The Barn is seeking a Lead Artist to develop and deliver Illuminate Together, a community lantern project taking place in Banchory in Aberdeenshire during Autumn 2026.
Inspired by light, nature and community, the project will bring together local people of different ages through creative lantern-making activities, culminating in a shared community celebration as part of the Banchory Bonfire & Fireworks Night in early November.
We are looking for an artist with experience in one or more of the following:
- Community engagement and participatory practice
- Lantern making, craft or visual arts
- Creative facilitation
- Working collaboratively with schools, community groups and people of different ages.
We are looking for an artist who can create a welcoming, inclusive and engaging experience for participants, while responding creatively to The Barn's values of community, creativity and nature. Artists working across disciplines are encouraged to apply.
The project will involve:
- Developing a creative lantern-making concept
- Working with primary and secondary school pupils, community groups and members of the public
- Deliver approximately 10–12 workshops between September and October 2026.
- The workshop schedule will be developed collaboratively with the Lead Artist and participating community partners. Wherever possible, workshops will be clustered to enable multiple sessions to be delivered on the same day.
- Attend the Barn's Plenty Festival on 4 October 2026 to facilitate a simple drop-in lantern-making activity for members of the public.
- Supporting groups with final preparations during October
- Attending the final community celebration on 7 November 2026 (provisional)
- Contributing to a short evaluation report
Materials
We encourage the use of sustainable, recycled, compostable and natural materials wherever appropriate
As the project will culminate outdoors, artists should consider how materials and lantern designs can withstand autumn weather conditions.
Fee
The fee will be agreed with the successful artist and will be based on the Scottish Artists Union Recommended Rates of Pay (https://www.artistsunion.scot/...). We anticipate that the project will require approximately seven days' work, including planning, preparation, delivery, attendance at key events and evaluation.
Reasonable agreed travel, materials and project expenses will be reimbursed separately.
Location
We particularly welcome applications from artists based in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and the wider North East of Scotland.
How to Apply
Please send the following:
- A short introduction about yourself and your artistic practice (maximum 500 words).
- A brief outline describing how you would approach Illuminate Together, including your ideas for engaging the participating communities and delivering the project.
- Examples of relevant work (this may include images, videos, websites or social media links).
We welcome applications in alternative formats. You may submit your application as a video (maximum 3 minutes) instead of in writing. Please provide examples of relevant work as a separate attachment (PDF, portfolio, or links where appropriate). If you require another format or have any access requirements, please get in touch and we will be happy to discuss how we can support your application.
Please email your application to:
Giulia Montalbano - Artistic Director, The Barn - g.director@thebarnarts.co.uk
Recruitment Timeline
- Open Call Launch: Thursday 2 July 2026
- Application Deadline: Monday 20 July 2026, 5 pm
- Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an informal conversation with members of The Barn team on Wednesday 22nd July 2026. If attending in person is not possible, we are happy to arrange an online conversation.
- Successful applicant notified: by Monday 27 July 2026.
- Project planning: August 2026.
- Workshop delivery: September–October 2026.
- Community Celebration: Saturday 7 November 2026.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Barn is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences and are committed to creating an accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please let us know and we will do our best to support you.
As this project involves developing relationships with local communities over several months, we particularly encourage applications from artists based in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and the wider North East of Scotland. However, applications from artists based further afield are welcome and will be considered on their merits.
