Velocity Cafe hosts first art materials swap in Inverness
18 March 2023
Velocity Café & Bicycle Workshop, of the Highland Community Waste Partnership joined forces with the Circular Arts Network (CAN) to host a free art materials swap event at the Inverness Creative Academy on Saturday March 18.
The event was an opportunity for creatives to pass on new and gently-used art supplies to share with fellow creatives as well as a chance to work towards a more circular arts economy in the Highlands.
Before the event, Isabel McLeish, project officer from Velocity, said: “We are looking forward to hosting the art materials swap event in partnership with the Circular Arts Network (CAN)!
"We are excited about bringing artists and creatives together to share materials and contribute towards a more circular economy. CAN is a brilliant online platform for artists and it would be great to see it being used across the Highlands. We know that artists are already great at being resourceful and saving materials but this is a great opportunity for everyone to have a sustainable declutter and spring-clean of their studios!”
CAN is a free recycling and reuse tool that helps the arts combat the climate emergency. CAN is an online platform that gives access to the materials you need for your creative projects by providing a place where materials and resources can be exchanged. CAN also facilitates the sharing of resources such as transport, equipment, time, and other essentials
The event was a great success. Over 70 people attended and over 300 items were swapped which may otherwise have gone to landfill, saving resources and money!
Here is just some of the positive feedback provided by attendees:
“So useful - cleared out stock & replenished! I run art workshops so I managed to find some excellent supplies. FAB!”
“Great variety of materials for all different interests, from painting, sketching to sculpture and fabric/textiles. Pleased to see such generosity and interest. Hope this kind of event can be done again! Thanks to everyone who organised the event!”
“Great idea. Good networking opportunity too!”
“Amazing! And much more variety than I expected. Please do again!”
To learn more about upcoming waste reduction events across the Highlands, visit the Highland Community Waste Partnership events page.
