Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Prize
Submissions for the 2016 Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Prize are now officially open as William Grant & Sons brings the coveted art competition to Australia for a second time to celebrate the Glenfiddich commitment to the arts, and the communities it serves.
Celebrating its fifteenth year globally, the program offers the winning artists a residency prize valued at $21,000, where they work and live for a period of three months (between April and October 2017) at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland.
The contest is an open call to all Australian artists who are welcome to use any art medium. These include, but are not limited to print, photography, animation, performance and installation. During the residency, the winning artist will create work taking inspiration from the distinctive location, history, heritage, people and craftsmanship of the distillery.
An exhibition of the five finalist’s work, along with a Glenfiddich pop-up bar, will take place at No Vacancy Gallery located at QV Melbourne from the 8th to the 13th of November.
Selecting the finalists will be a collection of illustrious judges, all of whom sat on the Advisory Council for the 2015 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. Barry Keldoulis (Group Fairs Director) will lead the panel along with Evan Williams (CEO of Williams Land Trust), Dr. Gene Sherman (Chairman and Executive Director of the Sherman Contemporary Arts Foundation), Kelly Gellatly (Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne), Mark Hughes (art advisor) and legendary actress Rachel Griffiths.
Entries officially close on August 16th, with finalists announced September 16th. A winner will then be announced on November 18th following a final tally of votes and the last round of judgment by Artist in Residence Program Curator, Andy Fairgrieve – the colourful, dreadlocked-guy-in-a-kilt who helps the winning artist bring their work to life.
Guests attending the Glenfiddich pop-bar at No Vacancy Gallery can join the Glenfiddich Explorers Program and vote for their favourite piece of art. The Program is accessible to all whisky enthusiasts and offers numerous benefits at Glenfiddich hosted events. By voting, Glenfiddich Explorers will go into the running to win a collection of whiskies from the Glenfiddich range.
Joined by 18 other artists from around the globe, the winner will work at the very location where William Grant & Sons crafted its world-renowned Glenfiddich whisky. Since its release in 1887 Glenfiddich has been the world’s bestselling and most awarded single malt whisky, having received more awards since 2000 than any other single malt Scotch whisky.
To date, the Artists in Residence Program has seen over 100 artists from 18 countries take part in the summer residency program. Over the past 15 years the residency has become widely acclaimed in the art world for its un-prescriptive and supportive approach, which has resulted in artists producing inspiring and diverse works which are finally exhibited in the Glenfiddich gallery.
Australian winner of the 2015 residency, Joan Ross, was selected for her carefully composed works in both print and video that are not only visually stunning but deeply thought provoking. Joan uses fluorescent colours on the duller palette of 19th-century art to represent the creeping effects of colonisation.
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