Kirkcudbright WASPS Residency.

This year for the very first time Spring Fling Open Studios Association in partnership with WASPS (Workshop and Artist's Studio Provision Scotland) are hosting a residency in Kirkcudbright. This project is to help celebrate the conversion of two buildings in the heart of Kirkcudbright into artist's workshops which will build on the town's growing artist's community. As many working artists will appreciate it is not always straightforward to find a suitable space in which to conduct an arts or crafts based business and this new initiative from WASPS will provide space for a number of such businesses.

Tim Taylor has been selected from over thirty applications from current WASPS artists around Scotland to come to Kirkcudbright for a ten day period and to create a work in response to his experience of the town. Tim who is a sculptor and installation artist intends to explore the natural and cultural heritage of the town and in particular the artistic and maritime history. Tim's work has been shown internationally and he has worked as a visiting lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art.

Maggie Savage a member of the SFOS Committee says, "Tim's proposal offers a particularly appropriate experience for our Spring Fling visitors. His work as an installation artist will complement our range of artists and makers and, by being on site to talk to visitors over the weekend, Tim will provide us with an opportunity to not only be inspired by the work on view but also to find out more about the concepts and processes behind the work. His proposal is also symbolic of the opening of the new Wasps studios. The creation and installation of artwork created during a residency on the site of the new studios will mark the beginning of a transition from unused buildings to creative spaces which will soon provide artists and makers with the opportunity to explore and produce new and exciting work of their own."

We look forward to welcoming Tim to the region and hopefully he will be able to contribute to this blog soon. His work will be available to see over the Spring Fling weekend, May 23rd to 25th in the new WASPS buildings in Kirkcudbright.