Gabby Morris appointed to work with communities in Buckie
Culture for Climate Scotland and the Buckie partnership appoint Gabby Morris as the artist embedded in a creative community project in Buckie.
Buckie has many people working in industries related to fishing and offshore oil and gas, and the town is bound to see significant change through the efforts to protect marine habitats and transition to renewables. Sea Change is a new community art project exploring how coastal towns like Buckie can meet the challenges of climate change. The project will employ creative methods to help everyone have their voice heard and shape the future of the place.
Culture for Climate Scotland, the Buckie partnership and our Sea Change partners are excited to work with Gabby Morris, an artist and designer working at the intersection of the environment, coastal futures and collective imagination.
Based in Moray, Gabby Morris is closely connected to the landscapes and communities of the north-east coast. She brings people together to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing coastal places, and to imagine how they might change and adapt in the future.
Gabby Morris said:
‘This is an important and exciting moment for Buckie. Across Moray, conversations around the just transition are opening up new ways of thinking about the future, and Buckie has a real opportunity to be a key part of those conversations. My role gives me the chance to work closely with the community, and I’m excited to bring my creative tools into the mix to support imagination, spark ideas, and explore how we face the challenges and opportunities ahead together.’
Gordon McDonald, Chairman of Buckie Area Forum, commented:
‘The Buckie Area Forums runs The Hub in Buckie and we look forward to having Gabby use our facilities as a base to work from. I am sure that she will be well supported by the local community here in her endeavours’.
Lewis Coenen-Rowe, Culture for Climate Scotland’s culture/SHIFT Manager, said:
‘I’m really excited to be working with people in Buckie on this project. I’ve seen from experience how creative approaches can make climate action more inclusive and help communities take the lead on environmental policy and planning for their area, while offering something fun and rewarding in the process. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of this project as we work with community members to plan the next steps.’
A collective of five community and cultural organisations is involved in the Sea Change project in Buckie and includes Buckie Area Forum, Findochty and Buckie Development Trust, Findhorn Bay Arts, Moray Climate Action Network and tsiMORAY.
Sea Change: Co-creating coastal futures is an action-research project running until June 2027, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK branch) and NatureScot.
About Culture for Climate Scotland
Culture for Climate Scotland is a charity that connects culture and climate change, and harnesses the role of arts in achieving transformational change to a sustainable Scotland.
About the Buckie partnership
The Buckie partnership is a collective of five organisations involved in the Sea Change project in Buckie.
Buckie Area Forum brings together representatives from local community organisations and local residents to tackle issues which have been identified through local consultation. The Forum runs The Hub, which provides space and a wide range of services to the local community.
Findochty and Buckie Development Trust is a community-owned and led organisation which uses a combination of enterprise and creativity to improve the quality of life for people living in the Findochty and Buckie area.
Findhorn Bay Arts is an award-winning arts producer making creative things happen across Moray and beyond.
Moray Climate Action Network (Moray CAN) is a network of groups, organisations and individuals working together to tackle climate change in Moray.
tsiMORAY connects and supports Moray’s third sector. It supports charities, community groups and social enterprises by helping them access funding, learn and grow volunteering.
About Gabby Morris
Gabby Morris works creatively across Scotland at the intersection of climate change, the environment, coastal futures and collective imagination. Her work focuses on creating experiential, imaginative and engaging ways for people to explore what coastal futures might look and feel like. She is particularly interested in how creativity can open up new perspectives, spark conversation, and amplify individual agency in decision making and policy change.
About the Sea Change partners and funders
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is an international foundation that promotes the development of individuals and organisations for a more equitable and sustainable society.
NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency, working to improve our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it.
The Scottish Government Marine Directorate is responsible for managing Scotland’s seas and freshwater fisheries along with delivery partners NatureScot and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The Open University is a global leader in higher education, pioneering distance learning and delivering teaching and support to students across the UK and the world.
