Trading in Art

A new University project linking Dundee's historic Nine Incorporated Trades to contemporary arts and craft practice has been chosen as one of a handful of projects to receive Scottish Arts Council 'Inspire' funding.

The Nine Trades of Dundee project has been developed by the Exhibitions Department at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

It is one of only 13 project proposals - out of 423 applications - to be shortlisted for the SAC's 'Inspire' Fund, which was created to encourage the development of innovative projects to inspire and encourage the people of Scotland to take part in the arts.

The Nine Trades project will see artists working alongside craftspeople and tradesmen across the city.

'Our aim with this project is to de-mystify the public's preconceptions of who can be an 'artist' and what 'art' is,' said Jenny Brownrigg, Curator in the Exhibitions Department.

'The inspiration is the Dundee organisation 'The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee', which has been operating since the 1800s and refers to nine trade groups in the city including the Bakers, Shoemakers, Hammermen and Weavers.

'A significant number of artists economically support their practice by working in another trade. For example, we are working with a sculptor who also works on a building site, an installation artist who is also a joiner and an artist who is a part-time hairdresser.'

'What we are proposing to do is invite nine artists with second trades to lead collaborative art projects with Dundee workers employed in that particular trade.'We are hoping the project may lead to jointly produced artworks and new strategies for the workplace.'

The Exhibitions Department has received £5,000 development funding to progress the outline project idea into a fully developed project plan for consideration at the next stage of the application process. The final results will be announced in Feb 2009.

Three artists linked to Duncan of Jordanstone are helping develop ideas for the full proposal. They are Dunfermline-based Alan Grieve who has just completed his Master of Fine Arts degree and has worked as a hairdresser for 25 years, 23-year-old Fraser Macdonald, a conceptual artist who graduated from Fine Art this year and has been a refuse collector for three years with Perth and Kinross Council and Ben Robinson, who graduated in 2007 from Master of Design, and has been a customer service advisor for HBOS since 2003.

For more information on the Exhibitions Department and the Nine Trades project see: www.exhibitions.dundee.ac.uk/ninetrades.html.