As their tour this year is solely to a selection of 7 libraries in west Fife, the display features work by 3 artists who are all inspired by books.  Rachel Hazell makes books and book sculptures often based on her travels around the globe;  Phiona Richards revitalises the pages of old books by transforming them into book sculptures using needlework techniques;  Alix Swan has always loved stories and creates a range of wonderful fairytale books in different shapes and sizes.

The Information Pod gives information about the 3 artists (as you’d expect!) including a short slideshow showing images of their work.  There are samples of materials  as used by Alix Swan and part made ruffles by Phiona Richards, and you can try your hand at making a simple book from a single sheet of paper following instructions by Rachel Hazell.

Cowdenbeath Library can be found at 41 High Street, Cowdenbeath, KY4 9QA (tel 01383 602363).  Its opening hours are Monday 9.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30 – 7pm;  Tuesday 11am – 12.30pm & 1.30 – 5pm;  Wednesday 9.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30 – 5pm;  Thursday 9.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30 – 5pm;  Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm & 1.30 – 7pm;  Saturday 9.30am – 12.30pm.  More details about the Craft & Information Pods can be found via the Programme page of FCA&C’s website.

Ink dipped book sculpture by Rachel Hazell

who will be helping to run a stand on behalf of Audiences East Scotland, an organisation that FCA&C is part of.  She’ll be there for all of Saturday and will be very pleased to chat to visitors to their stand, so please don’t be shy!  Keep your fingers crossed the weather in that part of Fife stays fair over the weekend.

Full details about the event can be found on The Big Tent’s website.

They have been running in Fife for several years now (the Craft ones since 2007;  Visual Artist since 2008) and over the years have been awarded to nearly 100 Fife based artists for a wide range of activities.  Fife jeweller, Antonia Chiappe, for example, was able to attend the Bovey Tracey Craft Fair 2010 in Devon with assistance from the scheme.

Updated guidelines for both grants are now available on FCA&C’s website as are the two required application forms  (go to the Artist Resource section and click on the Grants and Funding link).  All potential applicants are strongly advised to download and read the relevant Guideline document and application forms, then phone either Diana or Susan at FCA&C for an informal chat before submitting an application.

If your idea or project is not suitable for a Craft or Visual Artist Award, it may fit the criteria for one of Fife Council’s Culture Grants.  There is brief information about this on the Grants and Funding page on FCA&C’s website and also on the Fifedirect website.

Antonia Chiappe at Bovey Tracey Craft Fair 2010

Deconstructed Music by Susie Imber

Book of Parts by Sheena Berry

From Creel to Creel by Nicola Glennie

Widow by Maureen Sangster

Portal: A Room of My Own by Marianna Lines

Henri the Doduck by Mary Johnston

So, that’s a taste of some of the 3 D work – but there’s plenty more and some 2 D too – all well worth a look!  And no golf in sight!

Views of the Scrap Exchange Challenge exhibition

There are 19 artists in the show, from right across Fife and beyond, and the comments and descriptions of what they’ve made shows how much thought and effort has gone into this.  It could’ve been such a flop if those participating hadn’t really been bothered but it looks so CREATIVE!  Well done and thanks to Lainy Allison, Jenny Barker, Anton Beaver, Sheena Berry, Pat Bray, Hazel Darwin-Edwards, Jean Duncan, Nicola Glennie, Liz Harvey, Susie Imber, Mary Johnston, Margaret Lappin, Marianna Lines, Lynne McKellar, Evie Milo, Maureen Sangster, Dot Sim, Lorraine Smith, and Angie Turner.

Captions etc still to be put up but the exhibition should be open for viewers properly by tomorrow (9 July) and will be on display in the foyer of St Andrews Town Hall until Thursday 16 September – plenty of time to pay it a visit!  The Town Hall foyer is open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm and sometimes at weekends if there is an event on.

While it is a reduced version of what was on show in Kirkcaldy, it still gives visitors a strong flavour of the kind of artwork being produced currently in PNG – vibrant paintings by Martin Morububuna, elegant recycled metal sculptures by Tom Deko, textiles by Cathy Kata, and an example of the wonderful Sepik River wood carvings by Kaua Gita.  A highlight of the larger exhibition was the work by the late Mathias Kauage and he is represented here by paintings, prints and beaten metal wall pieces.  There is background material to give the work a context and information on all the artists featured.

