The Association for Cultural Enterprises, a charity and trade body for the arts, heritage and cultural sector, has revealed that it has awarded its new Seeds of Change £10,000 prize fund to Fruitmarket, a contemporary gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Seeds of Change prize fund promotes sustainable projects in the cultural sector. Fruitmarket’s Future Makers initiative was chosen as the winner for its innovative approach and potential for replication in the industry.
The programme will help 10 local makers to create ethical and sustainable products, promoting community-minded business practices in addition to generating revenue. Fruitmarket will host an exhibition and launch event to showcase the finished items.
The judges say this is “a well thought out project that develops local makers into suppliers for the sector while encouraging sustainable practices – creatively exciting and right for right now.”
Supporting sustainable practices
Shortlisted proposals also included projects from the National Theatre and Insole Court Trust. The judges noted the quality and creativity of all entries, highlighting innovation and sustainability in the cultural industry.
Gordon Morrison, CEO of Cultural Enterprises, comments: “The Association for Cultural Enterprises’ primary mission is to embed sustainable economic best practice across the cultural sector.
“With the awarding of the inaugural £10,000 Seeds of Change prize we have really put our money where our mouth is, and I am very excited we will be directly helping Fruitmarket’s innovative Future Makers project to flourish. I am convinced that this is a project that will inspire the wider sector, and indeed those within the supply chain of the sector, and we will see similar projects emerge across the UK and beyond in the months and years to come.”
Allison Everett, buying and retail manager, Fruitmarket, says: “Thank you to Cultural Enterprises for this rare opportunity to upscale a project that we really believe in. The Future Makers programme will actually change people’s lives and has potential to create impactful makers’ communities across the country. We have an opportunity to forge even more makers whose voices we would not have heard otherwise, which feels so special and so hopeful.”
The Seeds of Change winner was announced at a special event onboard SS Great Britain. It was supported by Green Tourism, the sector’s leading environmental accreditation organisation. Green Tourism supports cultural venues to become more environmentally sustainable and maximise the resulting business opportunities.
Andrea Nicholas, Green Tourism CEO, adds: “In these challenging times for the cultural sector with visitor numbers still recovering from Covid and public funding reducing, Green Tourism is very proud to support the Association for Cultural Enterprises with its new initiative, Seeds for Change, helping to raise awareness of sustainability and demonstrate what is possible.
“We congratulate Fruitmarket for the innovative Future Makers project which will be an inspirational example for others to follow.”
Last month, The Association for Cultural Enterprises shared insights from CEO Gordon Morrison & chair Melanie Lewis, who both recently joined the organisation.
