2025 Launch: Summerhall Arts celebrates a new era of performance, art, collaboration and opportunity
Today Summerhall Arts launches a vigorous programme of professional development and artist support looking to build the future of the creative community in Scotland.
The arts charity are thrilled to announce an upcoming programme of work and artistic support for the first year of multi-year funding activity.
This is the start of a great year for audiences and artists alike to inspire dialogue through the arts as life is brought back into the wonderful spaces at Summerhall in Edinburgh.
Summerhall Arts aims to broaden the arts audience and artistic community in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland and are delighted to announce fantastic opportunities for artists working in both the visual and performing arts and everything in between.
On May 7th Summerhall Arts will launch their first fringe festival programme, a hugely ambitious and creative offering made up of over 50% international new work. Award winners will also be announced of the two new awards Meadows and The Guimarães Rosa Institute Awards as well as the annual Autopsy Award winner.
In the build-up to the festival Summerhall Arts is delighted to announce its first three artistic collaborations with the following projects made possible by Creative Scotland funding.
Fleur Darkin, The Muses That Walk Amongst Us
May 1-3 7.30pm
A collection of poetic scenes exploring feminine power through sculpture, movement, and music, devised by world-renowned Fife-based choreographer Fleur Darkin. Performances, workshops and an exhibition will make up this exciting project.
Emma Howlett from Theatre Goose will be in residence in May developing new work and strengthening Summerhall’s longstanding relationship with her and the company who will be premiering their new show here in August.
Summerhall Arts are also delighted to give Edinburgh Acting School their new forever home and look forward to working with them.
Imogen Stirling, Artistic Producer said:
“Summerhall Arts is a space that genuinely listens to and supports artists—we’re here to offer opportunity, champion bold ideas, and foster a vibrant, inclusive community. I’m so excited to help build something that truly puts artists at the heart of everything. This is a transformative new offering that prioritises artist needs, making space for experimentation, connection, and meaningful development.”
Samantha Chapman, Head of Visual Arts said :
“The Summerhall Arts year-round programme of exhibitions showcases the work of local, national and international practicing artists, presenting ambitious, innovative and culturally relevant contemporary visual art.
We offer opportunities, space and support that is crucial to the artistic community of Edinburgh and Scotland whilst providing free access to contemporary art to diverse audiences. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging, inclusivity, and collaboration within our local community and beyond, creating opportunities for meaningful connections between artists and audiences.”
Sam Gough, Chief Executive said: “Summerhall Arts was set up to provide creative opportunities and professional development to artists of all genres in a sector where opportunities were dwindling. We wanted to marry space, time, money, and exposure in different combinations to provide a leg up to the emerging and early career artists of Scotland.
The legacy that we are committed to is one of opportunity, risk -taking and creativity. What has made Summerhall the cultural and artistic powerhouse is the ability for the team to support experimentation of form and style in a safe and collaborative space. We will continue to push the boundaries of the arts and will remain the birthplace of new writing, innovative exhibition opportunities for emerging visual artists and ground-breaking multi-disciplinary arts.”
PERFORMING ARTS AND DEVELOPMENT
There are three open calls to performing arts creatives:
Summerhall Arts Studio arrives this summer, a week-long paid residency for creatives with work in early development.
Click here to apply
Summerhall Arts Spaces are free-to-access spaces for artists to book to develop ideas, experiment with form and explore new directions.
Click here to apply
There are also paid Summerhall Arts Spaces for rehearsal or development space with a £500 stipend for artists to develop new ideas in a supported environment.
Click here to apply
And three free-to-access artist development initiatives:
Summerhall Arts Chats are free one-to-one sessions with Imogen Stirling (Development and Producing Lead at Summerhall Arts) to brainstorm projects, refine ideas and chat creativity.
Summerhall Arts Hub is an ongoing free communal workspace and writers’ room for artists to focus, collaborate and create.
Creative Connect on Friday 16 May is a relaxed networking event to spark ideas, share projects and meet like-minded creatives.
VISUAL ARTS
2025 started strong with three main exhibitions from Gareth Fisher, Hattie Quigley and Strange Times, a collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art.
Forthcoming visual arts highlights include:
The winner of the Summerhall Arts x Unlimited commission targeted at professional disabled artists Rudy Kanhye with L’ésperance Blue Gold.
Exploring the untold histories of indentured immigration through an ambitious glass sculpture, L’ésperance Blue Gold, addresses themes of empire, migration, and transcultural solidarity.
Developed through archives sourced across Africa, India, Europe and critical race studies, crip methodologies, decolonial studies, and site-specific investigations in Mauritius and Scotland.
Sam Chapman comments on the commission:‘’Summerhall Arts is deeply committed to combating underrepresentation in the arts, and it is an honour to be working with Unlimited in offering this commission opportunity. It is vital there is a cultural and political shift with regards to opportunities offered to disabled individuals and it is imperative that our work contributes to this in any way it can.’’
The first annual Summerhall Arts Group Show
Applications are now open to exhibit as part of the first annual Summerhall Arts Group Show.
Embodying the Summerhall Arts ethos, this exhibition offers local, national and international visual artists the opportunity to exhibit up to three pieces of work, in the newly renovated gallery spaces within the vibrant Summerhall arts centre, throughout the months of August and September 2025, as part of our fringe programme.
Exhibitors will be chosen through a panel selection and this year, supported by Creative Scotland, the application and exhibition process is free of charge and can be made in either written or video format.
The exhibition will run from 26th of July to 21st of September.
Click here to apply
Summer Commission – Open call for proposals
Creative Scotland multiyear funding has allowed Summerhall Arts to preserve the annual Summerhall commission and offer one visual artist or designer the opportunity to produce a piece of work to be exhibited permanently in the public spaces on the Summerhall site. This, the first annual Summerhall Arts summer commission, focuses on celebrating this inspiring historic building and asks artists and designers to submit proposals to re-imagine the windows of the iconic staircase, that overlooks the courtyard. Summerhall Arts are looking for a piece of work that may be printed onto transparent vinyl to mimic the effect of a stained glass window.
A £1500 commission fee will be awarded in addition to printing and installation of the final piece.
Artists can submit their applications to with the subject: Summerhall Arts, Summer commission proposal.
CATALYST : Art As Activism December 2025 – March 2026
CATALYST is a programme of solo exhibitions by four artists who have an interest in art as activism and who’s work advocates for social, political, environmental, or cultural change. More details will follow.
Year Round Associate Exhibitions Programme
Associate Exhibitions Programme offers organisations and individuals the opportunity to deliver exhibitions within the multiple and varied Summerhall Arts galleries. This year’s programme will feature group shows by Garvald Edinburgh and Out of Sight Out of Mind amongst many others.
Packages are bespoke to the individual needs of the client and support is available with curation, technical equipment and expertise, installation, invigilation, exhibition furniture, marketing, press, private views and launch events, in addition to gallery space.
Summerhall Arts Boutique is a new year-round opportunity for artists, artisans and designers to exhibit and sell their work within our thriving arts centre.
Located on the ground floor of Summerhall the boutique will be fully staffed with expert sales personnel and open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
Summerhall Arts does not take a commission on sales and so 100% of the profit will go directly to the artists.
For more details on all of this and for any further information on Summerhall Arts, to get involved or to support please get in touch with info@summerhallarts.co.uk