We had a chat wit musician Lizy Stirrat, a Royal Conservatoire alumna and the upper brass teaching musician at Big Noise – a music education and social change programme delivered by Sistema Scotland. Lizy shares how her love for music shaped her life and her passion for helping young people discover their musical talents.

Aliana Michalewicz si sadne so svojou mamou Sonia, aby sa dozvedela viac o ich fascinujúcom, slávnom rodinnom príbehu zakorenenom v hudbe a tanci, ako to priviedli z Poľska do Glasgowa a ich nádeja do budúcnosti. 

In this issue of Roma News and Views, Aliana Michalewicz sits down with her mum Sonia to learn more about their fascinating, famous family history rooted in music and dance, how they brought this from Poland to Glasgow, and their hopes for the future.

From bank robberies to links to the slave trade, the southside has homed a variety of radical social and political histories. In this piece we explore some of the area’s forgotten heritage and dive deeper to uncover the legacy behind these familiar spots.

Community organisations are doing impactful work to support the neighbourhood, but short-term public funding cycles make it difficult for them to plan ahead, leaving them struggling to survive. We spoke with some local organisations to find out their experiences with the current funding cycles.

This year, the Nordic Music Days Festival was held in Glasgow for the first ever time, making its Scottish debut. We went along to The Legend of Kuokkamummo, a performance that combined Finnish storytelling and Scottish music.

In this new series, we’re exploring Govanhill’s heritage, street by street – starting with Butterbiggins Road. Once an 18th-century hamlet for travelling communities, Butterbiggins evolved from a rural outpost to an industrial hub, and later into the residential street we know today.

We spoke with photographer Morwenna Kearsley about Apparatus, her first major-scale solo exhibition at Strange Field – the old Dalmarnock print factory on French Street.

We Incite This Meeting is a powerful performance that invites the audience to discuss women’s rights and question: “What remains to be done, and how are we going to do it?” 

To find out more about a proposed new urban park below the M8, we went along to the design launch and spoke with to local residents about the ambitious transformation which could happen on their doorstep. 

JR Ewan, co-founder of Glasgow’s Southside Studios, is an artist and maker whose journey is marked by his family’s legacy and his own creative evolution. In this edition of Behind the Portrait he shares his insights into his creative process and his experiences working with diverse artists at Project Ability and his own Southside Studios.

The Glasgow Door Open Day is back, taking place from the 16th-22nd of Septemeber. The event aims to celebrate Glasgow’s cultural heritage by opening the doors of over 100 historical buildings to the public across the city. We put together a list of the top five places to visit in the Southside.

Children from a Bethlehem refugee camp depict life under occupation and dreams of a free Palestine in a powerful exhibition, the final project of the late Jeremy Lester. Their raw and hopeful artwork, alongside symbols of Palestinian identity, offers a moving glimpse into a deeply personal struggle.

How a bunch of old cassettes are a passage into the languages and histories of Pakistani migration. The Tape Letters project will soon be showcased in an exhibition in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee featuring stories of local residents.

Big Noise Govanhill’s free summer holiday club provided nearly 1,000 meals and fun, educational activities for local children, supporting families through music education, social projects, and essential care during the longest school break.

Local band CLR Theory captivated the listening crowd during intimate performances at the Deep End over the weekend, with two consecutive shows on the Saturday and Sunday evening.

Govanhill artists joined the unions in their continued fight for arts funding despite a recent government u-turn on cuts announced last month. Though funding has been reinstated, the arts community remains concerned about future uncertainties, especially on the impact cuts would have on working-class communities. Protesters called for a progressive tax system in the broader fight to preserve public funding, not just for the arts and culture sector.

The Victoria Bar, one of 21 sites part of the Football Square Mile (FSM), has recently become home to a painting by Ashley Rawson, depicting two Tartan Army fans, clad in Scotland’s signature colours. The work entitled, ‘The Best Fans in the World’,  is a homage to the Tartan Armies' celebration of the Euros. 

Arkbound’s innovative workshop series, 'Our Economy', is opening doors for typically marginalised communities to engage in economic discussions through creative writing. This unique approach is not just about learning but about fostering change and amplifying voices that are often unheard.

Last week, CineRoma 2.0 brought powerful narratives to the forefront as the UK’s only Roma Film Festival returned for its second year. Curated by young Roma from Govanhill, this year’s selection delved into themes of self-perception, identity, and resistance.