Island's Staff Team
Islands Culture Officer | Caitlin McNeill
Caitlin McNeill is based on her home island Colonsay, one of Argyll’s most remote communities. Caitlin has a background in community development, having been involved in Colonsay Community Development Company (CCDC) as their Director and as CCDC’s Local Development Officer.
Caitlin has a strong link to island culture with generational island knowledge through her family's involvement in music, arts and literature, instilling in Caitlin an appreciation for the culture she grew up around. This support allowed Caitlin to study Scottish traditional music and Gaelic at the National Centre for Excellence in Traditional Music.
In 2021 Caitlin gained a degree in Law from the University of Stirling, with a deep understanding of legal challenges faced by small charities, community rights to buy and human rights.
Working in community development, it is clear to Caitlin the potential of islands and islanders to overcome great challenges and make positive changes for the future of their community. Caitlin is pleased to now be working with CHARTS to support sustainable and innovative creative ventures, promoting the islands and helping to build strong relationships and networks.
Get in touch at caitlin@chartsargyllandisles.org
Islands Lead Artist - Arts-led Consultation for Under Thirty Age Group | Amy Dunnachie
Amy Dunnachie is a socially engaged artist and maker based on her home island of Jura, working with found objects in a resourceful and environmentally conscious way.
Amy has an MA in Art and Social Practice from the University of Highlands and Islands and an undergraduate in Jewellery and Silversmith from Glasgow School of Art. Her sculptural and practical approach to her practice is exemplified by her wearable pieces and her participatory work with island residents and fellow artists alike.
Amy's experience of island community has played a defining role in her practice, informing a playful yet sensitive narrative in her visual works and a dedication to working towards human connection. Amy’s use of found objects allows her to collect stories about our environment to celebrate our unique understandings of ‘place’ whilst also considering our past lives, our dynamic present and our hopeful futures.
Amy has been part of CHARTS' past projects, Place Makers: Microclusters working as part of an artist collective SO:AR on Jura.
Get in touch amy@chartsargyllandisles.org
Project Manager, Coastal Cultures, Islands | Mary Morrison
Mary Morrison is a project manager and creative producer from the Isle of Harris who grew up in Scalpay with her father, who is a fluent Gaelic speaker. Mary has extensive experience in developing networks and delivering support to creative businesses and organisations in rural areas and has previously supported the Islands Team as the Consultation and Strategic Support.
Mary is a contemporary visual artist with an in-depth knowledge of Scotland’s creative sector. Mary has worked in the film industry as an animator, workshop leader and award-winning producer after an initial placement with Comataidh Craolaidh Gaidhlig. From 2009 to early 2023, Mary managed the Creative Arts Business Network providing support to individuals and organisations and worked with a range of partners on the ground and at a strategic level to develop opportunities and longer-term support for the sector.
Additionally, Mary has an HNC in Tourism: Heritage and Environmental Interpretation from Lews Castle College, Stornoway, as part of a Community Enterprise initiative across the Highlands and Islands and a MA in Fine Art and a Post Graduate Diploma in Painting (Distinction) from Edinburgh College of Art.
Get in touch mary@chartsargyllandisles.org
Engagement Manager, Coastal Cultures, Islands | Deirdre MacKenna
Born and brought up in north Argyll, Deirdre is a culture-producer and mediator with over 20 years’ experience as a leader in the cultural sector, gained by devising and delivering programmes and partnerships in micro-local, regional and international contexts.
Her passion is in reifying the intangible aspects of our lives such as long-term change in language, identity and sense of place.
Deirdre has led the curatorial programming for University of Dundee, Stills (Scotland’s Centre for Photography) and Cultural Documents, teaches for University of the Highlands and Islands and has been working on a project basis with CHARTS since 2018.
Get in touch deirdre@chartsargyllandisles.org
Trustee Rachel Kellow and Steering Group member Jen Skinner will support the island development initiative on behalf of CHARTS Board and Steering Group, along with contributions from CHARTS core staff team.
