Into the Distance

Each year, the RSA disburses funds to artists and architects to enable research, travel, studio time and other opportunities to enhance practice. These monetary awards come from various sources – investments, partners, benefactors and also from other artists, architects and their families.

Since its earliest days, the Academy has supported new practice. It has encouraged education, travel and research and its founding aims support this fact. From their earliest years in practice, Academicians have been the recipients of numerous awards, from the Academy and elsewhere, and have first-hand experience of how sometimes even modest sums can be a gateway to the inspiration for a new body of work.

Currently, the Academy disburses money on behalf of many significant artists, architects and other benefactors. Amongst these are names such a William Littlejohn RSA whose legacy supports an annual watercolour award and whose work we are also highlighting in January in The Academicians Gallery. In 2023, we will celebrate 50 years of the Gillies Fund, bequeathed to the Academy by Sir William Gillies PPRSA in 1973. We will mark this milestone with a new exhibition and publication about the artist in the Autumn. Also this year, we will launch a series of new artist awards funded by the significant recent gift from Dame Elizabeth Blackadder RA RSA and her husband John Houston RSA.

As artists leave the security of art school practice and begin to find their way in their new chosen career, support of this nature is extraordinarily helpful in assisting this transition. So, what better way to begin this coincidental ‘Year of Gifts’ than with a review of some of the artists whom have been recipients of the RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award?

Initiated by the Trustees of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust, this annual award has been offered for new graduates since 2006. Now in its 18^th year, this award of £2,000 has enabled emerging artists to venture out in the world to source material as inspiration for new works, projects, collaborations and events. The breadth of work which has been achieved over this time-frame is astounding. For this exhibition we present the new works of two returning artists – Natasha Jensen (2020) and Paige Silverman (2021) - whose opportunities were altered due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. In addition, we have opened up the exhibition to previous recipients showcasing current work and tracing their practice since their awards.

We are also delighted to be able to exhibit a work by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham HRSA and are very thankful to the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust for their collaboration on this exhibition and, indeed, their support since the inception of the award. Long may it continue.

If you are interested in discussing how you can support an initiative of this kind then please do let us know. It’s conversations such as these from which the support of greatness comes.

Colin R Greenslade

Director, Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture