All set for a BRAW week
Artists, musicians, actors and other creatives in Blairgowrie and Rattray are looking forward to a week-long showcase event in the town later this month.
The fourth It’s BRAW! festival, which was held annually before the pandemic, takes place from Saturday, August 21, to Sunday, August 29, and features a packed programme of arts and crafts workshops as well as a variety of entertainment and concerts.
It will be the first in-person event for many of the participants after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of hundreds of events, festivals and exhibitions up and down the country.
Blairgowrie and Rattray Arts for Wellbeing (BRAW) week evolved from the Rattray Arts Festival, which this year will be held on Saturday, August 28, and Sunday, August 29, in Rattray Church Hall as part of the wider event.
Rattray Arts Festival celebrates the talent and skills of local creative artists with an annual exhibition of work and will feature hundreds of original paintings and selected designs by local sculptors, jewellers, silversmiths, stained glass artists, potters and a weaver as part of the two-day event.
It also raises thousands of pounds for charity with 20 per cent of all sales over the weekend kindly donated by the artists.
This year the chosen charitable beneficiary is once again Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
The team behind the week-long celebration of arts, crafts, drama and music is looking forward to what they say is going to be “a braw week filled with workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations, live music, theatre and more”.
Lesley McDonald is chair of the It’s BRAW! committee.
She said: “We are so excited to be back after It’s BRAW! was one of thousands of events and festivals which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
“The 2021 event is slightly scaled back from previous years due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding coronavirus restrictions but we are still very proud of what our community has to offer.
“And one of the good things that has come out of this is that we can now offer the option to attend many of the events in person or online, which makes It’s BRAW! more accessible to a much wider audience.
“As well as people watching the events from abroad, it also allows people in Blairgowrie and Rattray who may not be able to attend the events in person for whatever reason to still get involved, which is just fantastic.
“Our aim is to get folk interacting and experiencing the wealth of creative arts and activities within the town and maybe try something new, and the programme for this year’s showcase has something for everyone.”
Fellow committee member Sam Stewart organises the music events as part of the festival week, as well its weekly online music sessions.
She said: “It has been a very difficult 18 months for many people, including musicians.
“Everything just stopped for them back in March last year and many have struggled financially.
“It has also had an impact on many performers’ mental health and wellbeing.
“The wellbeing aspect of It’s BRAW! has always been important but is therefore of particular importance this year - for the musicians and artists as well as the festival goers and the local community.
“Although many musicians and artists have held gigs or sessions and exhibitions online it is not the same as doing it in person.
“Musicians thrive on the energy from their audiences, while people who want to buy paintings generally want to see the work in real life and talk to the artists so it has been very tough for many people.
“We are therefore looking forward to this year’s festival more than ever.”