Future Development Plans
The Bridge Awards Sound Studio

Cove Park and The Bridge Awards have worked in partnership since 2018 on a number of key annual residencies. We were thrilled to announce in late August our plans for a new Sound Studio for 2026, made possible with a major award from The Bridge Awards. 

The Bridge Awards Sound Studio will be designed specifically with the needs of musicians and sound artists in mind, and this vital new space will ensure we can continue to develop new opportunities for national and international artists. More information on Sound Studio is available in Cove Park's August 2026 Media Release.

We would like to thank the Directors of The Bridge Awards for their ongoing and generous support.

Image: Cove Park's 25th Anniversary Logo (designed by graphic designer and former resident Maeve Redmond).

Bagri Music Awards - Faraj Suleiman
Debut Solo Performances in Scotland

We are delighted to announce a new two-year partnership with the Bagri Foundation to launch a vibrant programme of residencies bringing acclaimed international musicians to the UK.

The Bagri Foundation works within a network of leading cultural organisations that champion artistic excellence and provide extraordinary artists from across Asia wider visibility on the global stage.

The inaugural Bagri Music Award recipient is Faraj Suleiman. Widely regarded as a leading contemporary jazz pianist and composer, Faraj's music is deeply influenced by his Palestinian heritage and Arabic culture. Trained in classical music, Faraj incorporates both Arabic/Eastern melodies and rhythms and jazz traditions in his compositions. Embarking on a major European tour in autumn 2025, Faraj will make his Scottish debut at Cove Park on Saturday 1 November before performing in Glasgow at The Mackintosh Church on Saturday 8 November as part of the Bagri Music Awards presented by Cove Park and the Bagri Foundation. Tickets for both events are currently available via Cove Park's Ticket Tailor page.

Faraj's residency and performances in Scotland are developed in collaboration with MARSM, the London-based event producer and dynamic digital platform amplifying the vibrant musical culture of the Arabic-speaking world.

Image: Faraj Suleiman (courtesy of MARSM)

Call for Applications:
RSA Residencies for Scotland, 2026

We are delighted to be one of 19 organisations taking part in RSA Residencies for Scotland 2026 and to share news of the open call for applications to this programme.

RSA Residencies for Scotland is an artist-led scheme providing valuable research and residency opportunities for artists. It forges important networks with centres of artistic excellence across Scotland, ranging from traditional residency venues to specialised production facilities.

Open to visual artists at all stages of their careers, the emphasis is on enabling a period of research, development and production, as well as on the acquisition and exchange of new skills and experiences. Artists can apply for funds of up to £5,000 and are responsible for managing their own residency, in discussion with the partner venue. 

The deadline for applications (via the RSA's website) is 18 January 2026.

Image: Arran, Bute, & Cumbrae Cubes (photography, Ruth Clark)

Call for Applications
Sculpting Futures:
Ecologies in the Making, 2026

We are delighted to announce that the call for applications from recent graduates of Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of the Fine Arts to the Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures programme is now live!

This four-month residency, offered jointly by Cove Park and Scottish Sculpture Workshop, is part of the International Incubators in Fine Arts project, established by Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts and the Saastamoinen Foundation. The project aims to build a dialogue between teaching in fine arts and the international field of art.

The residency focuses on making practices in a time of climate breakdown. Applications are invited from those who are already exploring ecologies of making and from those who wish to (re)focus or build relationships with the more-than-human in our warming world. The aim is to support artists to research and develop ecological methods and contexts for their artistic practice.

MFA or DFA alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts who work with sculptural methods or material processes can apply for the programme. Applications are welcome from graduates at any stage in their career. The residency is divided into two separate yet interconnected periods to allow for two distinct areas of development; the first two-month residency will take place at Cove Park, and the second two-month residency at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Aberdeenshire.

The residency will take place during June and July 2026 at Cove Park and August and September at SSW in 2026. The open call ends on 30 September 2025. Learn more and apply here.

Image: Santtu Laine, Sculpting Futures: Ecologies in the Making Residency 2023, developing bioplastic from Loch Long seaweed  as material for sculpture (photography, Alan Dimmick).

Call for Applications:
Design Ecologies Residency, 2026

Applications are now open for Design Ecologies 2026! Open to visual artists based in Sweden working with questions of ecology, agriculture, food production, rural contexts and community organising, the programme particularly welcomes practices within design, craft and spatial approaches, with a focus on developing and implementing just, circular and sustainable methods.

This residency is fully funded and scheduled to take place from 2 – 30 March 2026. Learn more and apply by 15 October 2025 via the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.

