Welcome

We are delighted to present another open studio event, this year with 100 studios, our biggest event to date! The event will take place across the region from Portpatrick to Sanquhar, Dumfries and Eskdalemuir (and everywhere in between!). Join us in the studios from 27-29 May 2023.

Joanna Jones Assistant Director, Upland CIC

This year we have continued to focus on our studios and welcoming back the public into these creative spaces. Due to the ongoing financial situations affecting most, and especially small independent businesses, we have been delighted to offer more financial aid and supported participation. This year we have given out more bursaries (of an increased amount) and launched a brand-new scheme called CREATE which offers a free place in the event for an artist working in experimental, installation or site-specific work that doesn’t quite fit in the “traditional” studio environment.

We have 18 new studios and lots of emerging artists and makers taking part, producing everything from painting and printmaking to installations and blacksmithing. All studios are open for the full 3 days (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) and you can be assured of a warm welcome!

This brochure features details of our studios and information on our bus, bike and walking tours, the Spring Fling Prize Draw and our pop-up activities in the lead up to this year’s event. As well as information on other Upland projects like Emerge, our international residency exchange, Artful Migration and ROAM.

We hope visitors will be able to enjoy as many studios as they can across the long weekend, however, we know you can’t visit them all! This brochure, and the Spring Fling website (www.spring-fling.co.uk), has all the information you need to find out what studios are taking part, where they are and how to get there.

This year’s brochure illustration has been produced by Jill Calder and it presents Scotland’s most southerly point, the Mull of Galloway, an area you can travel to on one of our tours and visit Spring Fling studios! We are delighted to produce the brochure again with partners Alba Printers. We hope you enjoy seeing all that the event has to offer and start planning your visit!

With special thanks to our funders and supporters who have helped make this year’s event and it’s extended programme possible: Dumfries & Galloway Council, Creative Scotland, the Barfil Trust, the Holywood Trust, Archie Sutter Watt, our dedicated board, staff and our Friends. Most importantly, we would like to thank our event participants, both new and returning, for all their hard work in preparation for the event. We can’t wait to visit their studios!

On behalf of everyone at Upland, we hope you enjoy Spring Fling 2023.