Spring Fling Young Artists Mentoring Programme

In 2012 Spring Fling is set to celebrate its 10^th Birthday both during the festival and throughout the year, with a whole host of exciting events, the first one of which Spring Fling can now reveal:

Young Artists Bursary & Mentoring Programme

(February – June 2012)

2012 will see the inaugural Spring Fling Young Artists Bursary Programme. For the next two years Spring Fling will support four recent graduates from UK art schools with a bursary of £1000 to create new work. For the first two selected young artists, their work will be created between February and May 2012, shown during Spring Fling 2012 (2-5 June), and a professional Spring Fling artist will mentor each young artist.

In order to be eligible the Young Artists had to be a graduate from a UK art school less than 2 years ago, be 25 or under by the time of Spring Fling 2012, and have a connection to the region. With applications from graduates of art schools throughout the UK, a selection panel met in December consisting of Colin Tennant (professional photographer, former visual arts officer at Dumfries and Galloway Council, and former co-ordinator of Spring Fling Open Studios), Ross Fulton (painter, Spring Fling 2011 and 2012 participant, and WASPS Studios, Kirkcudbright resident), and Leah Black (Spring Fling manager), who selected the following two Young Artists. The Young Artists were then matched with their Mentors.

Coral Beattie (Mentored by Morag Macpherson)

A 2011 graduate from The Glasgow School of Art, and from Kilmarnock, Coral Beattie studied Woven Textile Design. Now 22 and living in Kilmarnock, Coral has had strong links with Dumfries and Galloway since childhood. Inspired by patterns and details found in architecture, whilst studying Coral researched geometric pattern repeats, traditional Mexican and Moroccan textiles, and explored the use of contrasting patterns using a jacquard computer loom. From this she created a collection of scarves.  Coral has recently worked with Glasgow based woven textile designer Angharad McLaren.

Coral Beattie

Coral (Studio 8) will show her new work during Spring Fling 2012 in The Mill on the Fleet, High Street, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas, DG7 2HS

In the run up to Spring Fling Coral will be mentored by Morag Macpherson, a textile designer who has recently moved to Dumfries and Galloway and works from WASPS Studios in Kirkcudbright.  Textile designer Morag worked in graphic design where she saw common links with new digital technology in textiles. Now working on a commission basis with large-scale project work with architects and interior designers, she also designs and makes her own line of limited edition digitally printed textiles for fashion and interiors. 

Morag Macpherson

Morag (Studio 20) will show her work during Spring Fling from her permanent studio in WASPS Artists Studios, Canonwalls & Claverhouse 117 High Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4JG

Sally Hogarth (Mentored by Linda Mallett)

Sally Hogarth is a fine artist working across sculptural installation, photography and video. Her work surrounds the idea of social interaction, whether it is technological, political or communal. Although currently living and working in London, Sally lived in Dumfries and Galloway as a child. Now 25, she graduated from Goldsmiths College, London with a BA in Fine Art, and from Central St Martins with an MA in Fine Art and Art History. Sally’s work requires participants or viewers as part of its production and in completion and many of her works in the past have been produced and performed in public spaces. Sally recently designed and project managed the development and installation of a large scale mixed media sculptural work on display in the check-in lounge of Terminal 5, Heathrow.

Sally Hogarth

Sally (Studio 9) will show her work during Spring Fling 2012 in The Mill on the Fleet, High Street, Gatehouse of Fleet, Castle Douglas, DG7 2HS

Sally will be mentored by Linda Mallett, an artist who divides her time between studio practice, and freelance work in the public art field, as consultant, researcher, curator, artist and project manager.  She is also actively involved in collaborative projects with other artists. She is one of the curatorial Creative team of five with The Stove an artists’ collective aiming to make a creative arts project space in a former shop building the centre of Dumfries and has managed a wide variety of projects such as the design and build of a new primary school in North Ayrshire, the development of a programme of artworks in the CatStrand, New Galloway, and the development of therapeutic art and design features for The West Centre for children’s community health and care, Drumchapel, Glasgow.

Linda Mallett

Linda (Studio 21) will show her work during Spring Fling from her permanent studio: Studio 21. 49 Millburn Street, DG6 4BY

For further press information on any of the artists mentioned above, or image requests please contact Leah Black, Spring Fling Manager on 01387 213 218, leah@spring-fling.co.uk.