Nominations open for Margaret Tait Award and Residency 2022

LUX Scotland is delighted to announce the call for two opportunities. Nominations are now open for the Margaret Tait Award in partnership with Glasgow Film and applications for the new Margaret Tait Residency delivered in partnership with and taking place at the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney. 

The Margaret Tait Award is Scotland’s most prestigious moving image prize for artists, delivered in partnership with Glasgow Film with support from The National Lottery and the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland. Inspired by the pioneering Orcadian filmmaker and poet Margaret Tait (1918–99), the award recognises experimental and innovative artists working with the moving image, offering a unique avenue of commissioning and production support and providing a high-profile platform to exhibit newly commissioned work.  

The Margaret Tait Residency is a new opportunity for emerging artists working with film and moving image to develop their practice, delivered in partnership with the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney, with support from The National Lottery and the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland. The selected artist will be provided with time, space, freedom and support to concentrate upon the development of their work without the demand for public presentation.

The deadline for both opportunities is Monday 29 November, 5pm GMT.

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Margaret Tait, Blue Black Permanent, 1992. Courtesy of the artist and BFI. 

The selection panel for the Margaret Tait Award is comprised of Jamie Crewe, Glasgow based artist and Margaret Tait Award 2019 recipient; Kirsten Body, Inverness based curator and producer; Georgina Jackson, Director of The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art, Dublin; Rabz Lansiquot, London based artist and programmer, part of curatorial collaboration Languid Hands; Kitty Anderson, Director of LUX Scotland; and a representative from Creative Scotland.

The selection panel for the Margaret Tait Residency is comprised of Florrie James, Glasgow based artist and recipient of the Margaret Tait Residency 2014; Andrew Parkinson, Curator of the the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney; Rachel Thibbotumunuwe, Learning Manager for Aberdeen Archives Gallery & Museums; David Upton, LUX Scotland Programme Manager; and Katharine Simpson, Screen Scotland. 

The 2022 award and residency will be announced at Glasgow Film Festival in March 2022. Emilia Beatriz, recipient of the Margaret Tait Award 2020, will present their new film at GFF22, followed by a solo exhibition at LUX in London in October 2022 and a tour across Scotland. Andrew Black, recipient of the Margaret Tait Award 2021, will present his new work later in 2022, followed by a solo exhibition at LUX in London in early 2023 and a tour across the UK. 

Previous award recipients have included Andrew Black, Emilia Beatriz, Jamie Crewe, Alberta Whittle, Sarah Forrest, Kate Davis, Duncan Marquiss, Charlotte Prodger, Rachel Maclean, Stephen Sutcliffe, Anne-Marie Copestake and Torsten Lauschmann. Previous residency recipients included Florrie James and Sarah Forrest. 

About the Margaret Tait Award

Established in 2010, the Margaret Tait Award is a LUX Scotland commission delivered in partnership with Glasgow Film, with support from The National Lottery and the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland. The only award of its kind in Scotland, it allows LUX Scotland, Glasgow Film and Screen Scotland to make a lasting and meaningful impact on the careers of new filmmaking talent, support new commissions and forge new partnerships across the sector.

Each year, the Award is presented to an artist based in Scotland who has established a significant body of work over the past 5–10 years; is recognised by peers for their contribution to the artists’ moving image sector; and can demonstrate the significant impact that the award will have on the development of their practice. The recipient of the award will receive a £15,000 prize to produce ambitious new work, which is exhibited at Glasgow Film Festival the following year and will subsequently tour with LUX Scotland, including a solo exhibition at LUX’s exhibition space in London.

Eligible artists are nominated through an open call process, which allows anyone (the general public, as well as arts professionals and artists) both within and outwith Scotland to put forward an artist. Nominations are assessed by a panel of artists and professionals from across the fields of the visual arts and film. Shortlisted artists are then asked to present proposals for the commission. 

About the Margaret Tait Residency

The new Margaret Tait Residency delivered in partnership with the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney, with support from The National Lottery and the Scottish Government through Screen Scotland, builds upon the legacy of the residency delivered by Glasgow Film in 2012 and 2014. Aimed at emerging artists working in film and moving image with up to 5 years professional experience, the residency provides time and support for developing work and practice without the demands of deadlines or public presentation. The residency will take place at the Pier Arts Centre’s newly renovated facilities Linkshouse Residency Centre for up to 6 weeks with an artists’ fee of £7,130 and accompanying travel and access support funds. 

