Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

Host organisation: Hive Mind Speaks

Project title: Mapping the UK Civic Arts Ecosystem: Partnerships for Art, Participation and Democracy

Project description

Hive Mind Speaks is a newly registered Scottish charity, SC055665, developing a civic arts model that uses ambitious artistic interventions to attract public attention, encourage democratic participation and translate lived experience into forms of knowledge that can inform policy.

The organisation is preparing for its first major UK-wide civic arts cycle, beginning in July 2027. Public art installations will lead into a national deliberation about climate impact, supported by regional participation, research and policy advocacy.

The researcher will map the UK civic arts ecosystem, with particular attention to Scotland as the organisation's home and starting point. This will include arts and cultural organisations, community networks, universities, public bodies, participatory democracy organisations, policy institutions, funders and organisations working across art, public participation and social change.

The placement will combine desk research, stakeholder mapping, selected conversations with practitioners and institutions and the development of practical relationship priorities. Its purpose is to give Hive Mind Speaks a reasoned route for building the relationships required to operate credibly across the UK. The work will support Scarred Monoliths and contribute to the organisation's longer-term aim of creating a repeatable national civic arts model.

Outputs

The researcher will produce:

  1. A searchable stakeholder map of relevant organisations, networks, programmes and individuals across the UK, with deeper coverage of Scotland.
  2. A classification of relationship types, covering artistic, cultural, community, academic, democratic, policy, amplification and funding relationships.
  3. A geographic assessment identifying areas of strong provision, gaps in representation and opportunities for regional participation.
  4. A longlist of approximately 75 to 100 potential relationships and a prioritised group of approximately 15 to 25 organisations.
  5. Brief profiles for priority organisations, including their work, potential mutual value, relevant contacts, suggested approach and foreseeable limitations.
  6. Five to eight exploratory conversations with selected practitioners or organisations, subject to availability and agreement with the host.
  7. Recommended partnership propositions for different types of organisation.
  8. A staged relationship-development plan supporting Scarred Monoliths and longer-term organisational growth.
  9. Recommended fields and working practices for maintaining a partnership register.
  10. A final report, supporting research files and a presentation to the Hive Mind Speaks team.

In person/remote/hybrid

Hybrid.

Most desk research, mapping, writing and online interviews can be completed remotely. The researcher will have access to Hive Mind Speaks' shared materials and regular online supervision. In-person work in Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland will be valuable for selected meetings, events and relationship building. Access to an Edinburgh co-working base can be arranged. The pattern will remain flexible around the researcher's doctoral commitments, location and access needs. Any travel will be agreed in advance and handled in line with the placement's expenses arrangements.

Benefits to the researcher

The researcher will gain applied experience inside a new arts and democracy charity preparing a live national programme. They will develop skills in stakeholder research, interviewing, relationship mapping, geographic representation, partnership design and presenting research for organisational decisions.

They will work across cultural practice, participatory democracy, policy, community participation and organisational development. They will see how research is translated into practical priorities and partnership approaches outside academia. The placement will provide substantial material for a professional portfolio, acknowledgement in relevant outputs and the possibility of future involvement where there is mutual interest and suitable capacity.

Key relationships

The researcher will work principally with Joshua Oliver, Founder and Artistic Director, and with leads and volunteers covering partnerships, community development, democracy and deliberation, communications, policy advocacy and research and evaluation.

External relationships may include the University of Glasgow POLART team, the University of Strathclyde, Crown Shy, Jupiter Artland and selected arts organisations, cultural networks, community bodies, universities, public institutions, participatory democracy organisations, policy organisations and funders. Any external approaches will be agreed with Joshua in advance.

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Visual Arts; Curating; Cultural Geography; Policy, Arts Management and Creative Industries; Cultural Studies and Pop Culture; Information and Knowledge Management; Information Science and Retrieval; Scottish Studies; Human Rights; Public Law; Media and Communication Studies; New Media/Web-Based Studies; Political Philosophy; Aesthetics; Epistemology; Ethics.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base
  • Essential: Research methods – Practical application; Information Seeking; Information literacy and management; Academic literacy and numeracy. 
  • Desirable: Subject knowledge; Research methods – theoretical knowledge.
A2. Cognitive Abilities
  • Essential: Analysing; Synthesising; Critical thinking; Problem Solving; Evaluating.
A3. Creativity
  • Essential: Inquiring minds; Intellectual insight; Argument construction.
  • Desirable: Innovation.
B1. Personal qualities
  • Essential: Enthusiasm; Integrity; Responsibility.
  • Desirable: Perseverance; Self-reflection. 
B2. Self management
  • Essential: Preparation and prioritisation; Commitment to research; Time management; Responsiveness to change.
B3. Professional & career development
  • Essential: Responsiveness to opportunities.
  • Desirable: Networking.
C1. Professional conduct
  • Essential: Ethics, principles and sustainability; Respect and confidentiality; Appropriate practice.
  • Desirable: Legal requirements; IPR and copyright; Attribution and co-authorship.
C2. Research management
  • Essential: Project planning and delivery.
  • Desirable: Research Strategy; Risk management.
C3. Finance, funding & resources
  • Desirable: Infrastructure and resources.
D1. Working with others
  • Essential: Team working; Collaboration; Equality and diversity.
  • Desirable: Influence and leadership.
D2. Communication & dissemination
  • Essential: Communication methods.
  • Desirable: Communication media; Publication.
D3. Engagement & impact
  • Essential: Public Engagement; Policy; Society and culture.
  • Desirable: Enterprise; Global citizenship.

First published: 28 September 2026

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