2006 Awardee: Claire Wheeldon

I am ecstatic, and cannot thank the trustees enough! It will make an incredible difference to the year ahead

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 29
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Claire graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a first-class degree. While at art college she won two achievement prizes and was the first student winner of the prestigious Schweppes Award (formerly: John Kobal Portrait Award).

In 2002 she was the youngest artist commissioned to create artwork for the Scottish Parliament, producing a stunning series of photographs entitled Inclusion.

After working as a freelance photographer – one of her commissions was to photograph the former director of the National Portrait Gallery, Charles Saumerez Smith, and the staff of the gallery – she won a place on the Masters course in Fine Art Photography at the Royal College of Art, London.

Claire, who was brought up in Broomhill in Glasgow, is an extremely talented photographer who has already won admiration and notice for her work.

She has recently been commissioned by the charity Make Poverty History to travel overseas to produce work for their Poverty Ticker Screensaver project.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will go towards Claire’s tuition fees and photographic expenses.

Since the Award

Claire successfully gained an MA in Photography.

She writes that “in the desire to break from my previous working practice and find new ways of working, I branched into video as a way of exploring my ideas and concerns. I found this very challenging, as it was a break in the control and direction I had previously employed in my work.”

One of Claire’s videos, ‘Samantha Singing’ was shown in the monumental 150th anniversary of all the South Kensington cultural and education institutions, from the V&A Museum to the RCA. The two-week exhibition had over 10,000 visitors. Subsequently, Claire was invited to show her video at the ‘Late at Tate’ event at Tate Britain, alongside artist Bruce McLean and human rights activist, Peter Tatchell. Claire’s video of ‘Samantha Singing’ was also shown at the Dewar Arts Award 10th anniversary Showcase, much to everyone’s evident enjoyment.

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I am ecstatic, and cannot thank the trustees enough! It will make an incredible difference to the year ahead

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2006 Awardee: David Blyth

I am absolutely delighted to receive confirmation that the Dewar Arts team have agreed to support my forthcoming exhibition

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 29
ARTFORMS:
 
 
 

Biography

David, a graduate of Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, was brought up in Perth. Since completing a Master of Art & Design, he has developed his practice as a contemporary artist. His main inspiration comes from rural North-East of Scotland where he has now settled.

David is considered to be one of the most original, inventive and thought-provoking young artists working in Scotland today. In 2003, he represented Scotland in the Venice Biennale and in 2005/06 he was Town Artist in Huntly. His unique and creative take on Aberdeenshire and the North-East inspired and challenged the local community.

It has been written of his work that, “the material he chooses to work with is often deliberately rural and particular to Scotland. He celebrates the local and the lore of a forgotten countryside… He is a unique artist dealing with matters that themselves are now foreign to most urban dwellers but this is why he is a vital element of the Scottish contemporary art scene.”

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award financed the production of a catalogue to support David’s first solo exhibition Knockturne at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Since the Award

The exhibition later went to Lille, France under the auspices of ARTCONNEXION.

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I am absolutely delighted to receive confirmation that the Dewar Arts team have agreed to support my forthcoming exhibition

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2006 Awardee: Erica Eyres

The Dewar Award gave me the financial freedom to concentrate while completing my work for these projects, and allowed me to afford the necessary materials without having to compromise my ideas.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

A senior teacher at the Glasgow School of Art describes Erica as “without doubt one of the best artists I have ever encountered in over twenty years of teaching”.

Originally from Canada, Erica is currently working in Glasgow. Her work explores human failings, aspirations/dreams and eccentricities in ways which are sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes moving and sometimes hilarious. Equally skilled in sculpture, painting, drawing and video, Erica has developed a unique and individual voice in all of these media.

Her work has already found critical acclaim and in 2006 she was nominated for the Beck’s Futures Prize. She is regarded as one of the most promising young artists working at the moment. With her Dewar Award, Erica was able to mount solo exhibitions of her work in London and Glasgow and attend an artist’s residency in Toronto.

