Last days to enter Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards

There are only a few days left to enter a scheme aimed at helping local artists and crafts people to take their creative development and ideas to the next level.

Applications for this year’s Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) come to an end on Tuesday, February 4, at 5pm.

The scheme, which offers grants of £500 and £1,500 to support individual artists and craft makers develop professionally and creatively, is run by Orkney Islands Council on behalf of Creative Scotland, with the support of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The funding, which was awarded to seven artists last year, can be used to support developmental research, skills training, studio work, exhibitions and mentoring.

Emma Gee, arts officer for Orkney Islands Council, said:

“VACMA is a small treasure of a fund designed entirely for artists and craft makers to explore that thing they never usually have the time or money to do in order to extend their practice. It’s a space to try something, extend a process, work with a mentor, attend training and move forward, backwards, sideways and any other direction that emerges.

“Creative Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Orkney Islands Council want to see a bit of risk, daring, and mess in these applications and projects — how else do we move on?”

For more information and to see some of the previous award winners case studies, please visit: www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/S/arts-opportunities-and-funding.htm

Application packs can be found using the following link under “VACMA Application Forms by Local Authority”: www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/funds-delivered-by-partners/visual-arts-and-crafts-awards