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8 April 2010

Dundee graduates enjoy success at RSA New Contemporaries exhibition

Graduates from the University of Dundee have won prizes totalling almost £4,000 at this year’s prestigious RSA New Contemporaries exhibition.

Eleven graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University, and one School of Architecture graduate were selected to exhibit a selection of new work alongside other young artists and architects from across Scotland.

Members of the Royal Scottish Academy and representatives of DJCAD selected artists and architects based on the quality of their exhibits at last year’s Degree Show.

Professor Tracy Mackenna, Acting Dean at DJCAD, said that being selected to exhibit at RSA New Contemporaries represented a fantastic opportunity for graduates.

'These artists have been selected as the best of their national peer group,' she said. 'The RSA provides magnificent exhibiting space enabling a body of new work to be seen and captured in an accompanying high quality publication, and supported further by an array of awards.

'DJCAD’s graduates have produced an impressive selection of works, demonstrating that the promise they displayed as final year students has been translated into the ambitious and challenging art of the country’s newest artists.'

The Duncan of Jordanstone artists exhibiting are: Jessica Ramm, Georgia Murray, Jamie Fitzpatrick, Astrid Leeson, Omar Zingaro Bhatia, Carolyn Scott, Chloe Gough, Karen Skillen, Jonathan Richards, Martin Hill, Emma McIntyre

In addition, Cameron Mcewan, an architecture graduate of the University was also selected to exhibit at RSA New Contemporaries, which seeks to support the best contemporary work in Scotland. The RSA team work closely with the artists and architects to develop a lasting relationship beyond the exhibition.

Painting, sculpture, film making, photography, printmaking, architecture and installation are among the work being shown at the exhibition. With over £11,000 worth of monetary prizes in addition to residency, studio and purchase prizes, RSA New Contemporaries is an important initiative for emerging artists in Scotland, and provides a ‘first exhibition’ opportunity for some 60+ artists annually.

This year’s winners from DJCAD are:

  • Hope Scott Trust Postgraduate Award (£1,000) - Carolyn Scott.
  • RSA Painting Prize (£400) plus the Maclaine Watters Medal - Jonathan Richards.
  • RSA Sculpture Prize (£400) - Jessica Ramm.
  • RSA Carnegie Travelling Scholarship for painting (£200) - Karen Skillen.
  • RSA Landscape Award (£100) - Georgia Murray.
  • RSA Chalmers Bursary (£75) - Omar Zingaro Bhatia.
  • RSA Stuart Prize (£50) - Astrid Leeson.
  • The Skinny Award - Omar Zingaro Bhatia.
  • Scotland’s Colleges award - Karen Skillen.
  • David & June Gordon Memorial Trust Awards (£750) - Chloe Gough.
  • Royal Infirmary Edinburgh Purchase Prize - Chloe Gough.

Two of the selected artists, Jessica Ramm and Jamie Fitzpatrick, were last year awarded RSA John Kinross Scholarships. This £2,000 scholarship allows Fine Art and Architecture students in Scotland to live and study in Florence for a period of up to three months.

It was announced earlier this week that DJCAD students Ashley Nieuwenhuizen and Mary Somerville have won John Kinross Scholarships for 2010.

RSA representatives will once more visit Degree Shows at all colleges of art and architecture in Scotland this year, selecting more than 60 of the finest emerging artists in the country to exhibit at next year’s New Contemporaries.

Colin Greenslade, RSA Programme Director, said 'As well as developing a strategic platform for new work and highlighting the role of the RSA in supporting new talent, the exhibition is an unique opportunity to see the best of Scotland’s up-and-coming artists and architects under one roof.'

RSA New Contemporaries is showing at the Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, until Wednesday, April 21st. Opening times are 10am-5pm (Monday-Saturday) and 12pm-5pm (Sundays). Admission costs £2 and £1 for concessions.

Notes to editors:

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design merged with the University of Dundee in 1994. It is an integral part of the University and is ranked as one of the top schools of art in the UK and has an outstanding reputation in both practice and research

Dundee’s School of Architecture is part of the University’s College of Art, Science and Engineering.

The aims of the Royal Scottish Academy are to:

  • Uphold the best practice in contemporary Scottish Art and Architecture.
  • Maintain a Collection, Archive and Library relevant to the history and activities of the Academy and to make these accessible to the public.
  • Encourage and support emerging Artists and Architects.
  • Inform national debates on a range of visual, cultural and educational issues.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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