Collective Home:
Artist Announcement

Following a recent call for applications, we are delighted to announce the three creative practitioners appointed as Embedded Artists for Collective Home, a new project involving communities across Argyll and developed through the Culture Collective initiative, administered by Creative Scotland. 

The artists are: filmmaker and theatre director Kenny Glennan; writer and filmmaker Carina NicHaouchine; and climate artist and designer Alicia Storie. Kenny, Carina, and Alicia will meet at Cove Park for a group residency in June and continue their work in Argyll over the next 17 months. 

We are also pleased to announce the first artist invited to contribute to this programme through a series of shorter term projects: musician and Gaelic singer Mairi McGillivray. All the artists will bring a wealth of experience and vision to Collective Home and we look forward to welcoming them here next month. 

Collective Home is one of 23 projects across Scotland awarded funding through Culture Collective. It aims to support a national network of creative practitioners, organisations, and communities working collaboratively to shape the cultural life of their local areas.

Cove Park's project focuses upon the concept of home and what this means for communities in Argyll and for creative practitioners across Scotland. Our work will reflect the distinct character and composition of our rural and coastal region, working with communities on Argyll's mainland and on the islands. More information on this programme will be shared in future Newsletters.

Images: above, Loch Long, Argyll; below, the pier at Kilcreggan on the Rosneath peninsula (photography, Alan Dimmick).

Bagri Music Awards 2026
Ayman Hlal

We are thrilled to announce that the recipient of the 2026 Bagri Music Award is the leading Syrian violinist, musician, and educator Ayman Hlal. 

Now based in Berlin, Ayman specialises in both Middle Eastern and Western classical music. Since leaving Syria as a result of war, he has participated in several national and international events and projects, and performed with multiple orchestras and bands, including the Syrian Expat Philharmonic Orchestra (SEPO), and Nai’ Oriental Orchestra in Austria.

Ayman will perform at Cove Park on Saturday 25 July and at The Mackintosh Church in Glasgow on Saturday 1 August 2026. Complimenting Ayman's two-week residency, these events are presented in partnership with the Bagri Foundation.

In 2025 Cove Park embarked upon a two-year partnership with the Bagri Foundation to launch Sound Series, a new programme of residencies bringing acclaimed international musicians to the UK. The recipient of the first Award was the Palestinian composer and musician Faraj Suleiman.

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. Working collaboratively with Cove Park to nominate and select the artists, the Bagri Music Award is aimed at artistic development and is a unique opportunity for acclaimed emerging or mid-career musicians from West Asia to spend quality time in Scotland.

Ayman's residency has also been developed in collaboration with SEPO, the first Symphony Orchestra for professional and academic Syrian musicians who live in the European Union. SEPO was founded in September 2015 in Germany by the Syrian musician Raed Jazbeh. The orchestra brings together approximately 75 musicians to preserve and protect Syria's rich cultural heritage in the face of destruction, while sending a powerful global message of peace, solidarity, and artistic excellence. Since its inception, the orchestra has toured extensively, performing on prominent European stages across Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Poland, Greece, Italy, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Further information and tickets for both the Cove Park and Mackintosh Church performances are available via Ticket Tailor.

Image: Ayman Hlal (left). Courtesy of the artist.

Wysing Arts Centre
Magnetic Residency

In partnership with Wysing Arts Centre, we are pleased to host the artist and poet Maeva Totolehibe. Based in France, Maeve is Wysing's 2026 Magnetic Resident, spending eight weeks in the UK in 2026 as part of Fluxus Art Project's Franco-UK residency exchange programme. Time in Scotland will enable Maeva to continue her research.

Maeva creates narratives through sculptural, sound, textual, and photographic works. Since 2018, Maeva has been investigating how fiction can function as a tool for transformation, survival, politics, and intimacy. She worked as a nature guide for several years, studying living systems and alternative teaching methods.

Please scroll down for details of the current call for Magnetic Residencies.

Image: Maeva Totolehibe (photography, Zachary Vincent).

The Shore Photography Residency 2026
Joseph Wilson

We are excited to announce that the recipient of this year's Shore Photography Residency is the Edinburgh-based photographer Joseph Wilson. 

Joseph uses photography to explore interactions between perception, memory, and the material world through the sustained observation of the places and things which bear our trace. Through this practice he asks of memory, of the world around us, and of photographs themselves: what is it that persists? Joseph is also a Technician at Stills, a leading centre for photography in the heart of Edinburgh.

The Shore Photography Residency is made possible with generous support from one of Cove Park’s Patrons.

Image: RA4 Chromogenic Print, Joseph Wilson, June 2023. From the collaborative project 'Points of Absorption' (Courtesy of the artist).

Emerging Visual Artist Residency 2026
Soorin Shin

This year's Emerging Visual Artist Residency has been awarded to the Glasgow-based artist Soorin Shin.

Soorin explores femininity, foregrounding her Korean heritage as a central reference. Inspired by cultural and historical artefacts such as knots, vessels and patchwork, she delves into themes of sisterhood, motherhood and feminism. She predominantly works with sculpture, shaping organic, curvy and wobbly motifs that echo natural forms, channelling eco-feminist imaginations.

During the residency, Soorin will develop hand-building skills in ceramic sculpture using plaster moulds made from 3D prints,  merging digital technologies with hands-on sculptural practices. 

The Emerging Visual Artist Residency was launched in 2016 and made possible with generous support from The Bridge Awards.

