2013 Awardee: Morwenna Darwell

I feel humbled by the support I have received from the Dewar Arts Awards. The grant has allowed me to take full advantage of my time at The Royal College of Art. Your support went way beyond my expectation, something I feel deeply grateful for.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2013
AGE AT AWARD: 24
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://cargocollective.com/morwennadarwell
EMAIL:morwenna_darwell@hotmail.co.uk
 

Biography

Morwenna had an unusual childhood, growing up on a vibrant community farm in Dumfries & Galloway, where her family lived with and supported adults with learning difficulties.  Morwenna describes this as a busy and rich environment where she was able to roam freely around the farm and its many creative workshops.

Attracted by the glamour of fashion, Morwenna aspired to become a fashion designer from the age of 10.  She completed a foundation course at the Leith School of Art and then gained a First Class Honors in Fashion from the Edinburgh College of Art.

Morwenna has demonstrated an outstanding ability and talent through her studies and placements, and has won numerous awards for her work.  Her ambition is to become part of a design team at a design house, and ultimately to set up her own label.  She has been described as a ‘name to watch’ for the future of fashion.

How the Award Helped

Morwenna received a Dewar Arts Award to support her in undertaking a two year ‘Masters in Fashion Womenswear’ course at the Royal Collage of Art.

Since the Award

June 2013 – David Band Textile Award (2nd Prize)

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I feel humbled by the support I have received from the Dewar Arts Awards. The grant has allowed me to take full advantage of my time at The Royal College of Art. Your support went way beyond my expectation, something I feel deeply grateful for.

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2012 Awardee: Adil Iqbal

My aim is to push the boundaries of arts and crafts...through collaboration between communities

YEAR OF AWARD: 2012
AGE AT AWARD: 26
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.adildesign.co.uk/
EMAIL:info@adildesign.co.uk
 

Biography

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Adil studied Clothing Design and Manufacture at Heriot Watt University. Since graduating he has built up an impressive portfolio.

Adil’s designs have been showcased at celebrated fashion weeks in London and New York. He has worked with high profile labels including TataNaka and Hugo Boss and has been featured in Vogue. He now runs his own label Adil Design.

Through his work, Adil explores themes of society, culture and time. He incorporates “echos of his travels and his Pakistani heritage”. He has a passion for cross cultural collaboration that promotes the sharing of knowledge and skills.

How the Award Helped

Funding from the Dewar Arts Awards will support Adil’s project work connecting weavers of the Outer Hebrides with embroiderers of Chital, Pakistan. Adil aims to develop an exchange of ideas and techniques, establishing a craft dialogue between the two regions. A series of workshops in Scotland and Pakistan will produce innovative design work consisting of collages, hand drawings, embroidery and digital printed fabrics. Celtic Folklore will be interpreted and translated into contemporary hand-loomed textiles, culminating in a travelling exhibition.

Through this project, Adil hopes to create a bridge between communities and promote cultural awareness between Scotland and Pakistan.

Since the Award

2008 Vogue Feature
2009 Scotsman Feature
2012 Scotsman Feature

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My aim is to push the boundaries of arts and crafts...through collaboration between communities

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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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