Wellbeing Learning Circles, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh
Part of the Culture Collective / Co-Chomann Cultair
| Job Title | LEAD ARTIST |
| Accountable to | WHALE Arts Head of Engagement |
| Personnel responsible for | Emerging Artist |
| Location | WHALE Arts Centre and other locations across Wester Hailes |
| Hours of work | 211hrs / 26.4 days over 12 months |
| Contract length | 12 months |
| Salary | Total freelance fee: £9663.80 over 12 months |
Project Overview:
Wellbeing Learning Circles is a Culture Collective project funded by Creative Scotland and based in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. The project is led by the Community Wellbeing Collective (CWC), in partnership with WHALE Arts, SCOREscotland, Starcatchers, Grass Roots Remedies, and With Kids.
The project centres on a shared question: What can communities teach artists, and what can artists teach communities? In line with this, each of the partners will embed freelance artists within their own organisations to help develop and deliver the project.
This embedded, socially engaged approach is structured around three shared themes, or Learning Circles: Children’s Learning and Development, Adult Mental Health and Creative Culture. The six project partners will each engage in the Learning Circle(s) most relevant to their work and, along with the freelance artists, will meet quarterly to share learning as the project progresses.
WHALE Arts’ strand of the project, Creative Circles, brings together the Creative Culture and Adult Mental Health Learning Circles as one combined programme.
We will employ two freelance artists – one experienced and one emerging. Both artists will be embedded within our organisation for the duration of the project, working alongside our team and community members to explore themes of culture, place, mental health and wellbeing. They will work together throughout, with the experienced artist mentoring the emerging artist.
Lead Artist Job Specification
We are looking for an experienced artist / creative practitioner with a background in socially engaged, participatory arts practice and experience working in communities.
The person we are looking for will have
- Min 5yrs + experience working creatively in community settings
- Experience of mentoring/supporting less experienced creative practitioners
- Experience of, and ability to work at the intersection of Creative Culture and Adult Mental Health
- Experience facilitating group sessions/workshops for adults and young people
- Excellent communication skills – the ability to engage well with a range of stakeholders including community members, project and wider staff team and partner organisations
- Ability to take the lead, use initiative and drive forward an ambitious project
- Experience of working with culturally diverse communities and people facing additional barriers
- Experience in planning, delivering, monitoring and evaluating projects within a given budget
Ideally but not essential, they will have
- Knowledge/Lived experience of Wester Hailes or similar community
- Experience in using the arts to address community issues
Application close date: 9.00 am on Tuesday 1st October 2026
(If you are successful, interviews will take place on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th October)
