Stephen Joseph Theatre supports Scarborough borough artists with bursary funds

Six bursaries of £1,000 each have been awarded by the theatre to artists across the borough to support the freelance creative sector post-Covid.

The SJT Artist Bursaries were offered through the Scarborough Creatives group to allow artists to spend time "creating, learning, planning or developing".

Paul Robinson, Stephen Joseph Theatre's Artistic Director, said: "The original plan was to award five bursaries, but the standard of applications was so high that we increased that to six.

"This isn’t a hardship fund. We wanted to support people who have had a struggle throughout 2020, perhaps ‘falling through the cracks’ for government support, or having had work cancelled.

"We’re delighted to be able to support six such diverse artists to continue to help make the Borough of Scarborough such a vibrant place to live."

The six bursary recipients are:

Iona Calvert, a visual artist in Scarborough creating ceramic pieces that reflect the fragility and strength of the human condition.

Her bursary will support the development of her individual work whilst exploring, with fellow artist Charlotte Hill, how participatory arts practice driven by a commitment to social justice can help readdress the gender inequalities highlighted during the pandemic.

Annie Louvaine, a painter and illustrator living in Cloughton. She plans to use her £1,000 towards setting up a website and blog and to invest in equipment, materials and learning new skills. She is interested in local archaeology such as Star Carr and Gristhorpe man and plans to produce creative work inspired by them.

Freelance curator and project manager Sabina Muller is based in Whitby. She plans to develop a small series of curatorial experiments in the form of online or physical art installations in unexpected places in the town, with works by UK and international contemporary artists.

Wendy Pratt lives just outside Filey. She is a professional writer, known mostly for her poetry, workshop facilitator, mentor, tutor and founder and editor of Spelt magazine. She will be using the bursary to create writing time and to fund a research trip for her first novel.

Jonny Rowe, a graphic designer and illustrator from Scarborough. He is currently working on a book, I Filled a Sketchbook Once and It Felt Well Good; his bursary will go towards publishing, promoting and printing it. He will also be buying materials to create some huge pieces he has had in his head for a long time.

Scarborough-based Jennifer Weston is a multi-disciplinary artist currently using photography, printmaking, object making, writing; and historically using performance and video.

The bursary will allow her to develop a new body of work and scale up images to exhibit in larger gallery spaces.

The scheme is a partnership initiated by the SJT, in association with Scarborough Creatives, and supported and administered by SJT Associate Company, ARCADE.