Jennifer McNamara, a recent graduate in BA Glass and Ceramics, was awarded £1,000 from the Mike Davies Innovation Scholarship to help her create a new body of work to continue her artistic practice after graduation.
Jennifer, whose sculptural work explores the subject of flowing and melting, went to AlmadiART in rural Hungary to complete her first artist’s residency.
AlmadiART is a silicate art centre located in Balatonalmádi, just outside of Budapest. The mission of the centre is to provide a place for professional ceramic, porcelain, glass and concrete artists to create new work. The studio has great facilities, kilns, studio space, technical support and an atmosphere that supports research, design and experimentation.
Artists, like Jennifer, undertake residencies to give them time and space to develop their practice and make new work to exhibit.
She explained: “The body of work that I am producing at the moment relates to fluidity. I am investigating the visual properties of bodies of still and moving liquids. I am mostly interested in the natural movements and patterns created by diffusion and dispersal. I am attracted to water because of the way it moves and catches the light.”
During her residency she spent most of her time in the studio experimenting and making work.
“On weekday mornings AlmadiART runs ceramics classes for children,” she said. “I helped out with these classes and we mainly focused on hand building.”
For Jennifer the scholarship was not just financially valuable, but also gave her access to a great experience that will aid her in future residency applications.
She concluded: “The Mike Davies Innovation Scholarship allowed me to go on my first artists’ residency abroad. It was amazing to be able to take on this professional opportunity and this experience will make me stand out when I am applying for future residencies.
“I have made connections with international artists, grown my professional network and taken steps towards establishing a career in the arts.
“Being selected for this residency program gave me a confidence boost and a chance to learn new skills. It was great to have the time and space to experiment with my work while immersing myself in a new culture.
"With sincere thanks to Mike Davies for his generosity.”