Design Ecologies is a residency developed from Food Ecologies, a pilot residency exchange programme between Scotland and Sweden. Launched in 2022, Design/Food Ecologies is a partnership between Cove Park and IASPIS, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s international Programme for Visual and Applied Arts.

Image: Cove Park's 'Gigha' Studio (photography, Tracey Bloxham).

 Open Programme
Autumn Micro & Subsidised Winter Residencies

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide subsidised rates for our Open programme, we are delighted to once again launch our seasonal Micro Residencies programme and offer short, subsidised four-night residencies in October and November 2025. 

Micro Residencies are an ideal opportunity to meet an upcoming deadline or to focus upon new projects and research. The short time frame can also suit other work/life commitments or caring responsibilities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply here. 

Our popular annual programme of Subsidised Winter Residencies will run between December 2025 and March 2026. This year, we have included an additional month at a reduced rate. These Residencies are self-directed and run in weekly increments and begin on a Monday and end on a Sunday. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply here. 

Image: The Jacobs Building in Winter.

Young Gaelic Writer Residency Announced

We are excited to announce that the Young Gaelic Writer Residency 2026 has been awarded to Cameron Wilson.

Cameron is a Glaswegian poet, artist, editor, and birdwatcher writing in Scottish Gaelic, Scots and English. His publications include the sold-out 2023 poetry pamphlet I Wish Scotland was Real, an exploration of Scottishness through the lenses of conspiracy, neurosis, and language. This was followed up by Mull Poems, an appendix to the collection written on the Isle of Mull, examining Scottish culture and displacement on the island. In 2024, he published Deathmatch, a pamphlet of experimental procedural writing that played with the violent language of professional deathmatch wrestling. His poetry has also appeared in various exhibitions, books, and magazines including Gutter and Poetry Scotland. Cameron also works full-time in collections at Glasgow Caledonian University's library, and as Gaelic language editor at Gutter.

’S e bàrd, dealbhadair, deasaiche, agus neach-faire eòin à Glaschu a th’ ann an Cameron Wilson, a bhios a’ sgrìobhadh ann an Gàidhlig na h-Alba, Albais agus Beurla. Am measg nam foillseachaidhean aige, tha a’ bhileag bhàrdachd I Wish Scotland was Real (2023), a chaidh a reic a-mach, sgrùdadh air Albannaich tro na lionsaichean de co-fheall, nearòiseas agus cànain. Lean Mull Poems seo, eàrr-ràdh don chruinneachadh a chaidh a sgrìobhadh air Eilean Mhuile, a’ sgrùdadh cultar na h-Alba agus far-fhuadachadh air an eilean. Ann an 2024, dh’fhoillsich e Deathmatch, bileag de sgrìobhadh modha deuchainneach a chluich le cànan ainneartach de gleacaireachd proifeasanta. Tha a bhàrdachd cuideachd air nochdadh ann an iomadh taisbeanadh, leabhar agus iris, a’ gabhail a-steach Gutter agus Poetry Scotland. Bidh Cameron cuideachd ag obair làn-ùine ann an roinn chruinneachaidhean aig leabharlann Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, agus mar an deasaiche Gàidhlig aig Gutter. Cuiridh e seachad a chuid ùine aig Cove Park a’ rannsachadh agus a’ sgrìobhadh bàrdachd ùr sa Ghàidhlig, le fòcas air eachdraidh an long-bhrisidh ainmeil den ghailleon Spàinnteach ann an Tobar Mhoire.

Image: Cameron Wilson (courtesy of the artist).

Loch Long Crime Writing Residency Announced

We are pleased to announce that the third Loch Long Crime Writing Residency has been awarded to Claire Wilson.

Claire is a crime writer based in central Scotland. Her debut novel, Five by Five, won the inaugural Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writer Prize and was released in August 2024. The novel has since been shortlisted for the Specsavers CrimeFest debut, the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award and the Bloody Scotland debut prize. Five by Five is based on her time working as an Intelligence Analyst in a Scottish prison. 

This residency is made possible with support from a Cove Park Patron and makes possible time for crime writers based in Scotland to focus on new work and current projects.

Image: Claire Wilson (Derek Harley Photography).

77°F 
A New Limited Edition Print by
Matthew Arthur Williams

To mark Cove Park's 25th anniversary, we are thrilled to announce a new limited edition print by visual and sound artist, photographer, DJ, and former resident Matthew Arthur Williams.

