Thread, paper, textiles and grass are just some of the materials that have been used by artists to capture the vibrant atmosphere of Scotland’s National Book Town during its annual literary festival.
Now the people of Wigtown in Scotland’s south west are wondering who will be the next artist in residence and what medium will they use to celebrate the diverse nature of their small town which sits between the book and the bucolic, literary life and landscape.
Now in its sixth year the post of artist in residence is a collaboration between the Wigtown Festival Company and Spring Fling, one of the UK’s leading open craft studio events that attracts more than 13,000 visitors to Dumfries and Galloway each May. The residency provides an opportunity for an artist to immerse themselves in one of the country’s best loved arts festivals and be inspired to represent the event in their chosen medium. In creating the work the artist becomes part of the event and the results are then shared again with visitors to the region in spring.
During the annual ten day book festival the chosen artist will be invited to live in the town, attend readings and talks and engage with speakers and visitors to discover ways of reflecting a range of ages, social backgrounds and interests in their resulting work.
Previous artists who have benefitted from the residency include Anupa Gardner, Kim Ayres, Astrid Jaekel, Joanne B Kaar and Deidre Nelson who all used the opportunity to interact with local people and visitors over a short period to create a unique body of work with a lasting resonance for the town. Photography, textiles, weaving of natural materials and paper cut illustrations have all featured in past years.
The fortunes of this remote rural area were transformed in 1998 when the community successfully applied to become Scotland’s National Book town and in 2012, Wigtown was awarded the inaugural Creative Place Award for communities under 2,500, designed to recognise places of exceptional creativity in Scotland.
Wigtown Book Festival now attracts more than 15,000 visitors over ten days spanning the end of September and the beginning of October each year. The residency not only includes an opportunity to create and display work during both autumn and spring festivals but also accommodation, free entry to events, use of studio-style space, and a fee of £3000.
Further information about the residency, Spring Fling or Wigtown Book Festival is available from the Spring Fling Project Officer Kate Pickering on 01387 213 218 or [email protected] Applications are invited by the 29th June 2015.
