7th Jon Schueler Scholarship Artist takes up Residence at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Australian artist, Kim Anderson, has now taken up her residency at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, under the Jon Schueler Residency Programme which has been running for 7 years at the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture on the Isle of Skye.
The Scholarship is a unique partnership between SMO and the Jon Schueler Charitable Trust with support from the Royal Scottish Academy. It was established to celebrate and remember the life, work and artistic influence of internationally renowned artist and abstract expressionist painter, Jon Schueler (1916-1992), and in recognition of his very special relationship with the landscape and environment of the Sound of Sleat.
Kim, who is from Ballarat, Victoria completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at the University of Ballarat, Australia, and in 2007 was awarded a scholarship to study a Master of Fine Art at the University of Dundee, in Scotland. Since then, Anderson has undertaken a number of residencies including an Australia Council International Studio Residency at the British School at Rome, in Echigo-Tsumari, Japan, at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland, and at DRAWinternational in Caylus, France, which was supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
In 2010 Kim received an ArtStart Grant from the Australia Council, and has created and curated projects supported by Arts Victoria, the City of Melbourne, and Regional Arts Victoria. Kim has also exhibited around Australia and abroad and been a finalist in numerous national awards including the Paul Guest Award, the Rick Amor Drawing Prize, and the Hazelhurst Art Award. Major installation projects include, I Am My Own Prisoner at Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, Tasmania, in 2013, and The Space Between, a visual/sound installation at the inaugural White Night Ballarat in March 2017. In 2018 Kim was a core artist of the Biennale of Australian Art with a major solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
On beginning her residency, Kim said: “I feel so incredibly thrilled and honoured to be this year’s Jon Schueler Scholarship recipient. It is a real validation of the direction I have recently been pursuing in my work – focusing on themes of ecological grief and mourning in the face of climate change and irreversible damage to the environment. I am looking forward to developing a new body of work, a new series of large-scale drawings and soundscapes inspired by Gaelic traditional songs, poetry and the extraordinary landscape on the Isle of Skye. Since arriving at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, I have undertaken 2 Short Courses which have given me a greater understanding of the wealth of culture surrounding me and an opportunity to engage with that culture from the outset.”
Kath MacLeod, SMO’s Arts Development Officer, commented: “We are delighted to have Kim Anderson as our 7th international visual artist on this Jon Schueler residency. The continuing collaborations of international artists with Gaelic/established/young artists is an exciting outcome of the programme, reflecting the richly creative and cultural hub that Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is. Artists, students and the wider community are also able to engage with the Schueler artists while they are here through open studio events, talks and collaborative events, promoting the exchange of ideas across cultures. This compliments our long-running artist residency programme for Gaelic writers, musicians, drama and visual artists which for 2020 is planned to increase cross art-form collaboration opportunities for Gaelic artists.”
Last year’s recipient, Rachel Schmidt who exhibited a live performance/installation piece at SMO in 2018 and exhibited work from her Schueler residency this year at a solo show in the Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington DC said: “The Jon Schueler Scholarship allowed me time and space to create art, to think, play and experiment. Thank you for exposing me to the profound community of scholars, artists, writers, and creatives at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. I have been telling people that the residency was something akin to winning the lottery and I am forever changed and positively impacted by the time spent in the Isle of Skye. I was so impressed with the incredible staff, mission, and creative environment at Sabhal Mor Ostaig and please know that I am spreading the word about SMO and it’s magic.”
Applications for the 2020 residency will open on 30th August 2019 and will close on Monday 14 October 2019 at 17:00 GMT. The 12 week residency will take place from Mon 27th July – Friday 16th October 2020. For more information, including information on how to apply, visit link http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gd/ealain-is-cultar/jon-schueler/