Building on the legacy of the Arbroath 2020+ Festival \u2013 which celebrates\u00a0culture as a powerful connector of communities \u2013 the Arbroath 2020+6\u00a0committee continues to create and support opportunities for creativity and cultural expression in the town.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our recent focus has included a vibrant programme in The New Scriptorium at Arbroath Abbey and the return of our iconic festival flags. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cUntold Stories\u201d invites a wide range of interpretations, from hidden histories and personal narratives to unheard voices and reimagined traditions. We\u2019re excited to see how creatives respond to and shape this theme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Created with, and inspired by residents, local partners, and grassroots organisations, the original 2021 festival included major artistic events, premieres and commissions across heritage, music, literature, and visual arts. New work in performance, art & design, and music by internationally renowned Scottish artists was presented alongside collaborative community projects that transformed the streets of Arbroath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recent events in the New Scriptorium have featured storytellers Erin Farley and Jess Smith, and poets Shane Strachan and John Glenday, offering powerful reflections on identity, memory, and place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe that Traditional arts and folk arts would make a rooted next step for the development of Arbroath 2020+6\u2019s programme and contribution to Angus\u2019 Culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), they empower communities across Scotland to discover, develop, and practise their unique traditional arts and heritage in the context of daily life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TRACS is a co-operative network that champions the shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs, and indigenous languages. Together, they celebrate the local distinctiveness of Scotland\u2019s places \u2013 our intangible cultural heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This partnership with Arbroath 2020+6 and hosts, Hospitalfield and Historic Environment Scotland, opens a new chapter in our work \u2014 exploring how traditional practices can uncover and share Untold Stories. For the successful candidates, there will be peer support available from within the TRACS network should they wish to draw upon it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We invite applications from artists in the TRACS community for a residency taking place in March 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The residency is designed for two artists working collaboratively, the selected duo will be hosted for a two-week residency responding to the theme of Untold Stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This residency is designed for collaborative practice. We welcome applications from duos or two individuals who wish to work together, from any discipline, who are interested in creating jointly during the residency period.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Working together is essential to this residency due to the nature of the studio space. The New Scriptorium is compact and cannot accommodate concurrent individual residencies, but it is a wonderful, focused environment for collaboration, exchange, and shared making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Residencies will be hosted at Hospitalfield House, alongside their Interdisciplinary Residency programme, providing time, space, and a supportive environment for reflection and creation. Residents will also have access to The New Scriptorium at Arbroath Abbey during opening hours \u2013 a space steeped in history and ideal for developing or presenting work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You may use the residency to develop an ongoing project or to begin something entirely new. We welcome diverse interpretations of the Untold Stories theme \u2014 from ancestral narratives and folk traditions to contemporary expressions of heritage, identity, and place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n