Abbey Craig is a creative practitioner, teacher, and facilitator, passionate about people, community, and lifelong learning.

Abbey’s professional practice and choice of work has recently been influenced by her own need to be well and the health and well-being needs expressed by the families, individuals, and professionals she meets when working in educational settings, residential care homes, hospices, and in local communities. Seeking out and creating projects that have a particularly positive impact on health and well-being has gradually become her main focus. Before, during and since the COVID-19 pandemic she has co-created with people who face multiple barriers every day due to age, disability, and health disability.

Recent projects include Worry Doll Stories (an intergenerational ongoing youth project supported by Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiatve Scheme and created in collaboration with artist Rikki Craig), and Angus Remembers, June 2022 – May 2024, a project for which Abbey is Lead Creative and involves artists across Scotland commissioned to co-create ‘Collective acts of reflection, remembrance, hope, and healing’ with communities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bridge Awards Residency was launched in 2023. Designed specifically for artists based in Scotland recovering from breast cancer, the 2023 residency was awarded to the Fife-based artist Susanne Nørregård Nielsen. Building upon the success of this first individual residency, we are delighted to launch a one-week group residency in May 2024. The participating artists include: film producer and writer Ros Borland, creative arts practitioner, teacher, and facilitator Abbey Craig, writer Moira McPartlin, and visual artist Krissy Stewart.

We are grateful to The Bridge Awards for making this residency possible, and to Maggie’s for their support. The 2023 residency also includes a music and wellbeing session generously offered by Scottish Ensemble.

Image: Courtesy of the artist.