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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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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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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2021 Awardee: Blise Orr

Blise Orr

"Without this award, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill this ambition [of attending the Williem De Koon Academy]. The Dewar Award will enable me to develop my practice over the next two years and work on larger scales with many more people positively affected by my designs and strategies for more sustainable and considered designed environments. "

YEAR OF AWARD: 2021
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Blise completed an undergraduate degree in Interior Design at the Glasgow School of Art in 2019, before taking up a place on the Interior Architecture Masters course at the Williem De Koon Academy in Rotterdam in 2021. Blise’s practice looks at urbanism and interior architecture through the design of more sustainable and considered cities, with a focus on the spatial experiences of every day and how design can positively impact us. Working between Glasgow and Rotterdam, Blise continues to develop her practice with a new focus on climate, migration and inequality in cities. Blise has also hosted panel discussions, creating connections and contrasts between cities of similar scales across the globe and working to design better more transparent cities for all.

How the Award Helped

Blise’s Dewar Award supports her Masters studies in Interior Architecture in Rotterdam, for which she secured one of only twelve places available. This enables her to develop her practice from Interior Design into Interior Architecture and work on larger scales and focus on producing designs and strategies for more sustainable and considered design environments.

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Blise Orr

"Without this award, it would have been impossible for me to fulfill this ambition [of attending the Williem De Koon Academy]. The Dewar Award will enable me to develop my practice over the next two years and work on larger scales with many more people positively affected by my designs and strategies for more sustainable and considered designed environments. "

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