This autumn marks five years of Circular Arts Network (CAN) — a milestone we’re proud to share with the artists, organisations, and supporters who’ve helped make the platform what it is today.
Since launching in 2019, CAN has grown into a practical, collaborative resource connecting thousands of artists, makers, and organisations across Scotland. Together, we’ve helped materials find new life in studios, workshops, classrooms, and exhibitions — building a circular economy in the arts that continues to expand each year.
From the beginning, CAN was built on a simple idea: that reuse and sharing could make creative practice more sustainable, more affordable, and more connected. Five years on, that idea has turned into a network that supports everything from student projects to major exhibitions.
In 2025 alone, 7,000 new users joined the platform (up from 5,500 in 2024), and 775 items were listed online. Across five years of sharing events, over 3,600 items have been redistributed — everything from timber and stage flats to fabrics, plinths, and paint — keeping valuable materials in use and out of landfill.
This year also marks CAN’s first open-source rollout, with the platform now being used beyond Scotland by organisations such as SAIL Leeds — extending the ethos of circular practice and access even further.
To mark the anniversary, we’ve collaborated with artist Josie KO, whose installation Fir Gorma — part of Glasgow International 2024 — was created in part using materials sourced through CAN. Josie’s striking figure from the work now features on a new limited-edition CAN tote bag, screen printed by Print Clan on sustainable cotton.
The tote celebrates both the creativity and the reuse that sit at the heart of CAN — a reminder of what’s possible when shared resources meet shared purpose. We’ll be gifting these to some of our long-time supporters, and they’re also available for £10 each, helping us keep the platform running for another five years and beyond.
As we look ahead, we’re also asking our community to help shape the next chapter of CAN. Whether you’ve found materials, listed a workshop, or connected with others through the site, we’d love your feedback and ideas on how CAN can continue to support sustainable practice across the arts.
Here’s to five years of sharing, reuse, and collaboration — and to everyone who’s helped make CAN what it is.
