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A grant from The Edwin Easydorchik Travelling Scholarship at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland had a profound effect on a recent recipient, Sophie Gwynn. The visual artist from Hebburn, South Tyneside, used the bursary to travel to Japan for four weeks to further her practice as an artist by answering the question: is home timeless?
Reflecting on her experience, Sophie said of the bursary:
“Thank you is not enough. I don’t really know how much this trip has changed my life or at the very least I’m far from being able to communicate it but I do know it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Thank you for facilitating my new horizon.”
Jo Cundall, Senior Advisor, Culture said:
“The fund was founded by Edwin Easydorchik, a respected artist in his own right, whose own work was influenced by a research trip to Italy in the 1970’s that was funded by the Sir James Knott Trust. Sophie is another fantastic example of a young visual artist who has followed in Edwin’s footsteps and been afforded the opportunity travel with freedom to explore, learn and develop her practice.”
The Edwin Easydorchik Travelling Scholarship Fund makes annual bursaries to exceptional young artists under 30 years old who can demonstrate a connection to the North East. The bursary of £4,000 allows the recipients to undertake travel outside the UK to help enhance their practice and inspire their work.
The three recipients this year are using their bursaries to:
- Travel to Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal to produce work relating to working-class communities across Europe.
- Travel to Mexico, to photograph the streets of Merida and Valladolid to question how homeless people relate to urban spaces.
- Travel on foot from France to Italy visiting a collection of sculptures en route.
The fund will open again for applications in May.