VACMA bursaries: Call for applications from artists and makers in Angus

Published

8th October 2020

The opportunity to apply for the Angus Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA Angus) has been extended to Tuesday 10th November 2020 at 5pm.

Established by Creative Scotland, the Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) are a programme of small grants delivered with a range of local authorities, charitable trusts and art agencies across Scotland to support visual artists and craft makers in their creative and professional development. In Angus, the awards are hosted by ANGUSalive and delivered in partnership with Angus Council and Creative Scotland.

The awards provide a valuable opportunity for practitioners to undertake specific projects, and to develop and advance their creative practice in ways they may not otherwise have been able to do.

This year, in recognition of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on individual travel and classes, the programme will offer fixed fee bursaries of £500 or £750.

Across Scotland VACMA can be a crucial transition point – for both emerging and established artists and makers. Applications from practitioners based in Angus are invited until 10th November 2020.

Gill Ross, ANGUSalive’s Visual Arts Lead said ‘If anyone is thinking about applying for VACMA Angus, please do. We’re delighted to be able to support local artists and makers across the county to develop their creative practices by working in partnership with Creative Scotland and Angus Council. We look forward to seeing VACMA Angus proposals and hearing from creative practitioners from all over Angus.”

The VACMA Angus scheme ran for the first time in February 2020 and funded 5 projects. The VACMA Angus recipient artists and makers came from a range of disciplines including Fine Art, Digital Art, Ceramics and Textiles at different stages in their professional practice.

Monifieth Fine Artist, Joanna Craig, said “Using support from the award, my ability to meet challenges in diverse application of my creative skills, heightened and my visual, creative communication capacity expanded. I am very excited and grateful to Creative Scotland, Angus Council and ANGUSalive for supporting this opportunity!”

Kayleigh Skye Esplin, emerging artist from Letham, received a VACMA Artists Bursary to support the development of her practice. “The VACMA grant will benefit my practice in so many ways because it will allow me to study online. I will hopefully learn more techniques to improve my digital artwork and ways to combine digital and manual art.”

For more information including application forms and guidelines visit the ANGUSalive website.

For advice, applicants can contact ANGUSalive, at visualarts@angusalive.scot

More information about the VACMA Angus Awards can be found at https://www.angusalive.scot/museums-galleries/visual-arts/visual-artist-and-craft-maker-awards-angus/

ANGUSalive

ANGUSalive (SC046133) is the culture, sport and leisure trust for the county of Angus and has been operating since December 2015.

Back to news