Constitution reappraised - 1910
Constitution rewritten - 2005 - The future begins HERE!!!
Recently there have been some remarkable developments at the RSA. Indeed this year marks the most important and revolutionary transformation in the Academy's history! For the first time since its foundation in 1826, amendments in a Supplementary Charter signify major changes to the Academy's Constitution and Membership body. Renamed 'The Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture', the new Charter is more encompassing in many ways, enabling the RSA to embrace artists working in all disciplines, including installation, performance and photography.
This years' RSA Annual Exhibition 'Festival Connections' marks this exciting new era! As part of the Edinburgh Art Festival, Festival Connections in the RSA Upper Galleries offers a strong contemporary visual statement in the city centre at Festival time.
It is a spectacular exhibition with Academicians encompassing the broad cross-section of ages and styles. Likewise the invited artists embody the new areas of change within the Academy. The RSA is very pleased to be able to include the work of these artists in the exhibition
The new charter is more embracing in many ways. Invited artists living and working outside Scotland are now welcomed into the Academy’s fold. This year these artists include Annie Cattrell, Kate Whiteford and Ainslie Yule who all live in London. Annie Cattrell has spent many years translating abstract scientific visualisations of the brains functions into beautiful, tangible sculptures. The RSA is excited to be showing 'Sense' which is her series of fascinating three-dimensional renderings of the five senses encapsulated with gold leaf in clear resin blocks! This comes to us from the collection of the Wellcome Trust, London.
The limitations between disciplines of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking have relaxed making provision for new media, installation, performance or photography. The committee invited Paul Carter, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion and Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen to represent a multi disciplinary approach to practice. In Architecture an invitation was extended to Kathryn Findlay. We are very pleased to be able to include the work of these artists in the exhibition.
Also, we are always especially delighted when it is possible for any of our Honorary Members to participate and, notable this year, we welcome Ian Hamilton Finlay to the Academy, recently unanimously elected by the Members. He will be exhibiting work alongside other Members of the RSA such as Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Calum Colvin, Michael Visocchi, Alison Watt, John Byrne, Malcolm Fraser, John Bellany HRSA and Exhibition Conveners, Will Maclean and Jake Harvey (to name but a few)!
Colin Greenslade, Exhibitions Coordinator for the RSA says “This exhibition really is a very different move for the RSA. There has never been such an exciting time in the RSA’s history. Not only is the RSA changing and developing to encompass and represent a greater and more diverse range of artists, we are involved in initiatives to develop artist’s careers and enable the public to have access to high-quality contemporary art – both within the gallery itself and for purchase for the home/office. We are delighted that such prominent artists have seized the invitation to exhibit with aplomb. These artists alongside the country’s most eminent Academicians, really is the way forward and this exhibition is concrete proof. Beautiful new works by some of Scotland’s premier artists are on show and they really are show-stoppers! The RSA is also delighted to be part of the Scottish Arts Council's Own Art Scheme, which offers a loan facility to assist with the purchase of art for the home.”
One of our main missions is to foster new art and to support young artists at different stages of their careers. In this regard we have an impressiv
Web Link: http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/exhibition_frame.asp?id=87
