The Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards are a programme of small grant schemes, supported and administered by a range of local authorities and art agencies across Scotland to support visual artists and craft makers.
Whether your medium is paint, clay, ink, film, silver, textiles, glass or something else entirely, and whatever stage in your career you’re at, if you think we can help you advance your creative and professional skills we’d like to hear from you.
The 18/19 scheme will be officially launched in Shetland by Stephen Palmer, Visual Arts Officer from Creative Scotland, on Sunday 9th September at Mareel. He will introduce the Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards scheme and will also speak about Creative Scotland and its funding more generally. This presentation session, from 2pm - 2.30pm in the Mareel Auditorium, is free and no ticket is required!
Following this session, Stephen will lead a series of 1-2-1 advice sessions where you can talk through your project ideas and hear more about the funding options available to you. These advice sessions are free, but space is limited so booking through the Shetland Arts box office is strongly advised.
Established by Creative Scotland, these partnerships give support at a local level and work with local panels to offer funds to support practitioners at all stages of their career who have demonstrated a commitment to their work and in developing their practice through new work, new skills or new opportunities. Award levels range from £500 to £1500 and there are around 20 to 25 awards made in Shetland each year.
Lyndsay Cheyne, a previous recipient, said: “The award was a great opportunity for me to explore new aspects of making. I would recommend anyone considering it to go for it.” Avril Thomson, who received an award to help her develop her artistic skills in a new area, said: “I’ve always been interested in lino printing, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn the new skill due to lack of funds, and lack of opportunity. The fund allowed me to purchase printing inks, equipment and research materials. I was then able to practice the technique and produce a portfolio of work that otherwise would never have been possible.”
The first deadline for applications is Tuesday 2nd October 2018, and there will be a second round of funding early in 2019, with a deadline of Tuesday 5th February 2019. Visit the Shetland Arts website for the application form and guidelines, and if you’d like an informal chat about the Awards and eligibility you can phone 01595 743843 or email [email protected].
In Shetland the scheme is administered by Shetland Arts Development Agency (SADA), and funded by Creative Scotland, Shetland Islands Council and SADA.
For more info https://www.shetlandarts.org/you/creatives/support/visual-art-craft-awards
