Author: Matthew Norris

Are you an artist looking for peer-to-peer feedback on a new idea? Do you have an unfinished piece you’re keen to showcase in a Fringe environment? Do you want to introduce your work to industry professionals? Or are you simply looking for new networks and collaborators? Then Summerhall Surgeries is for you. 

Summerhall Arts is delighted to announce the return of Summerhall Surgeries. Running throughout the Fringe, Summerhall Surgeries will offer 8 artists/collectives the paid opportunity to showcase excerpts of unfinished work to an audience of peers and industry figures. Summerhall Surgeries will provide a safe, collaborative and creative playground to try out new ideas to local and international audiences, gaining industry and peer-to-peer feedback.

Summerhall Surgeries is a celebration of the spontaneity and playfulness of the Fringe atmosphere – where new collaborations are formed in ticket queues, between performances and in post-show conversations in the courtyard. At these scratch events, artists, industry figures, groundbreaking performance and innovative unfinished ideas are brought together to create a vibrant space for networks and partnerships to form.

Summerhall Surgeries will take place on:

• Monday 5^th August: 16:45 – 17:45
• Saturday 24^th August: 10:00-11:00

Learn more and apply to participate in Summerhall Surgeries here:

Applications close at 5pm on Sunday 23 June. 

Following the news that Summerhall has been put on the market by the owners, Summerhall Arts are working closely with Summerhall Management Ltd – the company that delivers the year-round programme of art and culture in the building – to ensure that prospective buyers will put the best interests of this 13-year-old arts village at the heart of any decision made in the future. 

Until that point, it is business as usual. As a charity that has been set up to support development and the provision of creative opportunities for the artists of Scotland, we are looking for financial support to be able to deliver our ambitious and vital programme. 

During a difficult funding climate for the arts, your donations are more vital than ever, and if you want to truly support Summerhall and Summerhall Arts, please buy tickets for shows and donate to Summerhall Arts’ fundraising campaign through the following link.

Donate to Summerhall Arts

In partnership with Summerhall Arts, the Hugo Burge Foundation are offering a fully funded residency with the opportunity to show work at Summerhall.

This is a residency for a visual artist working with any medium who has an interest in art as activism and whose work advocates for social, political, environmental, or cultural change. The residency will offer a period of self-directed research and development followed by the opportunity to exhibit the resultant work in the Summerhall Galleries between December 2024 and February 2025.

The residency will run from the 15th July to 9th August with accommodation in one of the Hobbit Pods and use of the large Old Squash Court Studio on the Marchmont estate. There will also be a weekly stipend of £350 which will be paid directly to the Artist at the start of their residency.

There are no expectations about what you will use the residency for but we would expect the selected artist to conduct at least one public event such as a creative workshop (for adult participants), a talk, demonstration, performance or educational activity.

You will be able to spend time with other visual artists and makers on site, along with another visiting artist also on residency. Our Creative Director, Dr James Fox will provide mentorship during your stay along with Summerhall Arts Head of Visual Arts, Samantha Chapman.

Criterion for selection:

• Artistic Merit
• Potential for professional development
• Relevance to concept
• Contribution to artistic discourse
• Potential for public engagement

Apply by 3rd May on the Hugo Burge Foundation’s website at this link.