2024 Awardee: Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul

I am extremely grateful for the support of the Dewar Award in giving me the opportunity to pursue my Masters Studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Dewar Award has given me the invaluable gift of time to dedicate myself to my musical development in an international context. Without the Dewar Arts Award, such an opportunity would have been beyond my financial means. The funding opened doors to being able to move to Denmark to study, where I’ve had the opportunity to meet musicians from all over the world. I’ve had the privilege of learning from world-class teachers, whose expertise I’m learning so much from. The funding has also allowed me to immerse myself in the life and culture of a new country, where I’ve been able to connect with people and share the joy of music. It's marvellous to share different musical and cultural traditions which enriches us all together. The Dewar Award has made all of this possible, and I’d like to express my gratitude for the time, resources and support you have provided as I take these next steps in my musical career. Thank you for the support.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.cchaimbeul.com/
 
TWITTER: https://x.com/cchaimbeul

Biography

Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul is a musician who is influenced by traditional Gaelic music as well as a passion for classical music. She is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she studied with distinguished Serbian Accordionist, Djordje Gajic.

She is currently pursuing her Masters in Classical Accordion Performance at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, she studies with Professor Geir Draugsvoll and Professor Bjarke Mogenson, and is kindly supported by the Dewar Arts Awards, the Anglo/Danish Society and the Cross Trust.

Ciorstaidh grew up on the Isle of Skye, where she was surrounded by Gaelic music and culture from a very young age. She regularly performs at festivals and venues throughout the UK, including Celtic Connections, where she was awarded a Danny
Kyle Award in 2024. She was a semi-finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2019. She is a keen collaborator, and premiered new works for accordion at the RCS Plug Festival. She appeared alongside the RCS Accordion Quartet at the BBC Radio 4 Front Row Programme, ahead of their performance at the St Magnus Festival in Orkney.

Internationally, she has performed at the Malmo Folk Festival in Sweden. Alongside performing, Ciorstaidh is an experienced music teacher, teaching both privately, and at the Glasgow Folk Music Workshop.

How the Award Helped

Ciorstaidh received an award to support her Masters studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she studied with Professor Geir Draugsvoll and Professor Bjarke Mogenson.

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I am extremely grateful for the support of the Dewar Award in giving me the opportunity to pursue my Masters Studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Dewar Award has given me the invaluable gift of time to dedicate myself to my musical development in an international context. Without the Dewar Arts Award, such an opportunity would have been beyond my financial means. The funding opened doors to being able to move to Denmark to study, where I’ve had the opportunity to meet musicians from all over the world. I’ve had the privilege of learning from world-class teachers, whose expertise I’m learning so much from. The funding has also allowed me to immerse myself in the life and culture of a new country, where I’ve been able to connect with people and share the joy of music. It's marvellous to share different musical and cultural traditions which enriches us all together. The Dewar Award has made all of this possible, and I’d like to express my gratitude for the time, resources and support you have provided as I take these next steps in my musical career. Thank you for the support.

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2024 Awardee: Arouge Salim

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/_arouge_/
 
 

Biography

Arouge Salim is a textile designer and researcher from Glasgow, based in New York. Her work explores the intricate placement of threads to create vibrant patterns and shapes. By blending traditional techniques with innovative approaches, she pushes the boundaries of what textiles can achieve. Her designs play with thread and colour to craft synthetic, illusion-like effects, reflecting her belief in the transformative power of textiles as a medium. Driven by a desire to redefine its possibilities, Arouge’s work challenges convention while celebrating the limitless potential of fabric and design.

Arouge earned her BFA in Textiles from The Glasgow School of Art in 2022 and is now in her first year of the MFA Textiles program at Parsons School of Design, where she was awarded a scholarship.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award has enabled Arouge to pursue her MFA in Textiles at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York, where she is currently in her first year. This opportunity has allowed her to delve deeper into her craft, creating work that challenges and redefines the boundaries of textile design.

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2024 Awardee: Eve Pearson Maxwell

Dewar Arts has helped me with the expenses of living and studying in London while pursuing my Master's. With this money I can focus on my studies and the development of my career. I cannot thank them enough for their support!

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/evepearsonmaxwellsoprano/
 
 

Biography

Scottish soprano Eve Pearson Maxwell studied her undergraduate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is now studying her Postgraduate at the Royal College of Music with Amanda Roocroft as a Leverhulme Scholar.