Views of the 'Double Visions' exhibition in St Andrews (photo Julian Davis)

There is also a unique chance to learn more about contemporary Papua New Guinean art, past and present, by attending a free talk in the Gateway on Thursday 8 July.  To attend, just turn up at the exhibition area shortly before 4.30pm.  Tom Craig, a Scottish artist who lived and worked in PNG for 20 years will talk on ‘The Origins of Contemporary Art in Papua New Guinea’;  Dr Andrew Moutu, University of Adelaide, and a Papua New Guinean anthropologist, will discuss the wider contexts in which contemporary art is inspired and produced in Papua New Guinea.

Views of 'Double Visions' exhibition (photo Julian Davis)

At our last Artists’ & Makers’ Forum in April, a band of noble artists brought shoeboxes crammed with oddments of their scraps to swap randomly with their fellow artists.  With the theme of the Forum being ’sustainability’, the idea was to make an artwork out of some (or all) of the box contents without buying any materials for it.  They could add to the scraps with materials of their own.  And so the Challenge was born!

Scrap Exchange Challenge artworks

Two and a half months later and it’s been an exciting time here at FCA&C HQ, watching the finished work arrive – everything from imaginative (shoe)box constructions to jewellery, to 2D framed work, sculpture and more.  It think it’s going to be an interesting show and will highlight again how imaginative the artists of Fife and its environs are.  More next week once the hang begins….

If you missed the exhibition during its recent showing in Kirkcaldy or saw it there and would like to find out more about contemporary art in PNG, here’s a golden opportunity.  As part of the conference there are various public events including free late afternoon talks on Thursday 8 July, entitled ‘Origins of Contemporary Art in Papua New Guinea’.  The speakers are Mr Tom Craig (a Scottish artist who lived in PNG for 20 years where he was the first Director of the National Art School and involved in a range of cultural initiatives around the time of independence in 1975. He will be talking on the theme of ‘Origins of Contemporary art in Papua New Guinea’) and Dr Andrew Moutu, University of Adelaide (a Papua New Guinean anthropologist and one time curator at the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery, who will discuss the wider contexts in which contemporary art is inspired and produced in Papua New Guinea).

To hear these fascinating speakers, please come to the Gateway Galleries, North Haugh, St Andrews and meet beside the exhibition by 4.30pm.   The exhibition will be on show in St Andrews from Sat 3 July till Sat 14 August.  Opening hours for the Gateway Galleries are Mon-Fri 9-5.30 and Sat 10-5;  admission is free.

Double Visions exhibition in Kirkcaldy, photo Chris Park

- Until 27 July 2010, Dalgety Bay Library
- 27 July – 20 Sept 2010, Cowdenbeath Library
- 20 Sept – 9 Nov 2010, Duloch Library, Dunfermline
- 9 Nov 2010 – 5 Jan 2011, Inverkeithing Library
- 5 Jan – 7 Mar 2011, Dunfermline Carnegie Library
- 7 Mar – 3 May 2011, Rosyth Library
- 3 May – 27 June 2011, Lochgelly Library

The pics here shows the display layout of work by Alix Swan, Phiona Richards, and Rachel Hazell just before the Craft Pod had its perspex top bunged on – more in situ ones to follow.   There’s a short digiframe slideshow in the Info Pod which gives background details about the kind of work the 3 artists do, and also samples from Alix and Phiona in the 2 pull out drawers.  An extra from Rachel is a takeaway sheet (available from the Info Pod) which takes you through the steps to make yourself a book.  Rachel believes everyone has a book in them – so here’s your chance!

Layout of work by Alix Swan, Phiona Richards, Rachel Hazell in Craft Pod

If you’re able to pay it a visit, you can do so between 10-5 on Saturday and 2-5 on Sunday. A smaller version of the show will then move to the University of St Andrews Gateway Galleries (North Haugh, St Andrews), opening 3 July. But it will be an abbreviated version due to the size of venue. There will only be room for one or two of these beautiful recycled metal sculptures by Tom Deko (2 of the ones pictured here are 6 feet high!). So if you want to see the full thing, it’s tomorrow or Sunday! (Photo by Chris Park)

Recycled metal sculptures by Tom Deko; photo Chris Park