2012 Awardee: Chris Dyson

I cannot begin to imagine the impact this opportunity will have on my practice and the formation of my research

YEAR OF AWARD: 2012
AGE AT AWARD: 29
ARTFORMS: , , , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Originally from Pudsey in West Yorkshire, Chris moved to Scotland in 2001. He studied at The Glasgow School of Art where he explored his passion for sculpture and film. He has been described as a skilled maker with a uniquely creative eye.

Since graduating from GSA in 2005, Chris has been actively involved in many artist-run spaces and research groups in the city. He has also contributed to numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, including shows at the DCA and CCA. He has made a strong contribution to the dialogue surrounding contemporary Scottish art.

In 2010, Chris was awarded a Professional Development Grant from Creative Scotland. In 2011, he was selected for the Scottish Screen Archive.

How the Award Helped

Chris has been granted a prized scholarship to study an MFA at CalArts, California. His Dewar Award will provide financial support to enable him to benefit from this fantastic opportunity.

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I cannot begin to imagine the impact this opportunity will have on my practice and the formation of my research

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2012 Awardee: Lyndsay McNeill

My ultimate aim is to become an independent fashion designer of the future. I believe that studying at L.C.F. with financial assistance courtesy of a Dewar Award would allow me to achieve my goal.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2012
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.lyndsaymcneill.com/
 
 

Biography

Hailing from Falkirk, Lyndsay has lived in Scotland all her life.  A prolific and diligent worker, she has proved herself to have an exceptional aptitude for fashion design.

In 2012 Lyndsay graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art with a first class honours degree.  Her hard work and obvious talent earned her many accolades whilst she was there, including the Andrew Grant Bequest Fund for her first year’s work, an exhibition at the London Fashion Week and an internship at Jonathan Saunders.  She then went on to gain an unconditional offer to study an MA in Fashion Design Technology Menswear at the London College of Fashion.

Lyndsay’s ambition is to become an independent fashion designer.  She aims to create “an alternative minimalism, where complex cutting and fabric manipulation combine to create a groundbreaking tailored collection of exclusive garments”.  She enjoys pushing and challenging herself in all areas of her design work and hopes her collections will “enhance individuality and challenge the perception of the consumer”.

How the Award Helped

Lyndsay’s Dewar Award supported her in her MA at the London College of Fashion.

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My ultimate aim is to become an independent fashion designer of the future. I believe that studying at L.C.F. with financial assistance courtesy of a Dewar Award would allow me to achieve my goal.

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2012 Awardee: Kyle Spires

This award has quite literally been life changing, enabling me to push my visions and challenge myself at this critical time.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2012
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Kyle is a gifted fashion designer, originally from Greenock.  As an undergraduate he studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, where he learned about fashion, design, construction and illustration.  At the age of 22, he moved to London to take up a place on the RCA’s MA in Womenswear.

Whilst studying in London, Kyle proved himself to be a throughly committed and self-motivated individual, whose work is creative, highly relevant and underpinned with a strong technical awareness.  His aesthetic has been described as both polished and personal, and in 2011 he won the prestigious Karen Millen Portfolio Award at Graduate Fashion Week. He is an ambitious and innovative, a natural communicator, and has a bright future ahead of him.

How the Award Helped

The process of developing a final collection can be extremely costly.  Kyle’s Dewar Award supported him in this crucial stage of his studies, allowing him the freedom to test out new techniques and explore his full potential for innovation.

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This award has quite literally been life changing, enabling me to push my visions and challenge myself at this critical time.

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2010 Awardee: James Gardner

This is an extremely exciting time for me, none of what is about to happen to me … would have been possible without your support.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2010
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Glasgow-born James has wanted to study fashion at Central St Martin’s for as long as he can remember. He studied textiles and surface design at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, from where he graduated with a first-class degree.

While an undergraduate, James was a finalist in the UK Knitting Association Student Competition and received an Arts Vacation Scholarship from The Cross Trust to undertake research in Sri Lanka. In his final year he won the Society of Dyers and Colorists design competition.

After graduation, James went on to work as UK colourist with Berluti, London, where he impressed with his maturity and grasp of colour. He worked on developing new colours for their product collection shoes and accessories. He has also worked for Mumo, a fair-trade fabric company as a textile and product stylist and consultant.

James has had his work shown on the catwalk at the Clotheshow Live and Dressed to Kilt event in New York, hosted by Sir Sean Connery. He was offered a place on the masters degree course at Central St Martins which will allow him to show his first major fashion collection as part of London Fashion Week.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will contribute towards the substantial fees and living expenses to study at Central St Martins.

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This is an extremely exciting time for me, none of what is about to happen to me … would have been possible without your support.

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2010 Awardee: Jennifer Gray

I would like to express my gratitude to the trust for awarding me with such a generous grant and assure you that I will be entering my studies in London with full enthusiasm and total dedication to justify the faith shown to me by the Dewar Arts Awards.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2010
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.jennifergray.co.uk
 
 

Biography

Motherwell born and bred, Jennifer graduated with a first-class degree from the Glasgow School of Art in 2006. Since then she has lived and worked in Glasgow, London and the Isle of Skye on various collaborative design projects.