Commissioned by Cove Park and produced in collaboration with DCA Print Studio, 77°F connects to the artist's recent work and ongoing interest in process-led practice, collaboration, and landscape. The screen printed image is on hand-dyed and deckle edged paper and each of the 30 available prints has a unique finish and texture. Further information on this work is available here.

This edition is available for the launch price of £300 (until 26 September 2025) and can be purchased via Cove Park's Shop.

77°F is accompanied by a commissioned text on Matthew's work by artist, writer, and former Cove Park resident Emmie McLuskey. This text reflects on Matthew's recent work and his collaborative practice. Copies are available at Cove Park and from our website via the Resources page.

We would like to thank Marion Ferguson and Katie Ravenscraig (DCA Print Studio), Emmie McLuskey, Maeve Redmond, and of course Matthew Arthur Williams.

Image: 77°F, Matthew Arthur Williams, 2025, Screenprint on Fabriano Rosaspina paper, hand dyed with Hibiscus, 62 x 47cm (photography, Patrick Jamieson)

Spotlight on Funders:
Garfield Weston Foundation

Cove Park's 2024-2025 programme benefitted from the generous support of the Garfield Weston Foundation. Based in London but focussed on the work of charities across the UK, the Foundation provided vital funds in support of Cove Park's core costs, ensuring our residencies, creative learning and education projects, and commissions, can continue to involve and reach local national, and international artists, participants and audiences. 

Like Cove Park, the Garfield Weston Foundation aims to support work that makes a positive difference, benefitting individuals, groups, and communities in a wide variety of ways.

Highlights of our recent programme, made possible with support from the Foundation, include residencies for artists working in all art forms, for those facing specific barriers to participating in residencies and creative activity, and the development of new initiatives such as the Argyll Rainforest Community Network.

We are grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their support in 2024-2025.

Image: Sayan Chanda's studio, Summer 2025 (courtesy of the artist) 

SPRINGBOARD Local Assembly
for Creative Climate Action, Argyll & Bute
26 September 2025

Following last year's SPRINGBOARD event on Invasive Species, Cove Park continues its collaboration with Culture for Climate Scotland and Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network to deliver another local assembly focusing on creative climate collaboration to establish a nature network in Argyll & Bute.

SPRINGBOARD brings together artists, cultural and sustainability organisations, climate workers, activists, local businesses, third-sector organisations and anyone interested in collaborating to form powerful local networks for creative climate action. Local assemblies are an opportunity to connect with other practitioners in your region to address climate change collectively. The events are for anyone working or volunteering in the climate or environmental sector, the arts, screen, creative industries, museums, heritage and libraries.

More information and details of how to attend are available here.

Image: The bridge at Cove Park. 

Friends of Cove Park

Cove Park is proud to have a growing community of supporters who believe in the vital work we do to promote national and international cultural exchange and ensure our local rural community has access to innovative and creative learning opportunities as well as protecting the biodiversity of our site.

By becoming a Friend of Cove Park, you will help us to enrich arts, culture and creativity in Argyll and across Scotland, support the global exchange of ideas through our artist residences and save the natural heritage of Cove Park as a space for everyone to enjoy. Wherever you are, you will know your donation is making a vital contribution to the work of Cove Park and our support of artists. If Cove Park and our work means something to you, please consider becoming a Friend today. Learn more and join here.

If you are based in the United States, you can join our American Friends of Cove Park, our tax-effective annual giving programme. 

Image: The launch of the Scotland/Japan residency exchange programme at Cove Park, October 2018. 

Space Hire 2025

Space Hire welcomes arts organisations, companies, and community groups to Cove Park for meetings and away days. Recent Space Hire participants include: The Common Guild, Comhairle nan Leabhraichean / The Gaelic Books Council, Glasgow International, Missing in Architecture (Glasgow School of Art), The Mount Stuart Trust, Rhubaba, Scottish Opera, and the University of Glasgow (Contemporary Art & Curation).

Our new Space Hire pack contains more information with images of our beautiful spaces and what we offer. 

Please submit an enquiry form or contact Nicola Jamieson directly for more information and to discuss your specific requirements. 

‘Mount Stuart Trust had a brilliant Away Day at Cove Park. We had a dedicated meeting room, fabulous views, and everything we needed: screen, refreshments, and lunch. I can honestly say that it was one of our most productive strategy meetings. So important to get away, and I can’t think of a better space.’ 

Sophie Crichton Stuart, Chair, The Mount Stuart Trust 

Image: Jacobs Building wood burning stove (photography, Studio Gently)