The Scottish Artists Union delivers a programme of workshops, courses and events throughout the year. The Learning Programme creates opportunities for all members to undertake training to improve their sector skills, address the barriers to freelance work, and participate fully as workers within the sector.
All of our bespoke workshops and courses are free and created in direct response to members’ needs; delivering specialist events on a variety of topics across Scotland and across disciplines. The union considers work-based learning as a crucial and critical intervention into the structure of freelance work; acknowledging its material conditions in order to organise around issues.
Tell us what you'd like to learn by filling out our 2026 Learning Survey.
Get the most out of your membership and book on one of our courses, workshops and events - learn, meet your union officials, network with fellow members, and find out more about the union and its activities. Accredited training opportunities, residential courses and online resources are only available to our members. Become a member to get advanced notice of upcoming events and gain access to downloadable toolkits, course recordings and resources.
BACKGROUND
Data from our members' survey reveals that artists identify that a lack of network and feelings of isolation are the major issues affecting their practice. 73% of artists work from home, so we need an effective infrastructure on which to build organising, collaboration, exchange and dialogue with each other and other creative practitioners. As freelancers, we don’t have a 'shop floor', one employer or an industry body that can provide training for the sector or opportunities to get together as workers – so we have to create it ourselves. In the absence of a tangible workplace and within what is a precarious sector, workers look to their union to provide career advice and support. It is our intention to build artist-led freelance networks across Scotland’s rural and urban communities and across artistic disciplines. It is essential for people who work alone to be with like-minds, learning, sharing experiences, and combatting issues together to create a more collectivised culture of empowerment within the artistic community in Scotland.
We would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for courses you think would be useful to you, your practice and the wider industry. Please email learning@artistsunion.scot with any feedback or comments.
SAU's learning programme is funded through the collective provision of the Learning Fund from Scottish Union Learning, to deliver learning opportunities in the workplace and alternative locations for a variety of sectors. Scottish Union Learning are funded by the Scottish Government
Photographs from the Support Structures for Rural Artists Residential at Lyth Arts Centre, March 2026 and sessions lead by Jess Holdengarde (photo 1 - 3), Col Gordon (photo 4) and Tamara Hicks (photo 5). Photography by Emily Nicholl.