The residency supports artists wishing to focus upon specific projects as well as those keen to develop new ideas without the demands of deadlines or public presentation. The selected artist will have a tailored package of support from LUX Scotland and the Pier Arts Centre, with the option of presenting outcomes of the residency with Glasgow Film.

Eligible artists are invited to apply through an open call process. Shortlisted artists are then asked to present a proposal for the residency. 

Kitty Anderson, Director, LUX Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be presenting the annual Margaret Tait Award this year accompanied by the newly reinstated Margaret Tait Residency. Now more than ever we need to support artists to develop their practice and make new work. This combination of opportunities aims to meet this need by supporting artists at varying stages of their careers. LUX Scotland and the selection panels look forward to viewing a wide range of submissions from artists across the country.”

Andrew Parkinson, Curator, the Pier Arts Centre, said: “The Pier Arts Centre’s Linkshouse Residency Centre will offer very exciting new opportunities to host artists, across art-forms, in an inspirational part of the Orkney landscape – sparking new collaboration and exchange. We know from experience that Orkney has an abiding impact on artists who come to work here that is hugely beneficial to them, as well as the broader community across the islands.” 

Make a nomination for the Margaret Tait Award 2022: https://luxscotland.org.uk/writing/margaret-tait-award-2022-open-for-nominations/

Submit an application for the Margaret Tait Residency: https://luxscotland.org.uk/writing/margaret-tait-residency-2022-open-for-applications/

Header image: Margaret Tait, Painted Eightsome, 1970. Courtesy of the Margaret Tait estate and LUX


More information

Contact

For more information, images or interview requests, please contact: [email protected] / + 44 (0) 7794 694 754 

Full details about the Margaret Tait Award can be found here: https://luxscotland.org.uk/programme/margaret-tait-award-residency/ 

Background

LUX Scotland is a non-profit agency dedicated to supporting, developing and promoting artists’ moving image practices in Scotland. Working at the intersection of the contemporary visual arts and film sectors, its core activities include public exhibition and touring projects, learning and professional development for artists and arts professionals, distribution, commissioning and production support, research and sector advocacy. From its offices based in Glasgow, it works with a growing network of national and international partners, including museums, contemporary art organisations, film festivals and educational institutions, to deliver its programme. One of its current priorities is the establishment of a new distribution collection of artists’ moving image based in Scotland. Established in 2014, LUX Scotland is a part of LUX and is supported by Creative Scotland. 
luxscotland.org.uk 

About Glasgow Film and Glasgow Film Festival

Glasgow Film is an educational charity which runs Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), Scotland’s original independent arthouse cinema and the home of film in Glasgow; Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), one of the UK’s leading public celebrations of cinema; and Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF), a fast-growing international three-day festival co-curated by teenage film-lovers in the city. Glasgow Film is also the lead organisation for Film Hub Scotland, a membership organisation that supports more than 200 exhibitors across the country.

Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) is firmly established as a key event in the UK's film calendar. Having grown greatly in significance and as a key launching pad for films in recent years, the festival is one of the top film festivals in the UK. GFF continues to grow and develop its international reputation. The 2022 festival will take place from 2 to 13 March 2022. glasgowfilm.org

The Pier Arts Centre 

The Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney was established in 1979 to provide a home for an important collection of British fine art donated by the author, peace activist and philanthropist Margaret Gardiner (1904 – 2005). The Centre also curates a year round programme of changing exhibitions and events for the education and enjoyment of the general public.

The Pier Arts Centre is currently working on a project to develop Linkshouse – Orkney Arts Residency an accessible residency facility with studio provision for individual or group use. Linkshouse will act as a launch-pad for local artists and a landing-strip for artists visiting the county.  Beyond that it will be a focal point for the wider community, supporting other local arts organisations and festivals to nurture talent and make connections, while supporting the Pier Arts Centre’s educational work, enhancing opportunities for outdoor learning and wellbeing and represents a whole new area of creative activity for the Pier Arts Centre and Orkney. pierartscentre.com 

Screen Scotland

Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland through enhanced funding, services and support and backing from Scottish Government and The National Lottery.  Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and works in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success. screen.scot  / Twitter / Instagram.