These have led to other exciting opportunities, including other group exhibition in London, focussing on portraiture in contemporary art. A video she made in Toronto, and which was received extremely well, is being submitted to film festivals throughout Canada, by a Winnipeg-based organisation.  Erica is now represented in Toronto, China and Japan, where her work can be shown regularly in galleries.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Awards enabled Erica to mount exhibitions of her work in Glasgow and London and attend a residency in Toronto, Canada. She writes, “these exhibitions and the residency are important milestones in my career and they have helped to take my work and reputation as an artist to the next level.”

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The Dewar Award gave me the financial freedom to concentrate while completing my work for these projects, and allowed me to afford the necessary materials without having to compromise my ideas.

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2006 Awardee: Laura Aldridge

I am extremely grateful for this incredibly generous offer. This award will make an enormous difference to my practice as an artist.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 27
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Laura Aldridge, from London, is a graduate of Wimbledon School of Art where she studied painting. She moved to Scotland to pursue a Master of Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art and has now made Glasgow her base where she believes that, as an artist, her work can flourish in a supportive environment.

On the strength of her final degree show at Tramway, Laura was awarded the Glasgow Sculpture Studios Graduate Scholarship, an annual award given to one graduating student. This provides valuable studio space to enable Laura to prepare for her first solo exhibition in Glasgow in 2007.

Laura has already exhibited in Glasgow, London, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv and Denmark. Throughout her studies, Laura has developed a unique and distinctive ‘voice’ through her work. It has immediacy and vibrancy, but its apparent simplicity and air of innocent fun are deceptive. Dig a little deeper and one can see in Laura’s sculptures, allegories of social structures and hierarchies.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will provide funding for research time and materials towards Laura’s first solo exhibition in the UK.

Since the Award

Laura writes “I believe that your support has afforded the space and time to make the most of this research and development period. It has meant that I have been able to realise a strong and confident body of work for my solo exhibition at Glasgow Sculpture Studios.”

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I am extremely grateful for this incredibly generous offer. This award will make an enormous difference to my practice as an artist.

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2006 Awardee: Richard Foley

I would like to thank you for this support.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2006
AGE AT AWARD: 21
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Richard Foley, 21, is still an undergraduate at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee studying gallery textiles.

Richard, from Broughty Ferry, is working to mount an exhibition for and in the wider Dundee community. The underlying purpose is to promote contemporary art in Dundee and to encourage the ubiquitious ‘man in the street’ to engage with contemporary art. The exhibition will be mounted in one of Dundee unused properties in 2007. Richard will create large textile prints, based on drawings by the community, which will become individual art pieces to be displayed around the space.

Richard is considered to be one of the most individual, creative and committed students. His thought processes are highly creative and unusual and it is no doubt that he will become a creative force in the future.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will fund the preparation and mounting of the exhibition.

Since the Award

Richard writes that the project helped him in a number of ways, not least by giving him ideas about his future career choices. The experience Richard gained by curating the community project inspired him to apply for a work placement at the V&A Fashion, Textile and Furniture Deparment. He went on to volunteer in Iceland’s Living Art Museum, an artist-led organisation.

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I would like to thank you for this support.

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2005 Awardee: Anthony Schrag

I received an acceptance letter from the Dewar Arts Awards... and am not sure if I've stopped jumping for joy yet!!

YEAR OF AWARD: 2005
AGE AT AWARD: 29
ARTFORMS: , ,
WEBSITE:https://www.anthonyschrag.com
 
TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/anthonyschrag

Biography

Anthony’s down-to-earth approach enables him to engage and enthuse many people who would not normally describe themselves as fans of either ‘performance’ or ‘contemporary’ art. His work and the way he works is all about valuing the human spirit and enhancing the quality of life.

Anthony was born in Zimbabwe and moved around the world with his family during his early years, eventually settling in Canada. He came to Scotland to take up a place on the Master of Fine Art course at the Glasgow School of Art.

Anthony works with big emotional concepts in ways that are able to engage and interest the ordinary guy in the street, and indeed he has engaged people from all walks of life in his work.  He is the antithesis of the ‘ivory tower’ artist in desiring to reach as wide an audience as possible with his work.

