The Glasgow Effect is a contemporary arts project built on two pillars:

1. an online platform publishing original content relevant to its concept and faithful to its values;
2. an art retreat and residency programme hosting people from all walks of life for a stay in a lush apartment in Gozo to support their healing through creativity, and to exchange ideas and generate material for the platform – as well as their own research and/or projects.

The art retreats are an opportunity for people of any background to travel to a Mediterranean island, enter the blissful state of connection with the self, and explore their creative inclinations under the nurturing, trained eye of the founder – all while sampling the sights, sounds, and flavours of the beautiful isle of Gozo. You'll be anchored at a cool holiday pad in Gozo, spending time focusing on yourself and your healing, making art, and enjoying the thrills and treats of this mystical place.

The residency for artists is a specific channel for investigating concepts related to the statistical "Glasgow effect", branching out into multiple disciplines: art, culture, the environment, literature, mental health, music, politics, and science. If you're an artist working in any field or another type of professional who would like to stay in Gozo for a period of time while undertaking meaningful work in one or more of these areas, our residency is made for you. As with the retreats, you'll be staying in the space and potentially partaking in initiatives that complement the motives of your residency.

Find out what the retreats and residency entail in more detail here.

Guided, personalised, one-to-one art retreats are currently open to all. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more information, or go here.

For the residency, a thorough proposal has to be submitted. It doesn't matter if you were born and bred in Glasgow, you moved there late in life or you just feel a connection to the themes of the project without ever having laid foot in the city. What counts is your commitment to exploring the concepts in a sensitive manner. You can view our submission guidelines and get more information on the residency by getting in touch. Proposals should be sent through our contact form or via email at hi@theglasgoweffect.com.

To contribute to the blog, write to us outlining your idea and how it relates to The Glasgow Effect. Include your details, links to previously published work, and a very short bio. If your idea respects the requirements and promises to add something appealing to our platform, you'll hear from our editorial team with a request to provide the full article, plus any images, videos etc. We welcome pitches from unpublished writers and artists too – we're more interested in the quality of the content you're proposing than your CV.

NOTE: Medium- to long-term artist residencies (lasting more than one week) are not available at the moment, but keep checking back or signal your interest in a future collaboration by contacting us.

Art retreats, including personalised sessions, accommodation, and optional meals, are currently offered as a 3-day weekend stay, 2-day weekend stay, or a 1-day weekend stay. You can also book 1-day, 2-day or 3-day art retreats without lodging and refreshments. The full range of options is available upon request, and you can notify us if you'd like more information or a bespoke arrangement that's not included.

Applicants for the residency programme are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and different rates apply depending on how long you'll be staying in the apartment. The fees also take into consideration how much you'll be giving back to the project and local communities in Gozo during your stay.

On the whole, the package is negotiable: we comb through every proposal looking for substance and potential. If external funding for a particular project is available, for instance, or your stay encompasses an exchange of significant value to the community, artists can even stay for free. Go ahead and send us an enquiry to kick off a negotiation.

Writers don't get paid to publish on our blog for the time being, but all submissions are free of charge.

Once your booking or proposal is accepted, the planning begins. Together with us, you'll be sketching out a plan of your activities and goals throughout the retreat or residency. From our end, we'll be taking care of all the logistics and making sure your experience is top-notch, smooth and unforgettable.

During your stay, you'll have the freedom to use the apartment and its facilities to suit your needs. Optional: a bit of fun and games in Gozo! You'll be in the good hands of a local who knows the island intimately and can take you on the journey of a lifetime or suggest the sweetest leisure spots to wind down by yourself or in your select company.

If we've decided, beforehand, that a workshop, exhibition or physical event as part of your residency makes sense, this is when it'll take place.

You'll normally be encouraged to write about your experience for our blog, and the post is published after your stay. Even when you leave Gozo, our collaboration doesn't stop there. Now you're an official member of The Glasgow Effect community, and you can remain active in service of the project in any way that's beneficial to you, us, people in Glasgow and Gozo, and beyond.