In the summer of 2022, members of the IW Creative Network were invited to apply for a bursary grant of £750 to help develop their creative practice. Two grants were available and could be used to pay for equipment, someone’s time, for their time, travel – but they must be able to demonstrate how it will develop their creative practice through a public output over the coming months.
The Advisory Panel determined the award of the two bursaries based on applications that were most able to develop their creative practice and which were innovative, well developed, realistic and deliverable. Our two recipients for the 2022 Bursaries are Kay McCrann and Stuart Ballingall.
Kay McCrann
For Kay, this bursary will support the development of new work and enable the showcase of embodied drawing processes and products in an interactive exhibition “Minibeasts, Mark-making and Me: Contemporary Embodied Drawing Approaches to Multispecies Worlds” in The Clayden Gallery, Quay Arts, 17 Sep – 8 Oct 2022.
Kay’s practice researches the everyday interactions between humans and ‘minibeasts’ within time and space. ‘Minibeasts’ as a term first emerged within environmental education in the UK during the 1970s. As an incredibly diverse group of small invertebrate animals, minibeasts include bees, butterflies, ants, woodlice, snails, grasshoppers and worms as well as some of the more ‘unloved’ creatures we live alongside at home such as spiders, flies and slugs.
This work is relevant and important against the backdrop of insect decline and is particularly relevant to the island as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Through drawing and mark-making, Kay is exploring how we can better connect with and understand the small and wonderfully varied minibeasts that live in our houses and gardens through the practices of DWL (drawing without looking at the paper / drawing ground), DES (drawing with eyes shut) and DMB (drawing moving the whole body).
The exhibition will showcase the impact of the bursary through the creation of this new work around these themes and by introducing the theoretical ideas behind the work. She also aims to complete new collaborative work during the exhibition giving visitors the chance to produce drawings, as well as provide an artist’s talk on 17th Sept, 10am.
Kay lives on the Isle of Wight and is currently completing a practice-based PhD with the School of Art, Design and Performance at Portsmouth University. Follow Kay’s journey on her blog and Twitter.
Stuart Ballingall
At present Stuart’s portfolio consists of editing unscripted podcast interviews, recorded by other content creators. This bursary will allow him to expand into new areas of podcast production, script writing, location recording, web design, podcast hosting and promotion by creating a 10 episode family friendly podcast series on the wildlife and ecology of the Isle of Wight, hosted by Stuart and his 8 year old son. Each episode will be presented in a magazine format and will focus on an animal species native to the island, the ecology of the area it can be found, an interview with a local expert, an audio soundscape, and will end with a local musician or poet performing a piece on location.
“Rufus and I are really excited to get started on our podcast. The support the IW Creative Network has given us has really helped get this project off the ground. The bursary has allowed us to buy some vital recording equipment and will pay for the website and hosting/distribution of the show.
Also a recent 1-2-1 mentoring session with Alys Scott Hawkins came at exactly the right time for me, because as well as discussing my portfolio in general, we touched on some really important project management strategies, which has enabled me to start planning the show on a really strong footing.”
The series will be hosted on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and will be promoted by a poster campaign in local shops, cafes and organisations around the areas featured in the episodes, with QR codes that will take you to the relevant podcast episode. The trailer will be released in early autumn this year, with two full episodes released later this year and a further 8 episodes in 2023.
To follow Stuart and Rufus’ podcast journey, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
The Wild Wight Podcast is now available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and via their website: https://thewildwightpodcast.com/ with episodes released monthly, until October 2023.
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To follow Stuart and Rufus’ podcast journey, please follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
