Current Projects
Upland aims to inspire and educate audiences and communities and bring opportunities to its visual artists and makers. We create projects and also work along side organisations to deliver projects.
Modern Makers 2021
Modern Makers 2021 – working with jeweller Lisa Rothwell-Young
Artful Migration 2020
An artist residency at the National Trust for Scotland’s Kelton Mains site at Threave Estate
Making Connections: Langholm Made
Exploring and highlighting Langholm’s rich history and heritage in textile manufacture.
Professional & Creative Development
We aim to provide support and opportunities to enable the creative talent of Dumfries & Galloway to flourish.
Emerge
A programme of mentoring and a bursary for emerging artist and makers who have a connection to Dumfries and Galloway.
Past Projects
Making Connections: Langholm Schools Project
Exploring and highlighting Langholm’s rich history and heritage in textile manufacture
Mask Making Workshop with Livy Nelson
Join Upland member Livy Nelson for a workshop in Mask Making!
Modern Makers 2020
Modern Makers 2020 – working with glass artist Amanda Simmons
The WaterOrgan
A public art commission for Spring Fling 2019
SF Pop-UP
SF Pop-UP in the heart of Dumfries
Modern Makers 2019
Modern Makers 2019 - A focus on the craft of printmaking
Energise Members Exhibition
A focused group exhibition exploring our evolving relationship with the natural world and our impact upon it.
Energise
A project giving artists the opportunity to research and creatively explore the subject of climate change in relation to the unique landscape of Dumfries & Galloway.
Life Stories
A project with the Elmbank Centre and Upland Member artist Hope London.
Coast to Coast
An exhibition of work by printmakers from Iceland and Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Modern Makers 2018
Modern Makers 2018
Artful Migration: Artist Residency
An artist residency at WWT Caerlaverock
Life Long Learning
A resource to enable individuals and organisations to find artists & makers who deliver workshops and classes
Surge
A curated exhibition of work by Upland Members
Patriothall Gallery
2-10 September 2017
EDGE
A public art commission for Spring Fling 2017
Collected Exhibition
To celebrate 15 years, we invited collectors to showcase artworks purchased at previous Spring Fling weekends.
Early Engagement
Workshops & talks in schools throughout Dumfries and Galloway
Outpost | Spring Fling
This year Spring Fling's flagship exhibition took place in New Brewery Arts in Cirencester.
Modern Makers 2017
Students of the Modern Makers 2017 programme worked with slipware potters Doug Fitch & Hannah McAndrew
Confluence
A flowing together. In a literal sense, it's about rivers. But it's more often used to talk about the coming together of factors or ideas, or of cultures.
Spring Fling x Wigtown Book Festival Residency
Artist in Residence 2016/17
Spring Fling Rural Mural (#SFRM) 2016
Upland has again joined forces with urban art specialists Recoat to grow and evolve Spring Fling Rural Mural (#SFRM) 2016
We Are Upland Symposium
Upland held it's offical launch on Friday 5th February 2016. 'We Are Upland' was a one-day symposium which brought together artists and makers from across the region along with a variety of speakers from all across Scotland.
Modern Makers 2016
Between February - July 2016 six young people from D&G worked with Sam Booth (Echo Living) to design and build a bespoke structure for an RSPB reserve near Wigtown
Modern Makers
'The best way to become a skilled maker is to learn from one'
Modern Makers is a programme for a small group of young people to work intensively with a professional maker to learn craft skills.
Spring Fling Rural Mural (#SFRM) 2014
Spring Fling joined forces with Glasgow based street art collective Recoat to produce Spring Fling | Rural Mural (SFRM).
Writer in Residence
Poems and flash fiction inspired by the artists and makers of Spring Fling
Resident in Schools
In 2014/2015, Spring Fling took six artists as residents into two schools for five days to work with schools and students in Dumfries & Galloway across the curriculum on a project identified in collaboration with the school.
Spring Shows 2014 - 2015
Exhibitions in the run up to Spring Fling: our journey to take quality contemporary art and craft outside Dumfries & Galloway, to attract new national and international visitors in.
Environmental Art Festival Scotland 2013
Scotland's inaugural Environmental Art Festival
Modern Heritage Craft
Modern Heritage Craft (2013 - 2015) created the chance for young people to work with professional makers to learn a craft and create a contemporary functional object in 10 days.
Young Artist Bursary (YAB) Mentoring Programme
A 6-month programme of mentoring for recent graduates with a connection to Dumfries and Galloway
Couch
For the 10th anniversary of Spring Fling, artist Alice Francis was commissioned to wrap the entire outside of a traditional Galloway cottage in floral couch fabric.