The International Projects Panel of the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) has recently approved eleven grants that will see artists from across the world perform at events throughout the country. The grants, valued at £130,620, will also give Scottish-based artists the opportunity to learn, discuss and perform with their international counterparts. Head of Strategic Development at the SAC, Jim Tough, has commented that the grants offer a ‘once in a lifetime experience for the communities where the performances will take place and for the individual artists who have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world’s great talent.’ Among the international artists to perform in Scotland will be world-renowned American visual artist Christopher Wool. In his first exhibition in the country, Wool will show works such canvas graffiti, photographs, and a scattering of colloquial slang. Also, Norway’s Nina Naesheim and Iceland’s Sigurborg Kr Hannesdottir will be attending the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. During the festival Naesheim will perform traditional Norwegian folk and fairy tales, while Hannesdottir will be presenting traditional Icelandic stories gathered from her rural family. The full list of recipients are as follows;

Paragon Ensemble Limited, £3,590 Towards the cost of creating a collaboration between the Paragon Ensemble and Japanese composer Koji Asano. This project will bring together Koji’s electro-acoustic abilities with a group of Scottish-based musicians with the aim of creating a new commission and recording.

Assembly Direct Limited, £17,280 Towards the cost of bringing musicians from the USA to perform different styles of contemporary jazz for Scottish audiences and to work with Scottish-based jazz musicians.

The Tron Theatre Limited, £12,000 Towards the cost of staging a Canadian production of theatre, dance and music which will then tour to Glasgow, Prague, Berlin and to the Six States Festival in Toronto.

Scottish Poetry Library, £9,854 Towards the cost of hosting a number of translation workshops. The workshops will focus on lesser-known languages and explore the use of contemporary poetry from Europe in Scotland and from Scotland in Europe.

Glasgow City Council , £10,538 Towards the cost of producing `Odyssey at the Tramway’ in Glasgow. This will see artists from the Italian theatre company Stalker Teatro work alongside The Working Party, a Glasgow-based theatre company to produce a play based around Homer’s classic story – the Odyssey.

New Moves International Limited, £20,000 Towards the cost of bringing the Chicago-based Goat Island Company to conduct a three-week residency as well as to perform. Goat Island’s productions cut across all artforms and challenge conventional approaches to movement, choreography and theatre.

Arches Theatre, £9,000 Towards the cost of INSTAL, a one-day festival which combines experimental, electronic and contemporary classical music. The event will take place in a multi-room, promenade environment; breaking away from the traditional way of hosting performances.

Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, £17,184 Towards the cost of bringing artists from the Nordic regions to participate in a residency, exhibitions and discussions. This project is co-ordinated by the Network North Project which brings together artists from the Nordic region, Scotland and Ireland.

The Queens Hall, £15,000 Towards the cost of a weekend of concerts which will feature Scandinavian artists and explore the influence of Nordic music on the Shetland Islands. This unique event will bring together the best of Shetland’s young talent as well as Finland and Sweden’s finest traditional music.

Dundee Contemporary Arts, £15,000 Towards the cost of bringing Christopher Wool from the USA to Scotland to host his first ever solo show on Scottish soil. The exhibition will run in conjunction with Le Consortium from Dijon and the end result will be a publication about the exhibition.

Scottish Storytelling Forum, £1,174 Towards the cost of Sigurborg Kr Hannesdottir from Iceland and Nina Naesheim from Norway appearing at the 2002 Scottish International Storytelling Festival. They will speak on this year’s theme Folklore, Myth and Legend in Scandinavia, Iceland and the islands of Scotland.