DJCAD student Annie Marrs has set a new record by becoming the youngest ever member of the Scottish Arts Council board.
Annie, a second year Drawing and Painting student in the School of Fine Art, will be a member of council throughout the rest of her time at college. As a board member, her remit is to attend council meetings, training days and events. Most importantly, she will be actively involved in deciding how £60m in public funds is distributed to individuals, groups and institutions for the practice and promotion of the arts in Scotland.
As a former member of the Highland Youth Voice young parliament and part of the team that presented the bid for Inverness to be European City of Culture, Annie has more political experience than the average 19 year old. She believes that this has stood her in good stead. She said, "Being part of the young parliament give me so much confidence and if I hadn’t done that I would never have applied for the position with the Scottish Arts Council."
She believes that this experience, together with her perspective as a young person and as an art student, will help her to bring a fresh point of view to the arts council board.
Annie also has a strong belief in the importance of community art projects. While she thinks it’s too soon to predict what she’ll be doing after she graduates, she hopes to help youth art projects across the country, in particular those working at grassroots level to introduce young people to the visual arts.
Annie said, "I’m pleased that the publicity that’s come about as a result of my appointment to the SAC has raised the profile of the college to potential students across Scotland. Some of my friends at college didn’t really have a clear idea about what the arts council does, and I think it’s a good thing that I’ve made them aware of what it is all about and how it champions the work of artists like themselves."
Annie also credited Eddie Summerton, Head of Second Year Fine Art, who has supported her in her decision to take up the appointment.