July at Cove Park

Our summer programme of funded residencies continues apace this month with the arrival of poet Conor Cleary, visual artist and poet Alec Finlay, visual artist Ashanti Harris, weaver Raisa Kabir, writer and poet Jada Pearl Lewis and ceramicist Natalie Weinberger. We look forward to working with everyone.

July also sees the first artist arriving to take part in our European Residency Programme: as a result of our partnership with The Finnish Institute in London, we are pleased to welcome artist Andrea Coyotzi Borja and look forward to the continuation of this new programme throughout the year.

Through a collaboration with TENT Rotterdam, we will welcome performance artist Natalia Papaeva to Cove Park in July; Natalia was the winner of the 2018 TENT Academy Awards and this residency was offered to her as part of the award. Cove Park is also pleased to be part of the RSA Residencies for Scotland programme this year and to host visual artist Madeleine V Brown as a result. Both artists will focus upon the development of new work during one-month residencies.

Scroll down for details of an open call for applications to our Translation Programme, news of the next stops on the Scottish Tour of Charlotte Prodger's new work SaF05 and Scotland + Venice, the launch of the Varuna Writers' Room residency and details if our Hands-On programme of summer workshops and events.

Image: Cove Park, The Artists Centre, June 2019 (photography: Alan Dimmick)

Translation Programmes: Call for Applications

Cove Park's Translation programme is unique in the UK: developed with national and international partners, it brings literary translators to Cove Park to develop their work.

We have two current calls for applications connected to this programme. The first is for Translation Week residencies, produced in partnership with the National Centre for Writing. These opportunities are open to literary translators working into English and further information is available here. The second series of Translation residencies is developed through a partnership with Publishing Scotland; we wish to appoint two translators of Scottish books and/or books by Scotland-based authors for two-week residencies (overlapping with Translation Week). Further information is available here. The deadline for applications to both programmes is 18 August 2019

Image: Writer Emily Hasler, Cove Park, 2018 (photography, Alan Dimmick)

Scotland + Venice: The Scottish Tour

The Scottish Tour of Charlotte Prodger's new work SaF05 is underway! We were pleased to welcome audiences to the first UK screening at The Tower Digital Arts Centre in Helensburgh on 27 June and to the Glasgow Film Theatre on 3 July. Campbeltown Picture House, here in Argyll, is our next stop on 25 July and free tickets are available directly from the cinema.

SaF05 was commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership for the 58th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia and the presentation was curated by Linsey Young with Cove Park. Taking place at the same time as the exhibition in Venice, the Scottish Tour of SaF05 continues until 21 November 2019, reaching audiences across the west coast, Highlands and Islands that would not otherwise have the opportunity to see the work.

The Scottish Tour is supported by Art Fund, Screen Scotland and Outset Scotland and the participating venues are: The Tower Digital Arts Centre, Helensburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Campbeltown Picture House; Aros Community Cultural Centre, Skye; An Lanntair, Isle of Lewis; Mareel, Shetland Arts Centre and Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen. Tickets for all screenings are free and further information on The Scottish Tour is available here.

Image: The Tower, Helensburgh - The Scottish Tour of SaF05, 27 June 2019 (photography, Alan Dimmick)

Cove Park/Varuna Residency Exchange

During summer 2018 Veechi Stuart, Executive Director of Varuna, The National Writers’ House in Australia, visited Cove Park to discuss the potential for a new residency exchange between the two organisations. This programme begins at Cove Park with the arrival of Australian writer Roanna Gonsalves.

Varuna plays a central role in developing Australian literary culture by providing a unique environment for national poets, essayists, dramatists and authors to create new work. The organisation is located in Katoomba, part of the world-heritage listed Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Built by the Australian writer Eleanor Dark in the late 1930s, the house is recognised as a site of cultural significance. In 1989 Mick Dark, the son of Eleanor, gave the house to the Eleanor Dark Foundation so it could be used as a retreat for writers.

In 2019 funding was secured from The Bridge Awards to support the travel expenses of an Australian writer visiting Cove Park for a one-month residency and a Scottish writer travelling to Varuna for a similar duration. 2019 will be the first year of an initial three year project and Scottish writer Vicky Mackenzie will travel to Australia in July. In addition to their residencies both writers will participate in at least one public event and we are delighted that Roanna will take part in the forthcoming Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Image: Roanna Gonsalves

Hands-On Summer Programme

Cove Park's Hands-On programme for the summer includes some wonderful workshops for young people, adults and families devised and led by our former residents: book bow for 'Sculpted Stories', ked by David Sherry, 'Stamp Carving, with Natasha Russell or the Portfolio Preapartion workshops with Marie O'Connor. Full details on all these free events are available on our website. 

Image: Saturday Studios led by Lotte Gertz.

We would like to thank all the individuals, Trusts and Foundations supporting our programme this year. They include: The Monument Trust, The Andor Charitable Trust, The Binks Trust, British Council Scotland, The Bridge Awards, The Craignish Trust, Creative Scotland, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, The Fenton Arts Trust, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Young Start.