Her work has been shown at Dazzle, Gallery Marzee (Holland), The Collins Gallery (Glasgow), The Roger Billcliffe Gallery (Glasgow) and Goldsmith’s Hall. In 2006 she won the Joint Incorporation of Hammersmith Memorial Prize and since then has won a host of awards and bursaries in recognition of her work.

Until recently Jennifer was a part-time lecturer with Glasgow Metropolitan College and Artist in Residence at the Jewellry and Silversmithing Department of the Glasgow School of Art. The work produced as part of the residency is on show in the AIR10 exhibition in galleries throughout the UK.

Jennifer is already acknowledged as a fine jeweller, but is considered to be equally talented as a draughtswoman and as a sculptor. She has recently completed a successful commission for a series of silver ‘beasties’ to serve as table place-markers and based on the Queen’s Beasts.

Jennifer has been accepted onto the highly prestigious MA course in Silversmithing at the Royal College of Art, London. For further information about Jennifer’s work, see www.jennifergray.co.uk.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards will help support Jennifer during her postgraduate studies at RCA. After demonstrating excellent progress in the first year, Jennifer’s award was extended for a second and final year.

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I would like to express my gratitude to the trust for awarding me with such a generous grant and assure you that I will be entering my studies in London with full enthusiasm and total dedication to justify the faith shown to me by the Dewar Arts Awards.

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2009 Awardee: Pauline Edie

I would like to say thank you, this grant will be a great help to what would have been an incredibly difficult year financially.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2009
AGE AT AWARD: 22
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Edinburgh-born Pauline graduated with a first-class degree in jewellery and silversmithing from the Glasgow School of Art. Her degree show exhibition stood out due to her range of designs, skilful making and an exceptional overall display.

Since then Pauline won in 2009 the Hammerman Award and the Goldsmiths Company Precious Metal Bursary Award and a professional development award from the Scottish Arts Council. Her work has been exhibited at London Dazzle, New Designers at Islington Business Centre, Bovey Tracy, Devon and in January 2010 is on show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh and at New Beginnings 2010 at the SDC gallery in London.

Pauline has been accepted by the prestigious Bishopsland Educational Trust which aims to give new graduates the opportunity to produce work and gain skills to enable them to become designer/makers. As part of the course, Pauline will exhibit in high-profile shows such as Collect, the international art fair at the V&A.  For more information, see: www.paulineedie.com.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award has been given to help Pauline pursue postgraduate study in jewellery and silversmithing.

Since the Award

Pauline writes “when I look back over my year at Bishopsland, I can see how far I’ve come.” In early 2010, Pauline was selected to be part of the month-long National Museum of Scotland exhibition ‘Meet Your Maker’, followed by the V&A touring exhibition ‘Silver from Bishopsland’.

Later, she was invited to take part in the prestigious applied arts fair ‘Collect’ at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Since leaving Bishopsland, Pauline and some fellow students have formed a collective of designers and will be showing at the Liverpool Design Festival and the British Craft Trade Fair.

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I would like to say thank you, this grant will be a great help to what would have been an incredibly difficult year financially.

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2008 Awardee: Katherine Brown

This is a really exciting time for me, and I look forward to letting the Dewar Award trustees know and see how this internship shall shape my career.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2008
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Edinburgh-born Katherine studied textile design at Duncan of Jordanstone Art College, in Dundee. She specialised in knitwear design and says of her knitting that “as well as wearable, [it] is also conceptual. Involving storage and folding concepts it is very structural and matches very well with Bless’s aim at ‘designing the perfect product’”.

In her final year at art college, Katherine was seen to find her own voice and technique to express her perception of design through textiles. She approached her studies with maturity, intelligence and wit as her confidence grew in her chosen field.

Katherine set her heart on working for BLESS, considered to be a cutting-edge European design company and secured a 3-month unpaid internship with them through her own efforts. Spending time in their studios will enable her to broaden her professional design understanding.

Katherine also exhibited her work at the 2008 BraveArt (now entitled, ROAR).

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is helping towards the short internship with the Berlin-based international design company, BLESS.

Since the Award

As an intern, Katherine did a lot of running around for her BLESS colleagues to source materials for the collection being worked on for Paris Fashion Week. Because they knew of her passion for knitting, they asked Katherine to handknit some of their designs. Some months after she returned to Glasgow, Katherine was thrilled to see one of her handknitted pieces in a fashion magazine. She is now back in Glasgow working on a new collection. Katherine writes, “BLESS was an invaluable experience that has already started to shape my career.”

Katherine’s work was showcased in our 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Roots to Shoots. Find out more here.

A short film from Katherine, which formed part of our 10th Anniversary Exhibition: Roots to Shoots.

