Winners of new graduate art award announced.

Oct. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Bow Arts Trust is delighted to announce the two winners of the inaugural Bow Arts Trust Graduate Residency Award. Recent arts graduates Sophie Hoyle and Chloe Ostmo have been awarded a receive a free artist’s studio each for six months at the Trust’s newly opened SE1 studios, in south London.  SE1 Studios, in Bermondsey, are the result of an exciting new partnership between Bow Arts Trust and Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.

The Bow Arts Trust Graduate Residency Award was launched this year to provide vital support for young and emerging artists. In addition to receiving a rent-free studio space for six months, the two Award winners will also be featured on the London’s Artist Quarter website which promotes artists and cultural activity in East London.  Both artists will be posting regular updates about their progress throughout their residencies.

The Award aims to help emerging artists navigate the difficult transition from art student to practicing professional by easing the substantial financial pressures that artists face. Marcel Baettig, Chief Executive of Bow Arts Trust, says that “Having supported emerging artists for more than fifteen years, I am all too aware that financial and practical difficulties that can often stop artists from developing their artistic careers. At the Trust, we wanted to provide some tangible support – and a fundamental thing that an artist needs is a space in which to think, work and make!”

The Award was open to any 2009 or 2010 graduate who studied a creative subject at a UK institution at degree or postgraduate level. The Trust received more than 140 applications from graduates from a diverse range of creative backgrounds, from pottery to performance art.  The winners were chosen by Marcel Baettig (Chief Executive of Bow Arts Trust), Myriam Blundell (Bow Arts Trust Trustee, independent art curator and Chair of the International Collectors Forum at the Contemporary Art Society) and Sarah Elson, art historian, curator and collector.

The two winners have now taken up residence in their studios at SE1 and work is underway. Sophie Hoyle studied for a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art at Central St Martins School of Art and Design (2010) and works primarily with printmaking and sculptural installation. Sophie says that “a studio space is an indispensable part of my working process; I am still experimenting and developing, and need space to work out my ideas. It was very encouraging to have Bow Arts Trust support me and my practice.”

Chloe Ostmo (MA in Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art, 2010) focuses on the manipulation and re-interpretation of photographic imagery. Chloe explains that “being part of a studio community allows me to have regular contact with other artists. This is hugely beneficial both in terms of the development of my work and as a way to discover and distribute information regarding exhibitions, resources and opportunities.”

SE1 Studios opened in summer 2010 near London Bridge and Bermondsey tube stations. The spaces have been designed with new and emerging artists specifically in mind. These studios have been made possible through a partnership with the national charity for single homeless people, Crisis. By launching these new studios, Bow Arts Trust is extending its direct support to emerging artists at a critical, and often difficult, point in their careers.  Michael Cubey, Head of Property and Assistant Director of Bow Arts Trust, explains that “by making very affordable spaces available, which by their design encourage interaction and networking between peers, we are enabling emerging artists to maximise their time and establish creative communities”.

The relationship between Bow Arts Trust and Crisis builds on the successful partnership model of working that the Trust has developed with housing associations in East London.  This model enables the Trust to find innovative and sustainable solutions for premises and provide real community benefit for the local area.  Two artists belonging to the Crisis Skylight scheme will also be selected to receive free studios in SE1 Studios for one year.

Marcel Baettig explains that “it’s always been hard for emerging artists to establish themselves but now, more than ever, it is crucial that we continue to nurture young talent. Graduates are completing their studies and attempting to break into a creative sector that is highly competitive and undergoing tough cutbacks. If we want the UK to continue producing exciting, challenging, world-class artists, we need to ensure that opportunities and resources are in place to enable new artists to thrive.”

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Editors notes:

If you require high res images, more information or would like to interview Marcel Baettig, Sophie Hoyle or Chloe Ostmo about this story, please contact Nadine Ishani, Marketing Officer, Bow Arts Trust.

Bow Arts Trust was established as an educational arts charity in 1995 and is situated adjacent to the historic St Mary Atta le Bow Church in the East End of London, where it supports a community of over 100 artists with affordable, secure, creative workspace in the heart of London's Artist Quarter.  The Trust also manages one of the country's most exciting education projects and the Nunnery gallery which supports a diverse range of local, national and international exhibitions and events.  The Trust is not subsidised but works closely with a number of partners including Poplar HARCA and East Thames. In summer 2010 the company expanded into South London, with 60 new studio spaces. http://www.bowarts.org

Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. It is dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change. Innovative education, employment, housing and well-being services address individual needs and help people to transform their lives. Crisis works to prevent people from becoming homeless through campaigning and advocating solutions informed by research and direct experience. The charity has ambitious plans for the future and is committed to helping more people in more places across the UK. Crisis knows it won’t end homelessness overnight or on its own, but takes a lead and, through collaboration with others, makes change happen.

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Bow Arts Trust is an arts education charity in East London. It provides artists studios and accomodation in East and South East London. It also offers wide reaching arts education provision and operates the Nunnery gallery in Bow.