We are delighted to introduce the artists taking part in Caithness Artists in Residence (CAIR) 2026 — the latest chapter of Lyth Arts Centre’s long-running programme of socially engaged creative work across Caithness.
This year, artists Megan Lloyd and Joanne B Kaar will work alongside communities to develop new projects rooted in local experiences, stories and places. They will be joined by Elliot Scott, our Trainee Social Practice Artist, who will work alongside the artists and LAC team throughout the programme.
Caithness Artists in Residence (CAIR) is a durational, community-led residency programme supporting creative cultural activism in Caithness.
CAIR places artists and creative practitioners at the heart of local communities and organisations, working collaboratively with participants to explore local issues, amplify community voices and use creativity as a tool for wellbeing, empowerment and change.
Launched in 2020, CAIR has grown into a nationally recognised model of place-based, socially engaged practice in rural Scotland. Since then, the programme has connected with more than 1,600 participant collaborators, worked with 22 artists and partnered with 30 local community organisations and charities.
CAIR 2026 represents the next phase of the programme, shaped by learning from previous residencies, community feedback and local priorities.
We’re very excited to introduce this year’s artists and to see how their projects develop.
Megan Lloyd
Megan is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily with installation, bringing together ceramic, textile and mixed-media objects.
She has a strong interest in the history of the far north of Scotland, particularly its textile traditions, and in the ways fibres and handmade objects can capture something of the experiences and environments of their makers.
Care and women’s labour are recurring themes throughout Megan’s practice. Her sculptures hold memories of the processes that created them, recording the repetition, time and labour involved in making.
For CAIR 2026, Megan will work with community groups using interaction with textiles as a starting point for conversations around memory, connection, identity and heritage in the far north.
She is particularly interested in the ways we interact with different materials, how textile objects can provide comfort, and how touch and making can open up conversations and memories.
Joanne B Kaar
Joanne is a research-based visual artist and maker based in Stromness, with deep roots in Caithness.
A graduate of Gray’s School of Art and Manchester Metropolitan University, Joanne has worked and exhibited internationally, including in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Iceland, the USA, New Zealand, Estonia and Catalonia.
She has twice been selected as an Artist in Residence by the Crafts Council of Newfoundland and Labrador and was invited to St John’s as keynote speaker for its heritage and museum sector conference, Using Crafts to Tell a Story.
For CAIR 2026, Joanne will work collaboratively with Scottish Women’s Institute groups across Caithness to develop The Wilderwoman.
Inspired by Charles Fréger’s Wilder Mann, the project will bring participants together to create a unique Caithness Wilderwoman costume using upcycled household materials.
The finished costume will embody ideas central to CAIR, the SWI and Joanne’s own creative practice: working together, sharing skills and using creativity as a tool for wellbeing and women’s empowerment.
Elliot Scott
Elliot Scott is an emerging playwright based in the Highlands whose work is primarily concerned with ideas of home and belonging.
He is interested in theatre’s ability to articulate the complexities of everyday life and is drawn to the idea of plays as a way of asking questions that we cannot readily answer.
Elliot joins CAIR 2026 as our Trainee Social Practice Artist.
Throughout the programme, he will work alongside Joanne, Megan and the LAC team, supporting the delivery of the residencies while developing his own skills and experience in co-design, facilitation, participatory storytelling and community-based creative practice.
Over the coming months, Megan, Joanne and Elliot will be working with communities across Caithness as their projects develop.
An important part of CAIR is allowing projects to grow through conversation and collaboration, rather than arriving with a predetermined outcome. We’re looking forward to sharing that process — from the first conversations and workshops through to whatever emerges along the way.
Keep an eye on the Lyth Arts Centre website and social channels for updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses and opportunities to get involved.
CAIR 2026 is made possible through support from the Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund and Inspiring Scotland Creative Communities.
The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund supports community-led projects that strengthen resilience, address inequality, tackle rural depopulation and contribute to sustainable local development.
Creative Communities Scotland is a Scottish Government-backed programme facilitated by Inspiring Scotland, supporting grassroots and community-led organisations to deliver participatory creative projects that improve wellbeing and help overcome barriers to cultural engagement.
CAIR 2026 is supported with funding from the Scottish Government, administered by Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund, with support from Inspiring Scotland Creative Communities. Lyth Arts Centre is funded through Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding Programme.
