Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, delivers a diverse programme of creative events and activities throughout the year. Their projects bring together older people and those from across the generations to explore our creativity as we age and share stories and ideas about what growing older means to all of us.
The biennial Luminate Festival is back for 2019, running from 1–31 May. Ahead of the festival, we spoke with Luminate Director Anne Gallacher
Anne Gallacher, Director of Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation © Eoin Carey
Why do we need a creative ageing festival?
Older people are very active in Scotland’s vibrant cultural life, and there are some wonderful arts projects and groups all over the country. The Festival was set up to showcase this inspiring creative work – you can attend performances and exhibitions of work by older people, or take part in a workshop where you can try your hand at something new. We also have a growing strand of dementia friendly events. The Festival celebrates older people’s creativity in its many forms across the country, and we hope it will inspire more older people to take part in arts activities not only during May but also at other times of year.
What can we expect to see in 2019’s Festival?
Every year the programme is really diverse. This year you can try clog dancing in Edinburgh; visit an exhibition by older artists in Easterhouse; join our massed community singing event in Aberdeen; take part in dementia friendly art workshop in Ullapool; or attend a social dance event for older LGBTI people in Glasgow or Inverness. There’s also a film tour featuring some great films with ageing themes. This is just a flavour of what’s on offer, and we hope there’s something for everyone!
A Craft Café workshop in Govan
What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Festival?
The Festival month is a real privilege for me. I am lucky enough to travel around Scotland attending lots of Festival events, and meeting the people who organise them as well as those who attend as audiences or participants. I am really looking forward to my travels and to the activities I will have the chance to take part in. Particular achievements in past years have been learning to crochet and learning to do a quickstep, neither of which I could do till I started in this job! I don’t know yet what my new skills from the 2019 Festival will be, but I’m looking forward to finding out!
What creative thing do you love to do?
I have sung in choirs since I was in my teens, and it’s still something I love doing. There’s something very uplifting about singing in a group of people, and I have made many good friends along the way. For the last five years I have sung in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, and we have a busy concert programme across the year.
You can browse the full festival line up on Luminate’s website
The Age Scotland Blog 