While at the RCS Eve participated and placed in several competitions, her most recent, winning 2nd prize at the International Mozart Competition, Vienna.

She has performed with the RCS Choir as a soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria and as Second Witch/Dido cover in Dido & Aeneas. Under Karen Cargill’s Associate Artist programme Eve performed Brahms Liebeslieder-Walzer at the Cumnock Tryst, The Stevenson Hall, and Drumlanrig Castle.

Eve has recorded backing vocals for the short film, Fire and Lace and performed First Swan Maiden for Retrospect Opera’s recording of Kennedy-Fraser’s The Seal Woman with the Scottish Opera orchestra.

Her recent engagements include joining the chorus of Mozart’s Idomeneo with the Alexander Gibson Opera School and Donna Anna in Clyde Opera’s production of Don Giovanni.

How the Award Helped

Eve received a Dewar Award to support her Master’s studies at the Royal College of Music in London.

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Dewar Arts has helped me with the expenses of living and studying in London while pursuing my Master's. With this money I can focus on my studies and the development of my career. I cannot thank them enough for their support!

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2024 Awardee: Kirsty Crawford

Having the space and time to work on my novel in an academic environment has been so greatly appreciated. Without the kind support from Dewar Arts Award funding my masters, I would never have been able to do this, and I will forever be thankful to them for their support.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Kirsty Crawford is a writer from the Isle of Arran, now living in Glasgow. She received a scholarship for the Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel course and was chosen as a Funded Resident at Cove Park for a four-week residency. She holds a first-class honours degree from the University of Glasgow in English Literature. She has been the recipient of awards from Creative Scotland and Arran Society of Glasgow.

How the Award Helped

Kirsty received a Dewar Arts Award to support her postgraduate masters studies in Creative Writing at Queens University Belfast.

Since the Award

Kirsty is currently working on her first novel.

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Having the space and time to work on my novel in an academic environment has been so greatly appreciated. Without the kind support from Dewar Arts Award funding my masters, I would never have been able to do this, and I will forever be thankful to them for their support.

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2024 Awardee: Laura Penman

Thank you again for your support! I love my new electro harp, and I’m so excited to use it in new projects.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS:
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/laurapenmanmusic/
 
 

Biography

Laura Penman is a clarsach player, pianist and composer, who has enjoyed playing traditional music from a young age. She has a passion for creating contemporary arrangements and compositions, highlighting the clarsach within the wider traditional music scene. She began playing the Clarsach at primary school whilst attending Gaelic Medium Education in Edinburgh. She later attended the RCS Juniors, which showed her that being a successful traditional musician was a viable option. She went on to study on the BMus Traditional Music course at the Royal Conservatoire and graduated in 2024. During her time there, Laura was immersed in tradition and inspired by musicians from around the world, working with traditional musicians as well as classical and jazz musicians.

Laura has performed at festivals including Celtic Connections and The Scots Fiddle Festival and played in venues such as the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. Her recent projects involved performing and recording with singer Beth Malcolm, as well as forming a Gaelic song band called Duan. She also formed an all-female band with fellow students at the RCS, called Dàna. The band have performed at many events and festivals, including Piping Live and Under Canvas. In February 2025, Laura was selected as a finalist for the Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award.

How the Award Helped

Laura’s award allowed her to purchase an electro harp, which opens up entirely new possibilities. She hopes to explore electronic sounds and pedal effects, incorporating these ideas into both the traditional idiom, as well as challenging and improving her composition skills. She hopes to record and release a new composition suite that she has written, inspired by the Seven Summits of Edinburgh.

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Thank you again for your support! I love my new electro harp, and I’m so excited to use it in new projects.

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2024 Awardee: Mary Lydon

Receiving the fund from Dewar was beneficial as I planned for our team's third exhibition. This has been by far the largest exhibition, featuring 46 artists from both Scotland and Ukraine. Dewar’s support helped my team and I to have safely transferred all the artwork to the site and to produce an archival catalogue of all featured artists in the show. As we commence with future exhibitions it is incredibly important for Skarbnytsya to create an archive of all emerging contemporary artists we collaborate with. We at Skarbnytsya believe that the archival document of collaboration is vital to retain the stories and narratives of the creatives we work with because it pertains to the greater understanding of cultural history. Winning the award from Dewar has given me greater support in the project and emphasises that the work that Skarbnytsya does is important. I am grateful for Dewar for having such an award for Scotland’s young artistic talent.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS:
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/skarbnytsya_/
 
 

Biography

Mary Lydon is a multidisciplinary artist from Ukraine, who currently lives in Glasgow. She co-founded Skarbnytsya in March 2022 and has since been involved in the production of three exhibitions, raising over £10,000 in charity aid for Ukraine.

