Published: 26 Jul 2018
Grants of between £500 and £1,500 available for application
Deadlines: Tuesday 2 October 2018 and Tuesday 5 February 2019
The Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA) provide an important opportunity for the development of contemporary art and craft practice at a local level. The VACMA programme has been developed by Creative Scotland in collaboration with local partners over several years and it now reaches artists and craft makers in 21 local authorities across Scotland.
Following a positive evaluation, Creative Scotland is delighted to confirm the programme for 2018/19 and announce the deadlines for funding. The programme offers grants from £500 to £1,500 to support the creative and professional development of artists and craft makers at all stages in their career.
The scheme is administered locally by partners across 21 local authority areas – Aberdeen; Aberdeenshire; Dumfries and Galloway; Dundee; East Lothian; Edinburgh; Fife; Glasgow; Highland; Moray; Na h-Eileanan Siar; Orkney Islands; Scottish Borders; Shetland Islands; North, South and East Ayrshire; Perth and Kinross; Stirling; Clackmannanshire and Falkirk.
The awards are made possible by support from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and through the resources of the local partners.
Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts at Creative Scotland said: “The VACMA programme has been extremely important in providing opportunities for the creative and professional development of artists and craft makers across Scotland. The evaluation shows the significant value of these relatively small awards in terms of increasing confidence and opportunity; the generation of new ideas and skills; the extension of professional networks and outlooks. The success of the scheme lies in the strength of the partnerships that make it possible. We look forward to building on the work achieved to date and exploring new opportunities to extend the reach of the scheme into the future”
Deadlines for 2018/19 programme are Tuesday 2 October 2018 and Tuesday 5 February 2019. Each delivery partner is holding drop-in information sessions ahead of the October deadline. For further information please visit https://www.creativescotland.com/vacma
Sophie Bambrough, Media Relations and PR Officer, Creative Scotland
Email: sophie.bambrough@creativescotland.com
Tel: 0131 523 0015
The announcement of the funding coincides with the publication of an evaluation of the Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards programme. The report provides a strong rationale for the continuation of the VACMA programme based on its contribution to the strategic objectives of the partners and the local area the scheme serves and the benefits it brings to individual artists and craft makers.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.
For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter @creativescots, Facebook www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland and Instagram www.instagram.com/creativescots.
Image credit: MakeWorks, Araminta Campbell