Writing about live art practitioners, Anthony says that one of the difficulties an artist faces is “time to develop, time to experiment, and a space in which to try, to succeed and, importantly, to fail – for it is through our mistakes that we grow.”

The award helped Anthony to safely explore the edges of his current practice and to expand them.

How the Award Helped

Anthony received a Dewar Arts Award to enable him to take part in a number of prestigious international exhibitions. Because his work is performative and live, Anthony has to be present in order to exhibit. His Award enabled him to accept these invitations.

Since the Award

Subsequently Anthony was invited to do two separate residencies in Iceland, thanks in part to the recognition of the Dewar Award.

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I received an acceptance letter from the Dewar Arts Awards... and am not sure if I've stopped jumping for joy yet!!

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2004 Awardee: Robert Niven

I am hugely grateful to have been given the chance to go to Banff. It was an unforgettable experience and has had a very encouraging effect upon my development as a young artist.

YEAR OF AWARD: 2004
AGE AT AWARD: 23
ARTFORMS: ,
WEBSITE:https://www.robbyniven.com
 
 

Biography

Fife artist, Robert Niven, graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 2003.

To develop his art and to take it to new places, Robert applied to go on a self-directed creative residency in Canada.  His time at the Banff Centre was a very important experience for Robert giving him an opportunity to develop his art practice and to meet and get to know an amazing variety of international artists.  He says that the experience gave him time, space and support to experiment, to collaborate and to enjoy making art.

He made friends with artists worldwide which led to an invitation to the Istanbul Biennale, a residency in Argentina and a visit to artists in Mexico City.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award supported Robert on a two-month self-directed creative residency in the Banff Arts Centre, Canada.

Since the Award

Robert’s art practice has developed dramatically since Banff, moving from photography into sculpture. Robert completed an MFA at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver in 2007 supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship.

Robert now lives and works in Glasgow.  He has been developing a group of sculptural collages that entwine everyday absurdities with historical happenings.  He makes materials coalesce into a form of sculptural dyslexia, with mimesis, misrecognition and metamorphosis merging to create mongrel forms.

In 2008 he curated the Dewar Arts Awards Fifth Anniversary Showcase Exhibition. For more information about Robert’s work see www.robbyniven.com.

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I am hugely grateful to have been given the chance to go to Banff. It was an unforgettable experience and has had a very encouraging effect upon my development as a young artist.

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2004 Awardee: Luke Fowler

YEAR OF AWARD: 2004
AGE AT AWARD: 25
ARTFORMS: ,
 
 
 

Biography

Glasgow-based artist, Luke Fowler, graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone Art College in 2000 and has specialised in film documentaries on sociological, historical or cultural issues.

A leading Scottish curator described Luke as “one of the most exciting and ambitious artists working in Scotland.”

In 2005 he was short-listed for the important Beck’s Futures Award.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award funded the production of a film on the work of British composer Cornelius Cardew’s Scratch Orchestra project.

Since the Award

Luke’s Award-funded film, “Pilgrimage From Scattered Points”, premiered in Glasgow in 2006 to critical acclaim and was later shown at Tate Britain as part of the Tate Triennial, a survey of new British Art.  It has been selected for showing at a number of major film festivals.  Luke writes: “The Scratch Orchestra project had, to my mind, a wealth of fascinating issues attached to its legacy; questions of the social function of art and music to society, the role of the artist in that society and the question of art for whom?”

Luke went on to Bamberg, Germany to take up a one year residency at Villa Concordia, thanks, in part, to recognition from the Dewar Arts Award. He is now an established member of the vibrant Glasgow art scene and has been shortlisted for the 2012 Turner Prize.

For a detailed list of Luke’s exhibitions and projects, click here.

The Guardian – Turner Prize 2012 Film Clip

Alasdair Roberts “Under No Enchantment” Directed by Luke Fowler

Glasgow Film Festival: Adrian Laing (son of R.D. Laing) talks about Luke’s film All Divided Selves

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