Tag: Visual Arts Scotland

Visual Arts Scotland breaks records with centenary exhibition

Visual Arts Scotland (VAS), a leading platform for national and international contemporary artists, are holding their biggest-ever exhibition in Scotland’s historic Dalkeith Palace this August.

Now and Then: Dalkeith Palace (Part Two) continues a year of centenary celebrations for VAS and will showcase over 540 artworks and 341 artists, making this a record breaking exhibition for the arts charity as it honours its 100th year.

This exhibition celebrates 100 years since VAS was established in 1924 and follows the successful 4 star exhibition, Then and Now: 100 Years Of Visual Arts Scotland (Part One) which took place in Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy earlier this year. Now and Then: Dalkeith Palace (Part Two) will showcase artists from Scotland and beyond, exhibiting a breadth of disciplines across the sprawling 17 room exhibition, including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation, and jewellery.

The exhibition will run from Saturday 17th – Sunday 25th August 2024 and will be open daily from 10am – 4pm with free access. Dalkeith Palace is located just outside Edinburgh and the exhibition expects to reach a global audience as it aligns with the city’s busy festival period.

Tavienne Bridgwater, VAS President, said: “2024 marks 100 years since Visual Arts Scotland was founded. The organisation began as the Scottish Society of Women Artists in 1924 with the aim to empower women after their contribution to the war effort.

“Today, we’re known as Visual Arts Scotland and we’ve spent the past couple of months celebrating our centenary through art fairs, archival reflections, and our successful centenary exhibition (Part One) which took place in Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy and showcased 242 artists and over 300 contemporary artworks.

“Part Two of our centenary exhibition is proving to be even bigger than we’d anticipated and with over 1800 applications, we’re on track to set a new record of participating artists in a Visual Arts Scotland show.

“The exhibition will be held in the beautiful Dalkeith Palace in August, and the palace’s rich history and centuries of stories are fitting with our centenary year ambitions to dig a little deeper into our history whilst also showcasing the best of contemporary art in Scotland.”

Charlotte Rostek, Development Lead for Dalkeith Palace, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Visual Arts Scotland to Dalkeith Palace this August.

“VAS is such a prestigious and dynamic organisation with international reach and this partnership is a perfect match for us as we are beginning to write a new chapter for this beautiful, multi-layered building.

“Dalkeith Palace is one of Scotland’s most significant early classical buildings with an illustrious history reaching back to the middle ages and closely associated with some of our nation’s most important stories.”

“The palace that we see today was the single-minded vision of Anna Scott, the first Duchess of Buccleuch, in the early 1700s paving the way for three centuries of the Buccleuch family’s engagement with culture and patronage of all the arts.

“However, today the palace stands almost empty and, having been very much hidden from public view for more than a century, we are excited to take steps for it to become, once again, a place for culture, community and creativity.

“We can’t wait to see VAS’s artists from all disciplines ‘take over’ the palace this August and very much look forward to a uniquely curated experience. These kinds of partnerships are so important to the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust as we are re-energising our mission to engage with the past, present and future of this wonderful heritage.’’

Full details on Now and Then: Dalkeith Palace are available here.

Visual Arts Scotland kicks off centenary celebrations with RSA Show

On a winter’s eve in Edinburgh, 1924, Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) held their first-ever meeting, becoming early pioneers of inclusivity within Scotland’s artistic landscape. One-hundred years later, the organisation has grown into a leading platform for national and international artists and now celebrates its centenary with a year packed full of opportunities for its members.  

To kick off 2024’s celebrations, VAS are holding their biggest-ever exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, showcasing work from the finest contemporary artists across Scotland and beyond.

Then and Now: 100 Years of Visual Arts Scotland will showcase 242 artists and over 300 artworks, with art ranging from ceramics, paintings, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and a variety of contemporary art forms.

The exhibition’s preview night takes place on Friday 16th of February 2024, from 6pm – 8pm, giving creative enthusiasts an exclusive glimpse into the contemporary Scottish art scene.

