Creative Scotland has invested over £1.2 million to create First in a Lifetime opportunities for people to enjoy, or take part in, creative activity.

Ten projects have been supported, stretching from the Shetland Islands to Dumfries, which will offer unique inspirational experiences for thousands of people.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland congratulated each of the successful projects and added:

‘The First in a Lifetime programme will offer many more people the opportunity to see, explore and enjoy a rich cultural life and we have invested in projects that will have a visible and lasting impact.

The Year of Creative Scotland 2012 is a celebration of our creative strength and we will include people from all walks of life in the opportunities this inspirational year will offer. Many of the projects also link to our ambition to ‘Get Scotland Dancing’.’

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said;

‘Our culture is one of our greatest assets and Scotland has a wealth of world class cultural events, festivals, collections and organisations. The First in a Lifetime project as part of the Year of Creative will introduce new opportunities to see, and experience Scotland’s vibrant culture – in every corner in Scotland.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring significant tourism growth to Scotland over the next three years as Scotland becomes the focus for milestones like the Year of Creative Scotland and events such as these will play an important role in encouraging visitors from home and abroad as Scotland welcomes the World.’

First in a Lifetime projects include:

• Dancing Voices 2012 will bring together older dancers and singers in a large-scale dance and choir project. The participatory project will end with two high profile events in London and Glasgow and will use experienced older performers to inspire their peers.
• Giants in the Forest is art, technology and the natural environment, combined to inspire creative activity. Giant organic masks created with participants from a range of under-participating groups will be constructed, seeded and suspended in forests across Scotland, where they will hang from April to November 2012, growing and changing with the seasons for audiences to engage with.
• Ignition is a project for the Shetland Islands to be produced and delivered by the National Theatre of Scotland in association with Shetland Arts Development Agency.  Over nine months they will work with the Shetland community to create an original piece of ‘event theatre’, facilitated by several renowned professional theatre artists to explore the impact of the imminent transformative change that will sweep the Shetland Islands when the oil supply diminishes.
• ‘The Port’ is an exciting new multi-arts collaboration aims to connect new young people and their wider communities with the changing landscape of Aberdeen City and Harbour. Using exciting community based street performances, large sculptural pieces, dance and music opportunities to develop high quality local first experiences.
• Northern Lights is a nation-wide documentary film project that provides members of the general public with an opportunity to make films about their Scotland. Through a series of short film commissions, community workshops and online tutorials, participants will be encouraged and supported to make original contributions towards the overall project. The final constellation of films will be combined to form a unique immersive installation that will tour Scotland in autumn 2012.
• Scottish Book Trust will create a programme of seven events over a 12 month period bringing the best children’s authors and illustrators to schools across Scotland. The events will be filmed, in conjunction with their broadcast partner, and streamed live over the internet. Building on the successful Authors Live programme, the project will expand its work with teachers.
• Scottish Ballet will visit Arran, Mull, Islay, Perth, Fort William, Dumfries and Greenock for four days and nights in each area in autumn 2012. During the spring the company will invite each community to consider the dance activity they’d like to see using a mix of behind-the-scenes and performance activity. The project will serve as a catalyst to dance participation in each of the key areas and will be produced with partners including the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s BA in Modern Ballet course.
• Olympic Impulse is a six-month historical and contemporary arts event that uses the inspiration of London in 2012 to engage people who have rarely or never participated in cultural activities. Providing exhibitions, workshops and combined art/sporting events in North East Scotland, Olympic Impulse is a celebration of the Classical Greek Olympics, in which the arts was as prominent as sport.
• Mission: Possible will give children and young people living in the West and North West of Dundee an opportunity to try dancing, through tasters, weekly groups, a boys only group, a week long intensive experience, the development of a new youth dance piece, the opportunity to go and see quality dance performance and the opportunity to perform both locally and nationally.
• Fife Music Hub is a year-long project working with communities in central Fife to participate, play and ultimately perform.  High quality creative musicians will work to create sustainable community music groups. The project will be delivered and managed through a partnership of ON at Fife and Jazz Scotland, working closely with Fife Council.