Artists encouraged to apply for individual awards

IFACCA/Artshub, 11 August 2005,United Kingdom

Arts Council Wales (ACW) is encouraging artists creating new and experimental work to apply for a bursary of £25,000 through its Creative Wales Awards scheme. The Creative Wales Awards have been designed in response to ACW’s strategic priority that pledges ‘support for individual artists creating new, experimental and innovative work that takes forward the art-form and artistic practice.’ The awards aim to support individual excellence and help develop artists' potential. These are the major investment awards to individual Welsh artists made by The Arts Council of Wales. This year writers and playwrights are particularly encouraged to apply for the awards. Peter Tyndall, Chief Executive of The Arts Council of Wales, said: “The Creative Wales Awards provide a massive boost to professional artists living in Wales. Their contribution to the creative life of Wales and to the work of individual artists is unique and invaluable. The awards are certainly one of the arts highlights of the year.” Previous recipients of individual awards include performer Marc Rees, who received a Major Creative Wales Award of £20,000 that allowed him to undertake an intense and highly concentrated research and development project ‘Shed*Light’. Rees said of the awards: “The Creative Wales Award has enabled me to meet my objectives of expanding and challenging my ideas, whilst unearthing new possibilities for creativity. It has been an exciting and unique experience, which has allowed me to re-examine and expand my vision. The project has grown and developed thanks to the Creative Wales Award and new avenues of creativity and opportunity have been opened to me. A lot of interest has been generated in my project since receiving the award and I have been able to take my work to another level.” The scheme is offered at two levels, Creative Wales Awards of between £5,000 and £10,000 and five Major Creative Wales Award Bursaries of £25,000 each. The closing date for applications to this year’s Creative Wales Awards is Monday 3rd October 2005. For further information, CLICK HERE

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