Knit One, Kill One is “a humorous exploration of an inner torment and love-hate relationship with knitting. Katherine Brown showcases her Masters’ Collection inspired by cult TV series Twin Peaks in a short film, which plays with the idea that knitters and serial killers share behavioural patterns.”

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This is a really exciting time for me, and I look forward to letting the Dewar Award trustees know and see how this internship shall shape my career.

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2008 Awardee: Lynne MacLachlan

I am very grateful for this help, without which I would not be able to undertake my studies at the Royal College of Art.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2008
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Paisley-born Lynne MacLachlan is one of several jewellers supported by a Dewar Arts Award. Graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College, Lynne won both a Goldsmith Precious Metal Bursary and a Cross Trust Vacation Award in her final year at college.

Lynne’s work intriguingly weaves together such disparate areas as craft and computing, mathematics and nature and she creates exquisite and wearable jewellery from shapes normally associated with biological organisms, as referenced in the work of D’Arcy Thompson.

Lynne is also winner of the Scottish International Education Trust’s Visual Arts Prize which is given to a student at a Scottish art college. A piece of her work has been purchased by the Dundee University Museum. Lynne is a jeweller whose future is assured.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award is helping to fund Lynne through the first year of an MA at Royal College of Art in London. During the year she was short-listed for the Argent Young Jewellry Designer of the Year.

Since the Award

Lynne’s work was showcased in our 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Roots to shoots. Find out more here.

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I am very grateful for this help, without which I would not be able to undertake my studies at the Royal College of Art.

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2007 Awardee: Alana Florence

I’d like to thank the trustees for presenting me with the award. This is a wonderful opportunity for my design ideas to flourish in the extravagant city of London.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2007
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Aberdeen-based Alana is considered to be a talented artist who is able to take ordinary objects or figures and transform them on paper or fabric into something extraordinary. She describes herself as “a quirky colourful individual who flourished in the quiet country.”
A graduate of Gray’s School of Art where she studied textile and surface design, Alana’s tutors considered her to be an exciting student to teach. She has innovative and fresh ideas and possesses a highly individual and imaginative use of colour. Her final show at university stood out amongst a group of high-quality students.

Alana was delighted to be accepted onto the MA course in Textile Futures at Central St Martin’s in London and describes her aims on the course to ‘create something extraordinary and challenging.’ She aims to bring ‘fabric to life with outbursts of colour, pattern and quirky illustrations.’ After graduation she sold a collection of her works to an Aberdeen boutique and exhibited in the Wallace Gallery in London.

Alana is one of a growing number of Scottish textile designers supported by a Dewar Arts Award to develop their terrific creativity. Central St Martin’s is the place to study fashion and is extremely difficult to gain entry.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will provide financial assistance for Alana to pursue an MA in Textile Futures at Central St Martin’s in London.

Since the Award

Alana writes that an integral part of her course was to understand how science and design can be combined, which led to her designing a moving toothbrush which speaks the words ‘up’ and ‘down’. After successfully graduating with an MA in Textile Futures Alana plans to develop her ideas of pop-up wallpaper and kinetic textiles for fashion and interiors.

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I’d like to thank the trustees for presenting me with the award. This is a wonderful opportunity for my design ideas to flourish in the extravagant city of London.

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2007 Awardee: Hayley Scanlan

I would just like to say how thankful and grateful I am for you to pick me and how much it will benefit the rest of my time here in LA

YEAR OF AWARD: 2007
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: , ,
 
 
 

Biography

Whilst she was just three-quarters of the way through her degree in textile design at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee-born Hayley Scanlan was offered the chance in a professional life-time of a nine-month unpaid internship with top fashion designer Jeremy Scott based in his studio in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.
The offer was the chance to work with Jeremy Scott on a print design for inclusion in his Spring/Summer 2008 collection, ultimately to be shown at the LA, Paris and New York Fashion Weeks. This is the kind of work which Hayley had dreamed of doing since she was a young girl.

Hayley’s major strengths are a creative energy and ability to understand and react to fashion trends, attributes which won her the internship. Her talent, particularly in fashion related areas, and the high standard of her finished work are abilities which will undoubtedly enable her to succeed in textile design in fashion.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award enabled Hayley to complete her internship in LA. Her striking print designs were part of Jeremy Scott’s collection at the Paris and LA Fashion weeks in late 2007.

Since the Award

During her time at the Jeremy Scott studio, Hayley worked on ready-to-wear collections for Paris Fashion Week. This experience gave her an “intense insight into the reality of the hard work and dedication involved in the fashion industry”. After the internship, Hayley returned to Dundee to finish her degree. On the opening night of her degree show she caught the eye of the head of the British Fashion Council and of model Erin O’Connor who commissioned a copy of one of Hayley’s garments in her collection. Hayley is now working hard to establish her own fashion and textile label.

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I would just like to say how thankful and grateful I am for you to pick me and how much it will benefit the rest of my time here in LA

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