched in October 2023 to support, develop and enrich the artistic community and cultural fabric of Edinburgh, are in the closing stages of signing a lease in order to take over the consistent arts provision within Summerhall during and beyond its current transition
Summerhall Arts underpins the six different artistic disciplines that make up Summerhall’s creative programme: Live Performance and Professional Development, Visual Arts, Cinema, Local Live Music and Interdisciplinary and Community Engagement.
In order to preserve year-round programmed events within the renowned and beloved building, Summerhall Arts need public financial support to help cover the core operational and key start up costs of this work.
Summerhall Arts have outlined their proposed programme for their artistic output over the next three years, within the sectors of performance, visual art, cinema, local live music, and interdisciplinary and community engagement. To deliver this vital programme, as well as take on the annual programme of events that are already a part of Summerhall, they need financial support from the public who have been so vocal in their support and love of what Summerhall has done until now.
With the closing date for offers on the building having passed, Summerhall Arts are confident that a collaboration with the eventual new owners will favour a future with the arts at the centre. Combined with a lease from the current owners covering theatre spaces and galleries, which is close to being signed – arts and events at Summerhall will be preserved, if enough capital can be raised.
Summerhall Arts are calling on the public – who have already shown great interest and support in seeking the preservation of the arts within this historic building – to donate whatever they are able to the fundraising campaign no matter how small or large an amount that is.
Imogen Stirling, independent creative artist said: “Summerhall is a venue that exists for its artists. It wants to platform new voices and elevate those already speaking boldly. It’s a venue that seeks to nurture, empower and support, a venue that actively wants to make artists feel valued. This is our opportunity to show Summerhall how much we value them in return. We must rally together to preserve the future of this brilliant venue and keep Scotland’s creative scene thriving, by supporting Summerhall Arts.”
Sam Chapman, Head of Visual Arts and Cinema said: ‘’At a time when arts and culture in Scotland are drowning under the weight of an economic crisis and as Summerhall faces its greatest existential threat, it is crucial that we find a way to preserve the renowned visual arts programme.
Your support will allow us to deliver a year round programme of exhibitions and commissions offering support to, and a platform for, both local and national creatives working in the visual arts. Donating To Summerhall Arts will ensure that we are able to continue to facilitate the development and exhibition of non-commercial artwork, to degrade barriers that exist for people to engage with artistic practices and exhibitions, to make art accessible to people of all backgrounds, abilities and economic circumstance and to sustain the national creative community.”
Summerhall Arts cannot rely on public funding in this current climate, and are humbled by the support given already. To be able to successfully implement this plan to nurture and develop the arts in Scotland, and to offer community events and outreach, Summerhall Arts needs the public’s support.
___
In an increasingly unstable arts funding climate, Summerhall Arts are committed to making space and providing support for early career Scottish artists. In addition to maintaining the incredible programme of live performance year round, and particularly in the festival season.
Summerhall Arts will support live performance by commissioning and developing local new writing and offering dedicated writing opportunities for interdisciplinary work; and collaborating with local and international theatre companies to programme work that addresses contemporary social issues, including the climate crisis. In 2022, there were 22 Scottish companies represented in the Summerhall festival programme, down to 12 in 2023 and only 6 in 2024 – showing an urgent and vital need for more support for early and mid-career Scottish theatremakers.
Summerhall Arts will look to rebalance this with artist residencies; week-long Lab Week programmes; space for up to 80 weeks of development or rehearsals across the year; Summerhall Drop Ins; and further events in their ‘Summerhall Surgeries’ scratch event series. A mentorship programme will pair emerging artists with experienced professionals; offering workshops and masterclasses led by industry experts, as well as networking events with industry, peers and venue figures; and, vitally, listening to artists to ensure meaningful responses to their needs.
Within their new Visual Arts strategy, Summerhall Arts would offer opportunities for independent visual artists to exhibit work in a gallery context, curating thematically around contemporary social, cultural, and political issues. This space does not exist for non-commercial artists in another form, and offers a vital opportunity to local and emerging artists to thrive.
Access to exhibitions and associated events will be free of charge, ensuring community access to culture at the heart of the building.
Sam Chapman added: ‘’The next cycle of the visual art programme proposed here consists of three carefully curated seasons of exhibitions, comprising twelve solo shows and two commissions, between the months of March 2025 and February 2026, across fourteen exhibition spaces within Summerhall. Working with artists from diverse backgrounds, at varying stages of their careers, we offer the space and support that is crucial to the artistic community of Edinburgh and Scotland whilst providing free access to contemporary art to local, national and international audiences.”
Following the success of Edinburgh International Film Festival using the building this summer, Summerhall Arts want to expand cinema programming with independent cinema releases, repertory cinema classics, documentaries, and foreign language films.
Within live music Summerhall Arts wishes to foster a supportive and inclusive environment for musicians, offering rehearsal space, technical support, and opportunities for professional development to be able to maintain a consistent programme of live music within Summerhall.
Summerhall Arts wants to ensure the continuance of a cultural touchstone in Edinburgh, fostering even more opportunities for the experimentation, collaboration and cultural cross-pollination that has evolved within Summerhall over the past 13 years.
It is too vibrant and too important a space in Edinburgh to allow it to stop or change. Summerhall Arts asks for your help in order to get under way and looking forward to what’s next for the building.
You can easily donate through Summerhall Art’s website.