Creative Resistance Project

ARTS FOR GROWN UPS’ CREATIVE RESISTANCE PROJECT

The Art For Grown-Ups members in collaboration with groups from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre and the National Galleries of Scotland, have been exploring the rich histories of community resistance and solidarity here in North Edinburgh – creating new artworks, writing songs, and curating a very special Local Resistance Cinema Programme.

LOCAL RESISTANCE DISPLAY AT NEA

We’re thrilled to invite you to see our LOCAL RESISTANCE display at NEA Community Café, sharing a powerful local story of resistance and protest.

Our first display focuses on campaign by families in North Edinburgh in response to the introduction of the 2017 Benefits Cap, and the evictions that followed. We have chosen this story from many documented and remembered by local photographer Craig Maclean. We would love to hear from you if you would like to get involved with planning the next one (see contact details below).

The LOCAL RESISTANCE display will launch on Thursday 2 October alongside the first event of our Local Resistance Cinema programme.

LOCAL RESISTANCE CINEMA PROGRAMME

Our LOCAL RESISTANCE CINEMA is curated by the NEA Film Group along with Project Esperanza for Local Cinema Network’s programme, which includes events in Wester Hailes, Craigmillar and Leith, September – December 2025.

We are running four special events in October, celebrating local activism, community spirit and solidarity through powerful stories and different art forms. In the first event on Thursday 2 October, at 5pm, we will join for food sharing, watching three short films featuring local protest, and singing our new song: Solidarity Wins: A Song for Greater Pilton, and other classic protest songs, with live guitar accompaniment.

Local Resistance Cinema Programme:

Thursday 16 October: Film and Photography (including a feature documentary)

Thursday 23 October: Film and Creativity

WHAT’S NEXT

We are working towards our exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in November and a celebration event on Thursday 4 December at NEA. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon, and if you would like to be part of this project, please contact Alice Betts by emailing alice.betts@northedinburgharts.co.uk or calling/texting: 07849 410 813.

We’d love for you to join us and be part of our CREATIVE RESISTANCE project.