VARC

(VISUAL ARTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES)

 

We are delighted to be host to the VARC (Visual Art In Rural Communities) yearly artist’s residency programme, now in its successful 5th year. Every year local schoolchildren, adult community groups as well as first year art students from Newcastle University come and stay at Highgreen and work with the resident artist.

 

VARC is a privately financed community arts based project with charitable status established by stained glass artist Leo Amery in 1999. VARC provides accommodation and a studio for an artist at Highgreen. Artists spend a year developing links with the local community through arts projects as well as developing their own work. Artists to date include Sonja Stringer, Karen Rann, Thomas Donaldson and Nigel Morgan.

 

VARC's aims are twofold. Primarily, it seeks to broaden the exposure to contemporary art for those living in rural communities. As many artists are self-financing, they tend to work in urban areas where they are able to supplement their income. Residents of isolated local communities rarely get to meet artists, let alone work with them in their own community. By providing a community artist to local schools and universities VARC hopes to increase awareness of contemporary art.

pastel by Sonja Stringer

In introducing a community artist VARC enables the artist to experience a way of life that would not normally be available to them. During the year-long residency the artist is able to gain an insight into the workings of a rural community and will be able to communicate this to others via their art. The artist’s end of year exhibition is held at Highgreen and tours to Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham.

 

VARC has also sponsored other arts projects at Highgreen directly involving the local community. ‘Gathering’, with photographer Kate Bellis and sculptor Sally Matthews, documented the lives of local farmers over the period 2005-2006 and resulted in exhibitions locally and in a London Gallery. ‘Spirit of Tarset’ in 2007 brought together local musicians with resident artist Gavin Thorogood and composers Luke Daniels and James Wyness resulting in work that expressed their experience of the people, traditions and spectacular landscape of Tarset.

For more information on VARC please contact:
Janet Ross
Tel/Fax 0191 266 6857
email jross@tinyworld.co.uk
www.varc.org.uk