In general, her art works traverse themes of life, death and rebirth, reflecting the circumstances of her homeland and addressing the trauma of forced displacement. She continually works with the immense visual power of symbols and traditional motifs; incorporating flags, coats of arms and other emblematic material into her constructions, from neo-tribal manhole covers to modernised coats of arms.

Being the art director and curator of Skarbnytsya allows Mary to showcase and preserve curios and ephemera made around and in light of this crucial moment in Ukrainian identity. Her current goal is to keep making Skarbnytsya exhibitions in Glasgow, and potentially take the show to London.

One of Mary’s tutors at Glasgow School of Art, states that “[Mary’s] dedication and care to the artists she exhibited is commendable and rare” and that her “work is an indication both of her capacity, but also (and perhaps more importantly so) of a deep, genuine desire to help others, and to allow for her work to reach beyond the studio and the gallery.”

How the Award Helped

Mary’s Dewar Award supported the development of Skarbnytsya, a Glasgow-based exhibition and print sale that celebrated “local Glasgow artists, underrepresented young makers and an eccentric collection of artists from Ukraine”. The exhibition was curated around the theme of passage and voyage, focusing particularly on Ukrainian craft and Celtic mythology. The award supported Mary in producing hand sewn vests and embroidered folk-style collars for the exhibition. These items took inspiration from her personal history, following passages across the continents during times of war.

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Receiving the fund from Dewar was beneficial as I planned for our team's third exhibition. This has been by far the largest exhibition, featuring 46 artists from both Scotland and Ukraine. Dewar’s support helped my team and I to have safely transferred all the artwork to the site and to produce an archival catalogue of all featured artists in the show. As we commence with future exhibitions it is incredibly important for Skarbnytsya to create an archive of all emerging contemporary artists we collaborate with. We at Skarbnytsya believe that the archival document of collaboration is vital to retain the stories and narratives of the creatives we work with because it pertains to the greater understanding of cultural history. Winning the award from Dewar has given me greater support in the project and emphasises that the work that Skarbnytsya does is important. I am grateful for Dewar for having such an award for Scotland’s young artistic talent.

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2024 Awardee: Victor Dutor Davidson

The Dewar Arts Award has been an essential support in my musical education, helping me overcome financial barriers and pursue a career that I believe in. Thank you.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD: 18
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Victor’s musical journey began at the age of 12, when he first took up the Trumpet through school lessons. His early promise was soon recognised, and by the age of 14, he was offered a place at St Mary’s Music School, and continued his studies with Peter Franks.

During his early years, Victor was an active participant in local music-making, particularly with the organisation Oi Musica. He also became a member of Shunpike, a band with whom he has performed extensively, both locally and nationally, including at the famous Jazz Bar in Edinburgh.

At St Mary’s, Victor’s development was further nurtured through his involvement with Scotland’s youth orchestras. He performed across the country’s most esteemed concert halls as part of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra. His performance experience extends to several solo performances in competitions and recital prizes, one of which resulted in a performance of the Neruda Trumpet Concerto with the Edinburgh Chamber Orchestra in December 2023. Before leaving St Mary’s Music School, Victor was awarded the Muirhead Prize for a Brass Player and the Dunlop Composition Prize.

In the summer of 2024, Victor expanded his artistic horizons when he was invited to participate in the San Marino New Music Project, where he performed contemporary works in San Marino and Rimini. By working with musicians such as Trombonist John Kenny and Italian composer Giacomo Manzoni, he has gained further interest in contemporary styles.

How the Award Helped

Victor’s Award supports his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he is enrolled on the BMus Classical Trumpet course with Paul Beniston.

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The Dewar Arts Award has been an essential support in my musical education, helping me overcome financial barriers and pursue a career that I believe in. Thank you.

