Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

Host organisation: Archaeology Scotland

Project title: Creative Archaeologies - exploring widening participation and employability pathways through archaeology

Project description

The project explores how we can continue to develop archaeology as socially engaged cultural practice. It specifically looks to pilot and better understand the value of creative practices in how we can encourage wider participation in archaeology and the development of skills and confidences for people who are supported by our Wellbeing and Employability Programme at Newbattle Abbey College. The artist in residence will be supported to develop a creative response(s), with a cohort of participants, to the archaeologies of the grounds and buildings which are present there. They will work through codesign and participatory processes to promote collaboration and a greater diversity of voices. The project will also require documentation and evaluation processes to allow for reflection and lesson learned to be shared more broadly among the archaeology sector.

Outputs

We hope the artist in residence will produce several key outputs with participants:

• Short Baseline Research and Initial Concepts for Responses Report
• Short Report on Design and Production Workshops
• Final Work - potentially Exhibition / Performance / Installation
• Documentation for Social Media content
• Short Evaluation and Lessons Learned Report
• Blog Post(s) for Archaeology Scotland website

In person/remote/hybrid

Hybrid.

We see the internship being a mix of in-person, perhaps one or two days per week at Newbattle and the remainder of the time working remotely, but we are happy to tailor to the needs and aspirations of the artist in residence.

Benefits to the researcher

We hope the Artist In Residence will benefit from a supportive environment to extend their creative practices, we encourage experimentation and innovation in this context. We can support them in developing further skills in developing and running a project that is heritage focused.

The intern will gain significant insights into how archaeology is practiced in the third and public sectors, learn about aspects of community engagement from a heritage perspective, and understand better approaches to skills development and employability.

They will also improve their network through the groups and partners we introduce them to.

Key relationships

They will work with the Archaeology Scotland team, most specifically with:

Kieran Manchip who runs our New Audiences Project with support from Historic Environment Scotland, but with an opportunity to work with and learn from other members of our team and some of our key partners, including staff at Newbattle Abbey College.

They will work with members of the public, potentially through our New Audiences project who are frequently New Scots, or participants through our Wellbeing and Employability Programme.

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Creative Writing; Dance; Drama & Theatre Studies; Music; Visual Arts; Curating.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base

• Essential: Subject Knowledge; Research methods – Practical application.
• Desirable: Research methods – theoretical knowledge.

A2. Cognitive Abilities

• Essential: Analysing; Synthesising; Critical thinking; Evaluating; Problem Solving.

A3. Creativity

• Essential: Inquiring minds; Intellectual insight; Innovation; Argument construction; Intellectual risk.

B1. Personal qualities

• Essential: Enthusiasm; Perseverance; Integrity; Responsibility.
• Desirable: Self-confidence; Self-reflection.

B2. Self management

• Essential: Time management; Responsiveness to change.

B3. Professional & career development

• Essential: Responsiveness to opportunities.
• Desirable: Networking.

C1. Professional conduct

• Essential: Ethics, principles and sustainability; Appropriate practice.
• Desirable: Health and Safety; Legal requirements; IPR and copyright; Respect and confidentiality; Attribution and co-authorship.

D1. Working with others

• Essential: Collegiality; Team working; Collaboration; Equality and diversity.
• Desirable: People management; Supervision; Mentoring; Influence and leadership.

D2. Communication & dissemination

• Desirable: Communication methods; Communication media.

D3. Engagement & impact

• Essential: Public engagement
• Desirable: Policy; Society and culture; Global citizenship.

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First published: 28 September 2026