The exhibition will then run from the 17th of February until the 13th of March, launching a year of centenary celebrations for Visual Arts Scotland members. 

Tavienne Bridgwater, VAS Co-President, said: “VAS has seen a lot of growth and change over the past 100 years.

“The organisation began as The Scottish Society of Women Artists in 1924 with the aim to empower women after their contribution to the war effort. VAS provided women with the opportunity to exhibit and create applied arts, an opportunity other arts organisations in Scotland did not encourage until later in the century. 

“In the early 90s, the organisation’s name changed to Scottish Artists and Artist Craftsmen to embrace the high-quality experimental crafts taking place. Today, the organisation is known as Visual Arts Scotland and boasts a membership of over 1,000 artists across Scotland and beyond, its sole purpose to promote and provide opportunities for artists with an association to Scotland. 

“As we enter our 100th year, we want to reflect on our deep history, but also provide as many opportunities for our current membership as possible. 2024 will be packed full of exciting opportunities with a TATHA Gallery exhibition in Fife, a partnership exhibition with Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) in Aberlady, participation at the Borders Art Fair, and an exhibition and maker’s market at Dalkeith Palace.

“We will also be facilitating a number of artist residency opportunities throughout Scotland and the UK and our online platforms will continue to provide an important space for networking and the sharing of ideas, artwork, and dialogue.”  

Amanda Airey, VAS Co-President, commented: “We’re really excited to be returning to the RSA for our Centenary Show. Visual Arts Scotland’s relationship with this iconic building began in 1945, so there’s no better place to celebrate VAS’s milestone.

“We received over 1,500 applications for our Centenary Show from both members and non-members, indicating the enthusiasm for Visual Arts Scotland’s history as well as an appetite for in-person exhibitions.

“This year, we also hope to create a centenary year book that will contextualise VAS, capture our evolution as an organisation and reveal how we have stayed true to our core aims and passions. VAS members will be integral to influencing its design and purpose. 

“Despite years of growth, our organisation’s core values have remained the same. Everything we do is influenced by inclusivity and the idea that artists should and can help one another.

“VAS is a volunteer-led charity, with the core council consisting of artists themselves, helping promote and provide opportunities for our members. I hope we continue to enable artists to support artists for another 100 years.”

Christina McKelvie, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, said: “The Scottish Government would like to congratulate Visual Arts Scotland on achieving a century of creativity and for playing such a pioneering role in the development of women earning recognition in creative arts.

“Founded as the Scottish Society of Women Artists in 1924, VAS led the way by providing women with a much-needed platform to showcase their artistic skills in Scotland. Visual Arts Scotland continues to give an important voice to the artists, practitioners, and craftsmen, who are crucial in shaping Scotland’s world-leading artistic output. We look forward to celebrating the creativity produced during VAS’s Centenary Show in 2024.”

Visual Arts Scotland 100th Anniversary, 02/10/2023: In the archive room at the National Galleries of Scotland’s Modern Art Two Gallery, Edinburgh. Photography for Visual Arts Scotland from: Colin Hattersley Photography – cphattersley@gmail.com – (+44) 7974 957 388 – www.colinhattersley.com

Colin R Greenslade, RSA Director writes: ““The Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture (RSA) extends a hearty congratulations to the team and membership of Visual Art Scotland (VAS) on the celebration of the Society’s centenary.

“VAS, under the auspices of the ‘Scottish Society of Women Artists’ and ‘Scottish Artists and Artist Craftsmen’, have exhibited alongside the RSA in the Royal Scottish Academy building across much of these past 100 years and we share many artist members both past and present.

“It is wonderful to congratulate VAS on this milestone achievement and wish them the very best as they enter their second century of representing artists in this way.”

The VAS Centenary Show will also have an exhibit of small works (30cm x 30cm) by society members, allowing every member of VAS to have their work included in the exhibition. These small works provide a varied selection of art for sale at affordable prices.