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2021 Awardee: Aya Fetah

Receiving the award has helped me in every way possible, I was able to buy supplies for my course and not worry about the costs and just be able to get my head down and work away and produce work with a high quality standard. I am so grateful to be able to receive the Dewar Arts Award - it has allowed me to even explore and be more creative then before as I was very limited.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2021
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/ayafetah_designs/
 
 

Biography

Born in Holland, Aya moved to Scotland with her family at the age of nine. This involved learning a new culture and language at a young age. As a result, Aya found subjects such as maths and English very challenging, but she was able to express herself through art. She has pursued this interest, and was accepted into Glasgow School of Art to study Textile Design, which she described as a “dream come true”. At GSA, Aya specialised in Embroidered Textiles, and was described by her course leader as a motivated, committed and enthusiastic student.

How the Award Helped

Aya’s Award supported her studies at Glasgow School of Art, enabling her to purchase art supplies, fabrics, yarn and materials. This allowed her to experiment and develop her craft in ways that were not previously possible.

Since the Award

After graduating from Glasgow School of Art, Aya was accepted to Birmingham City University to pursue a Masters’ Degree in Surface & Textile Design.

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Receiving the award has helped me in every way possible, I was able to buy supplies for my course and not worry about the costs and just be able to get my head down and work away and produce work with a high quality standard. I am so grateful to be able to receive the Dewar Arts Award - it has allowed me to even explore and be more creative then before as I was very limited.

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2024 Awardee: Tammy Dyson

Receiving the Dewar Award has been transformative for me. As a working-class artist, having access to quality drum equipment and studio space is something I couldn’t have achieved on my own. This support has allowed me the freedom to truly express myself, experiment, and refine my techniques, pushing my music further than I ever thought possible.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2024
AGE AT AWARD:
ARTFORMS:
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/saintsappho_
 
 

Biography

Tammy is a multimedia artist and musician, and recent graduate of the Glasgow School of Art. Since completing her studies, she’s been immersed in a diverse creative practice, spanning visual art, music production, and film.

Tammy’s work flows between mediums, aiming to connect sound, image, and rhythm into expressive, impactful pieces. Music, especially drumming, has become a central part of her practice. Performing live with her band, Saint Sappho, and working on music videos has allowed Tammy to blend visual storytelling with soundscapes, creating experiences that resonate on multiple levels.

With each new project, Tammy looks forward to expanding her creative reach, performing more live shows, and evolving as an artist. Her journey is ongoing, and she’s committed to following it wherever it leads, always pushing boundaries and exploring the intersections of art, sound, and movement.

How the Award Helped

Tammy’s Award helped her secure a suitable studio space, enabling her to develop her artistic practice, nurture her musical talents, and hone her skills.

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Receiving the Dewar Award has been transformative for me. As a working-class artist, having access to quality drum equipment and studio space is something I couldn’t have achieved on my own. This support has allowed me the freedom to truly express myself, experiment, and refine my techniques, pushing my music further than I ever thought possible.

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2023 Awardee: Olivia Shearon

I am extremely grateful to have received the Dewar Arts Award. It has helped me to push my creative capabilities to the maximum and contributed hugely towards the cost of materials and the development of my graduate collection. All which may have not been attainable without the funding.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2023
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.instagram.com/oliviashearondesigns
 
 

Biography

Olivia Shearon is a fashion design graduate from the University of Edinburgh. Her ambition is to create garments that offer a high fashion spin on sportswear, with the desire to empower women.

Much of Olivia’s research is focused upon challenging the often distorted view of society’s perception towards the female form and ‘perfectionism’. She has been inspired by her personal journey with body image and her escape place: the gym and weightlifting. The celebration of all body types is a huge focus within Olivia’s process; highlighting the importance of the human body, its strength, flexibility, and individuality.

Olivia’s designs combine innovative knitwear and exaggerated silhouettes to embody a sense of comfort and functionality, juxtaposed with restriction. This results in garments designed to be adjustable and for layering, styled to the customer’s preference.

How the Award Helped

Olivia’s Award was used to help fund her graduate fashion collection. In the final year of her course, Olivia designed and manufactured a 6-outfit collection, which was shown at Graduate Fashion Week London and the annual Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show. Funding from the Dewar Arts Awards provided her with the necessary resources to fully explore her creativity and bring her unique vision to life.

Since the Award

In 2024, Olivia graduated with a first-class degree from the Edinburgh College of Art at University of Edinburgh.

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I am extremely grateful to have received the Dewar Arts Award. It has helped me to push my creative capabilities to the maximum and contributed hugely towards the cost of materials and the development of my graduate collection. All which may have not been attainable without the funding.

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