The Argyll and Bute Residencies

EILEEN RAE looks at the Argyll & Bute residencies based in the artistic retreat at Cove Park.

FOUNDED IN 1999 by Eileen and Peter Jacobs, Cove Park is an international centre dedicated to artistic excellence and the professional development of individuals and groups working within the arts and creative industries.

Cove Park is located on a breathtaking 50-acre site overlooking Loch Long on the Rosneath peninsula. Through its annual programme of residencies and events, Cove Park supports individuals at any stage of their careers in a multidisciplinary environment.
 
Accommodation at Cove features two of the original four Pods commissioned by the BBC for its ‘Castaway 2000’ programme, refurbished and redesigned internally, with turf on the roof as insulation, which also helps them to blend into the landscape of the park.

There are also the “Cubes” – these are converted freight containers joined together to produce individual units of accommodation. In 2006, the Scottish Arts Council agreed funding for six new “Cubes” on site.

Since its launch in 2000, Cove Park’s annual residency programme has brought over 500 national and international artists to the region to work on residencies from one week to three months.
 
Many of the projects initiated at Cove Park have subsequently appeared in leading national and international art galleries, theatres and publications.

In 2006, Cove Park commissioned Simon Starling to produce a major new work specifically for the site, responding to the unique context and environment of the Rosneath peninsula.

From a pilot project in 2004 between Argyll and Bute Council and Cove Park, The Argyll and Bute Residency programme was devised in order to offer four awards annually to artists living and working in Argyll and Bute, or from the region, or artists with a project which has a strong connection with the region.

This year a Call for Applications went out for submissions to be returned by the end of May, and the residencies are scheduled for two weeks in September.

A Steering Committee for the project was initiated in 2005 with Cove Park’s Director Alexia Holt; Argyll and Bute’s Arts Development Officer, Eileen Rae; leading Argyll artist Jane Kelly; and Gordon MacLean (Director) and Lee Hendrick (Visual Arts and Crafts Officer), both from An Tobar, Mull. They are responsible for the final selection.

Each artist is provided with accommodation on site, dedicated studio or work space and a budget for materials. The aim is to provide artists with the time and support to concentrate on new projects within the context of a cross art form programme. This year, three of the artists are Argyll and Bute based from the disciplines of music, writing and craft and they will be joined by a visual artist from Germany.

© Eileen Rae, 2006