Edinburgh Art Festival, founded in 2004, is the platform for the visual arts at the heart of Edinburgh’s August festivals, bringing together the capital’s leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces in a city-wide celebration of the very best in visual art. Each year, the Festival features leading international and UK artists alongside the best emerging talent, major survey exhibitions of historic figures, and a special programme of newly commissioned artworks that respond to public and historic sites in the city. The vast majority of the festival is free to attend.

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Edinburgh Art Festival Community Engagement runs a year-round programme of learning and engagement activities building long-term relationships with partner organisations, community groups and schools. Through our bespoke tours, workshops and projects we introduce and inspire people to get creative, removing barriers and broadening access to visual art and our festival programme.

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Our current project focuses on building relationships in the Wester Hailes community, through a partnership with WHALEArts, a community-led arts charity and social enterprise, and cultural anchor organisation for the area, whose mission is to be the creative heart of a vibrant, thriving community. This partnership led to projects with local schools - Sighthill Primary School and Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC). The relationships made and the creative experiences occurring contributing to the partnership commission in Wester Hailes in 2022.

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Supported by the PLACE Programme: Platforms for Creative Excellence; a partnership between Edinburgh Festivals, Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland.

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