ContemporaryArtETC Graduates in showcase of contemporary Scottish art.

Graduates from Edinburgh’s Telford College’s Fine Art Programmes feature strongly in Exhibition showcasing the very best of contemporary Scottish art.

The inaugural RSA New Contemporaries exhibition presents some of the finest up-and-coming artists and architects in Scotland, selected from the 2008 undergraduate degree shows. The exhibition is an exciting and innovative move by the Royal Scottish Academy as it replaces the pre-graduation, open submission, mish-mash that was the annual student show with a post-graduation selection of the best of the four Scottish art schools and six architecture schools.

Ruth Barry who graduated from Edinburgh’s Telford Colleges (ETC) innovative Fine Art HND programme has presented a combination of table, table-top sculpture and watercolour painting in new work commissioned especially for the exhibition. An impressive work for which Ruth was presented with ESW Research Award for excellence in Contemporary Sculpture practice at the opening Gala by RSA President Prof Bill Scott. Ruth recently arrived back in the UK after working the education dept of the Guggenheim Museum in New York and she will move to London next month to continue her career in Fine Art.

Other FineArtETC graduates featured in the exhibition are Alex McAndrew whose dark glittering mountain dominates the landscape of the sculpture court and Kevin Harman who presents a rather understated wall piece featuring multiple tools which have been stripped of their original surfaces.

Both Kevin and Alex studied on the BTEC Foundation in Art & Design at Edinburgh’s Telford College.

Colin Greenslade, RSA Programme Director, comments: “We envisaged that the development of this exhibition will be one of the most important initiatives for emerging artists in Scotland each year, enabling a ‘first exhibition’ opportunity for some 60+ emergent artists annually. The exhibition will be an unique opportunity to see the best of Scotland’s emerging talent under one roof.”

RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES

14 to 25 February 2009. Open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 12noon – 5pm. RSA Upper & Lower Galleries, The Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL. Admission £2 / £1 conc

THE SKINNY

ContemporaryArtETC… student exhibits in City Art Centre

An artwork by HND Contemporary Art Practice Year 2 participant Sarah Wilson has been selected for the annual exhibition of Visual Arts Scotland which opened at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh last night. The exhibition offers a rare chance to see some of the best painting, sculpture, printmaking, jewellery, ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture and photography in Scotland all under one roof.

This is a great honour for Sarah who’s work was selected from among 750 submissions many of which were made by professional artists and degree graduates. It is testimony to the quality of the work produced by participants on the ground breaking course at Edinburgh’s Telford College that Sarah is exhibiting in such illustrious company.

The work, which was produced in response to a course brief, is brass plaque mounted on wood with an engraving of the definition of the Lex Sumptuaria an ancient Roman law outlawing the public display of wealth during times of economic hardship.

The exhibition is open daily until 19th March

City Art Centre
2 Market Street. Tel: 0131 529 3993