Artist in residence Megan Rudden in Fife

Glasgow-based artist and writer Megan Rudden takes up residence in Fife over Autumn/Winter 25/26.  Megan will work with young people from the Gypsy/Traveller community using digital art to explore how the communities are portrayed in the media and to consider how to challenge cultural steriotypes. The ideas and art works will be shared through social media to influence positive attitudes toward young people from the communities.  Megan Rudden

Within Gypsy/Traveller communities some hold the view that many aspects of their lives, culture and traditions are neither represented, understood nor respected in the school curriculum (STEP 2024). On the other hand, some suggest that highlighting these personal and shared aspects has the potential to attract discrimination or foster negative cultural stereotypes (Gould, 2017). The project aims to create a forum where young people can experiment with representations of their cultures and place and engage critically with ideas around representations beyond their culture.  They will collaborate with a practising digital and visual artists using methods that will encourage experimentation and dialogue. 

The young people will collaborate with practising artists to: 

• explore their own cultures, interests and identities through visual and digital media
• co-produce imagery that reflects the material spaces in their lives—traditional and contemporary
• share the results to provide social and critical commentary that may inspire reflection within or out with their communities.

 The study will investigate the following three research question:

1. How do participants reflect on visual representations of their contemporary lives?
2. How do participants identify with the more traditional customs and aspects of their lives?
3. In what ways do participants manage how they are perceived within and out with their culture?

STEP Annual ART challenge 

ART challenge 2025 Theme: Home

Inspiration for young people and practitioners

Explore the inspiration boxes below to find out about artists from travelling communities or get ideas for themes that relate to travelling cultures. There are also links to ideas for practical and creative activities.