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Artist in Residence named for Cumbrae Bioregion project
North Ayrshire Council is providing an exciting placed-based arts residency opportunity on the Isle of Cumbrae, supported by the Scottish Government’s Culture Collective programme through Creative Scotland.
Delivered in collaboration with Hunter Saville Cumbrae Gallery and Studio, we are excited to share the announcement of Greer Pester as the first Clyde Bioregion Artist in Residence on the Isle of Cumbrae.
Greer is a visual and social artist. She has already made great work in response to the Clyde and its Bioregion while engaging in Inverclyde.
Welcoming the news this week, artist Greer reflects: "I'm really excited to be placed in the context of Cumbrae for three weeks and to dip my creative toes into island life. I'm looking forward to exploring the rich tapestry of landscape and community here, creating work that responds directly to this special context. I will relish some time to reflect on materials and participatory processes, gathering stories and sharing creative rituals with this unique body of landscape, the built environment and its lovely host of inhabitants.”
Artist in Residence Greer graduated with a degree in Drawing and Painting from Edinburgh College of Art in 2010. Currently based in Scotland, she has spent the last 15 years working both internationally and in the UK.
Her practice explores the themes of human nature and connection, and Greer is particularly curious about creative play, life and death cycles, rituals, food and the senses. Her work is material led, often working with collage, cut-outs, paintings, sculptural installations and text. Uniquely, she has been richly inspired by four years living in Mexico researching their creative and ritualistic practices around Days of The Dead.
Quote: Congratulations to Greer on being appointed as the Bioregion Artist in Residence for Great Cumbrae. This is a fantastic opportunity funded by Creative Scotland to bring together the work of the North Ayrshire Place Partnership via the Clyde Bioregion Residency Programme. I am sure Greer will inspire and provoke ideas around place and environment, through social interactions and will use her fun and engaging approach to bring her practice to the public’s attention in Millport and on the Isle of Cumbrae. Based in the Hunter Saville Gallery and Studio during her time in residence, our Arts and Culture team hope to see Greer reaching all aspects of the village and island.
Quote from: Councillor Alan Hill, Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and Islands
Janice Hunter and Tim Saville from Hunter Saville Gallery have welcomed the news, sharing: “Over the news few months, the Cumbrae Studio and Gallery is proud to host Greer Pester, a well-respected and experienced community artist, as our first Clyde Bioregion Artist in Residence on the Isle of Cumbrae.
“Our ethos here, in conjunction with Creative Scotland and North Ayrshire Place Partnership is to offer residencies that will benefit the community as well as the artist. We will provide accommodation and workshop facilities as well as the gallery, offering emerging artists who seek to embrace island life and community, the means to do so, here on Cumbrae.
“We look forward to making this a regular part of our residency programme and hope to welcome more emerging artists and graduates in the years to come.”
Island Arts Coordinator Eòghann MacColl said: “We are delighted to launch the first Clyde Bioregion Residency on the Isle of Cumbrae, supported by the Scottish Government’s Culture Collective programme through Creative Scotland. The residency programme emerged from work carried out and research made over the last three years. It was a long-held ambition for many in the Islands creative scene to co-create a bioregion creative project and we’re looking forward to progressing it further with latest talented Artist in Residence on board."
Partners on the programme include Archaeology Scotland, Drumadoon Estate, North Ayrshire Place Partnership comprising of North Ayrshire Council and Creative Scotland. The team will also work with Hunter Saville Studio and Gallery in Millport on Cumbrae and other island-based creatives.
Quote: A bioregion is a geographical area, on land or at sea, defined not by administrative boundaries, but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, human settlements and cultural traditions, and topographic features such as watersheds. The communities and location of Arran and Millport are key because the area in and around the Firth of Clyde estuary, including its human culture - past and present - is the curatorial theme and focus for our exciting residency programme. Alongside the Island communities, the Clyde Bioregion Residency will encourage thinking across disciplines in a powerful way to bring change and also be respectful of nature and our environment.
Quote from: Eòghann MacColl, Island Arts Coordinator
Over on Arran, contemporary artist’s Claire Pençak and Saffy Setohy are also enlisted as the Drumadoon-based Artists in Residence and will be exploring the rich bioregion of Arran through ecology, hands-on experiences, archaeology and creative dance practice.
Working with a range of islanders, they are taking up residence via a converted truck to experience the raw nature and solitude provided by Drumadoon Estate, situated on the southwestern coast of the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde.
Karen Dick, Creative Scotland’s Head of Place, Partnerships and Communities adds: “Projects like North Ayrshire’s Culture Collective programme demonstrate the transformative potential of cultural work rooted in place, and our Arran and Cumbrae residencies represents a valuable opportunity to deepen community engagement through culture, heritage, and the arts.
“We are pleased to support initiatives that place creativity at the heart of local identity and collective expression, and anticipate that Greer’s contribution will make a meaningful impact within the Cumbrae community.”
The council’s Arts and Culture team will work closely alongside the Island Arts Coordinator, Eòghann MacColl, to deliver the project. Community members and creatives looking to get involved can email: naplacepartnership@north-ayrshire.gov.uk to register their interest for engagement opportunities over the next year. The artists will be sharing their progress as the project develops over the next eight months.
Find out more about the project via the Clyde Bioregion Residency Programme website or follow them on Instagram: @clyde_bioregion_residencies
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow Creative Scotland on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Published: 18 November 2025