An arts community does well in adding clarity to the goings on within places such as the CCA, and whilst shining a more well balanced light on the activities the organisation centres on, this blogging-lark will produce an editorial front for how the Centre for Contemporary Art functions – as a whole!

So, without further ado this is the voice of a Front of House employee – a voice for the men and women dressed in black to blend in with the building’s surroundings. It happens everywhere you go: someone wandering in a gallery or hovering along the line of people awaiting entry to a venue, counting your presence, giving you a smile and handing you a leaflet.

Many of us have done this for some time and, whilst some of us use the form employment in transition from one place to another, others enjoy their well-valued place within the structure of the building as well as the programme! More than a few of us too have other jobs, some of us as artists or art historians, actors, curators and organisers. We construct a rapport with one another through commonality: rather like the realisation of two people liking the same sort of food and being able to talk about the many different ways it can be made. We then often work together in other forms creatively and supportively. It is a network that enables a more engaged form of minimum waged employment. There’s a lot of give and just as much take – right from the directorial top to the multifaceted bottom… but what you have to realise is that the CCA’s architecture is uncannily upside down! And, if it came to point – as front of house staff are there for security too – in the event of a fire we would lead you upstairs if necessary, past the office, and out on to the top of the building. So yes, we function just as much from the bottom as we do from the top!

It's a creative whole that works through partnerships between individuals that frequent the building as well as the creative businesses hiring the offices, and others that contribute and help fund the CCA programme. We’re all for development – and we’re all standing together in the face of re-adjustments in funding ready to offer more profound ways of accessing our resource giving you more opportunity to engage. Just wait and see what we have planned for the resource area in reception!

And keep informed with the blog here too, over coming weeks there’ll be updates on different the out-of-CCA activities us Front of House people get up to!!

Trade Unionist, Jimmy Reid died this week. He will be best remembered for his leadership role in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) occupation and work-in of 1971-72 in Glasgow. He was the kind of figure that is now difficult to find in the politics of the left and he had a gift for oratory that could inspire  resistance while defining the wider context that held everyone back in contemporary society. Elected Rector of the University of Glasgow in the early 70s he declared:

"A rat race is for rats. We're not rats. We're human beings. Reject the insidious pressures in society that would blunt your critical faculties to all that is happening around you, that would caution silence in the face of injustice lest you jeopardise your chances of promotion and self-advancement. This is how it starts, and before you know where you are, you're a fully paid-up member of the rat-pack. The price is too high. It entails the loss of your dignity and human spirit. Or as Christ put it, "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?"

Profit is the sole criterion used by the establishment to evaluate economic activity. From the rat race to lame ducks. The vocabulary in vogue is a give-away. It's more reminiscent of a human menagerie than human society."

We've been working hard during the good weather to make some good progress at the Westhorn allotment.  Unfortunately the weeds are steadily growing back after months of clearing the site, but we're continuing to plough away at it and have now erected some raised beds and barrel beds.  If you have good tips for keeping weeds at bay, leave us some comments, or better still, get involved.

These are some images of the site from four days of hard graft.

Faith Wilding speaking at CCA

On Saturday CCA hosted the symposium How We Go On Now which accompanies the exhibition, The Long Loch, by Kate Davis and Faith Wilding.

Faith Wilding and Kate Davis introduce the day's speakers

It was a full day with individual speakers, screenings, a lively panel discussion and a series of performances by Ruth Buchanan in the gallery.

Ruth Buchanan in Gallery 2

As part of The Long Loch, Kate Davis and Faith Wilding created banners to be hung from the windows of CCA onto the street.

The banners had barely been hung before they prompted a 'reply' from flats on the other side of the street. One of the original questions from Kate and Faith was 'people of all countries who washes your socks?'. The reply - 'your mother washes my socks'.

Faith Wilding and Kate Davis finished preparations for their Gi exhibition The Long Loch last night, so everything's ready for the onslaught of openings that will start over the next few days (CCA's is on Friday night).

All that Japanese Hogweed? Gone. The hundreds of cider bottles? Gone. Now we have a beautiful, cleared space at Westthorn Allotments, thanks to BTCV volunteers. Over several days the volunteers, under the supervision of Jo Ridley, cleared everything, revealing the full potential of the land there - all 1000 sq metres of it.

The next task is to lay down a protective membrane to keep the hogweed under control. We have raised beds on order, with some tools and plants. Once the membrane is down we can get the beds underway and start planning our workshops...

On Weds 10 March artist Alex Wilde led our fourth community garden workshop.  Alex is well known artist in Drumchapel as has worked extensively with local children on gardening projects.

Alex led a ready steady cook-along workshop with the seasonal produce that can be grown at this time of year, showing what to do with the produce once it's grown. By the end of the session we had made curried parsnip soup, a variety of salads and stewed rubbarb and apple for desert.

The workshop demonstrated the link between gardening and health and well-being. We hope that the community garden in Drumchapel will eventually provide a provocative way into a better diet and better health for the local community.

Last Weds 24th February, Drumchapel community gardeners braved the snowy weather to pay a visit to community gardens in Toryglen.

Abi Mordan from Urban Roots led a tour around three of their community gardens.  Urban Roots is a community led organisation based in Toryglen. It works with local people on projects that improve health and nutrition and the environment.  Their volunteer teams take on lots of different projects such as transforming derelict or unused green spaces into thriving, blossoming community gardens where they grow herbs, vegetables, fruit and flowers.  Some of the produce is then redistributed back into the community through their weekly Fruit Barra.

The gardens make the area look more attractive, and help to create more used, social and safe places in the community.  It was impressive to see what the residents of Toryglen had achieved and the visit gave us lots of enthusiasm for the things which could be realised by the community garden project in Drumchapel.

The Drumchapel community garden workshops have been moving along successfully and have been well received by local residents who are keen to get involved in a project which intends to improve out door living space for the community.

On 11 February we visited the Coach House Trust’s community run garden centre on Aldermann Road.   The Coach House Trust provides support, training and work opportunities for adults recovering from problems such as an addiction or mental health problems.  Their garden centre provides a valuable resource for the local community, creating employment and also incorporates a market garden growing vegetables and fruit.

Expert gardeners Kate and Paula, who work for the trust, led workshops on basic gardening skills such as seed sowing and composting.  We sowed a variety of seeds such as tomatoes, dwarf beans, basil, chives, marigolds and calendula, which are now happily growing away in the CCA office awaiting warmer weather when they will be planted outside on the community garden site at Drumchapel.   We eventually hope that Drumchapel community garden will provide training and work for local people akin to Aldermann Road. This visit was therefore very insightful.