Projects - Sculpture Placement Group

Floating Head

Richard Groom, 1988

Floating Head is a significant artwork from the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. Crafted by Richard Groom, this 26-tonne floating sculpture symbolises Glasgow’s industrial history. SPG’s efforts to refurbish and display the sculpture highlighted challenges in artwork commissioning, preservation, and ownership. Through partnerships, fundraising, and public engagement, SPG showcased the artwork, explored its historical context, and addressed broader questions about the longevity and impact of cultural events like the Glasgow Garden Festival.

The Brolly, Maria Gondek, 2023

Celebrating Art and Community

The unveiling of Maria Gondek’s The Brolly at Platform in Easterhouse was a collaborative effort, initiated in 2021/22 through a partnership between Platform, Blairtummock Housing Association, and SPG. The aim was to develop a new sculpture for exhibition alongside a permanent installation within a community setting.

Material Change

Podcast Series

Material Change is a series of conversations and interviews about the relationship between the visual arts and ecology. In these discussions, we talk to artists, designers, organisations and material researchers working in the context of the ecological emergency.

LOAN

Our Loan project takes contemporary art out of the gallery and into new contexts and environments. We work with visual artists to extend the life-cycle of artworks that are currently in long-term storage. It gives everyone an opportunity to lease original contemporary sculptures at an affordable price.

Team Sculpture

Empowering Youth Through Art

We wanted to develop a project that worked more closely with Young People to foster more in-depth engagement with sculpture over a longer period of time. In response we developed Team Sculpture in partnership with Young Enterprise Scotland. For the pilot we worked with Govan High School through their Positive Destinations Team, delivering a 10 week programme mirroring our SPG Loan Project.

STEP

Jacqueline Donachie, 2021

Informed by our Floating Head project, we wanted to challenge the art commissioning process, by testing a model that planned the future life of the artwork at a much earlier stage – ideally at the point of commissioning. STEP was the first one of these, which we called an Acquisition Partnership, between artist Jacqueline Donachie and the Glasgow arts and events venue SWG3.

Circular Arts Network

CAN is a recycling and reuse tool that helps the arts combat the climate emergency. It gives you access to the materials you need for your creative projects by providing a place where materials and resources can be exchanged. CAN stands for Circular Arts Network, it’s an online platform that supports a circular economy within the arts.

The National Theatre of Scotland, National Galleries Scotland, Glasgow School of Art and Edinburgh University are among 700+ users who have already benefited from CAN.

Club

The community for affordable and sustainable art collection.
Since SPG Club started in 2020, we’ve been growing our community of art lovers, artists and individuals keen to start their own art collections. It’s a community joined by the core purpose of SPG – to make meaningful change in the visual arts.