Image: 'Braided Vase', Soorin Shin, 2026 (courtesy of the artist).

Counterflows
Music Space Residencies 2026

Music Space is an alternative educational programme for young people who are based in Glasgow and interested in exploring sound and music. The programme launched in 2022 and is produced by AC Projects alongside Counterflows festival.

We are pleased to welcome two Counterflows Music Space residents this year: Nigerian-born Glasgow-based multidisciplinary artist Adéráyọ̀ and vocalist and musician Gem Kinley.

Music Space is supported by The Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI).

Images: above, Gem Kinley (photography, Laurie Elliot); below, Adéráyọ̀ (image courtesy of Music Space).

Immersive Arts Residency 
John Darvell & Christopher Hunt

Through Cove Park's Associates programme for former residents, we supported former resident John Darvell in his application to the Immersive Arts Fund to experiment with immersive technology at Cove Park. 

John is an interactive digital dance artist and Director of NOCTURN, making participatory work with communities, venues and festivals for over 20 years. His practice centres on later-life dancers and interactive immersive technology, creating co-created encounters shaped by the people inside them.

Good Enough — supported by Immersive Arts funding — grew out of an earlier residency at Cove Park, and this next phase of development brings the project back to where the initial idea first took shape. Co-created with older gay, bi and queer men, it explores shame, resilience and ageing through a portable, touch-led storybox that travels into rural Scottish spaces.

John's collaborator, Christopher Hunt is a creative technologist and founder of Controlled Frenzy, specialising in accessible, audience-first interaction and the development of technology prototypes and installations. A fellow of the RSA, he leads the technical R&D for Good Enough — including the smartphone journey, handcrafted storybox mechanics and AR layers. His work consistently positions technology in service of human connection rather than spectacle.

We look forward to welcoming John back later this summer for a public work-in-progress sharing and more information on this will be shared soon. 

Image courtesy of NOCTURN. 

Final Call for Applications
Magnetic 5 Residencies

Launched in 2022 under the umbrella of Fluxus Art Projects, Magnetic is a network of 10 fully funded residencies for visual artists in France and the United Kingdom.

Each residency is based on a tandem partnership between a French region and a UK nation. Artists based in a variety of French regions can apply for a residency in one of the UK nations, and vice versa.

Tandems will associate: 

• Capc in Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) with Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridge (England)
• Frac Bretagne in Rennes (Brittany) with Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Wales
• Frac Grand Large in Dunkirk (Hauts-de-France) with Flax Art Studios in Northern Ireland
• Villa Arson in Nice (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) with Cove Park in Scotland
• Bétonsalon – Centre for Art and Research in Paris (Île-de-France) with Gasworks in London (England) 

Learn more about the residency programme here and apply by 2 June. 

Image: Villa Arson (photography, JC Lett, courtesy of Fluxus Art Projects)

Botanical Recording at Cove Park
8 June 2026

Join us for an exciting day of guided Botanical Recording exploring the diverse plant life of Cove Park's 50-acre site on Monday 8 June.

The session will be led by botanist Michael Philip, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland Vice county recorder for Lanarkshire, alongside a small group of experienced volunteer recorders. Together, they will guide participants in surveying the site’s wild flora and building a detailed species list as part of a wider project documenting plant life across Dunbartonshire.

Working in small groups, participants will explore different areas of the site, learning how to identify plants and record observations. This is a hands-on, informal opportunity to develop plant ID skills, contribute to a meaningful biodiversity record, and deepen your understanding of the landscape.

The data collected will help create a baseline for monitoring ecological change and may support future conservation, planning, and land management decisions.

The day will run from approximately 10am–3:30pm. Lunch will be provided. Places are free but limited, please reserve your place here.

Image: The Bridge at Cove Park (photography, Alan Dimmick).

Open Fridays & Doors Open Day 2026

Cove Park's popular series of Open Fridays continues this year, welcoming visitors to the site on Friday afternoons. These events are an opportunity to see Cove Park's site, studios, and accommodation, learn about our current programmes and meet the team. Refreshments are available.

Everyone is welcome from 1-4pm on Friday 19 June, 10 July, and 7 August.

Cove Park will also take part in this year's Doors Open Day, opening our doors for workshops, tours, and special events on Saturday 19 September. Details of the events will be confirmed in the next few weeks.

If you would like to visit and require further information please contact Rona Grierson.

Image: The Jacobs Building (photography, Tracy Bloxham) 

Anna McLuckie
The Little Winters Performance
4 June 2026 

Please join us here at Cove Park on Thursday 4 June 2026 for a special performance by former resident and Cove Park Associate Anna McLuckie. Anna, accompanied by a double bassist, will share songs and stories from her debut album, The Little Winters. 

Anna is a Scottish singer, songwriter and Clàrsach player. Raised on classical and traditional music, Anna’s writing draws on her musical beginnings and also takes influence from her love of popular music and more experimental sounds. Her music sits in a world of contemporary folklore; her songs layered with interweaving harmonies, story led lyricism, and free form structures. 

In 2024 Anna took part in the Making Tracks Residency at Cove Park and toured the UK with renowned global roots musicians.  Learn more and book your ticket here.

Images: Anna McLuckie (courtesy of the artist).  

Cove Park Friends & Patrons 

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 or Patron 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: 'Double Flower', Louise Hopkins, a Cove Park Commission, 2023.