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RGI 2007 Annual Exhibition

 

The RGI’s 2007 show attracted approximately 950 entries from contemporary artists based all over Scotland, and south of the border – an increase of 15% over 2006. Work selected for display ranges from paintings by self-taught artists such as Glasgow streetsweeper Allan Richardson to distinguished alumni of Scotland’s leading art colleges, aged from their early 20s to mid 80s.

 

RGI President Gordon Macpherson said:
“The standard of work this year has been exceptional, making it very tricky for our selectors to choose just one winner per category. We are delighted with the surge in numbers of entries for the 2007 show, and congratulate our worthy winners for their superb contributions to another outstanding exhibition. The RGI would like to extend an open invitation, and a very warm welcome, to everyone interested in the arts to drop by The Mitchell in Glasgow for a visual feast of a show featuring contemporary Scottish artists, where all works are for sale.”

 

Last year, over 8,000 visitors attended the show. The 2007 exhibition will run from Friday, 12 October until Sunday, 4 November with entry priced at £2, or £1 for concessions. Stunning original works range in price from £200 to last year’s record-breaking £15,000.

 

 

New Press Officer

 

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela Bailey of PR CONTINUUM as our Press Relations officer for this year's Annual Exhibition - an important step towards raising the profile of the RGI throughout Scotland.

 

The primary role of the RGI is - as it has been for the last 145 years! - to provide a showcase for contemporary artists - new as well as established names. Since 2000 when the Annual Exhibition ceased to be held at the renowned Maclellan Galleries and subsequent venues being available only on a temporary basis, there has been a perceptible slide in the numbers of artists submitting work and members of the public visiting the Exhibitions. This is the third of a five year lease of The Mitchell, courtesy of Glasgow City Council, and with Pamela's support we have already seen a fifteen per cent increase in the artworks submitted. With this year's vibrant Exhibition now selected - only around a third of the entries submitted can be mounted - we look forward to an enthusiastic public response!

 

Two new awards are being offered at this year's Annual Exhibition.

 

The Inverarity One to One Travel Award -
a cash prize of £2,000 and a commission to produce work for an Inverarity Vaults wine label.
In association with the champagne house Louis Roederer there will be a week spent at their chateau with a further week in the champagne region. The work will be purchased for the Inverarity Vaults Collection. The winner will also have a solo exhibition in The RGI Kelly Gallery. The project is supported by an Arts & Business Scottish Executive New Arts Sponsorship Award.

 

City Sites Estate Award -
£1,000 - a completely open award : all works are eligible.

For a full list of the awards see our schedule.
The awards will be presented to the artists at the Varnishing Dinner on 4 October.

 

 

The Jolomo Lloyds TSB Scotland Awards

 

2007 Awards Presentation Dinner, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, 21 June 2007

 

Many congratulations to Anna King from the Borders who was presented with a cheque for £20,000 - the top prize of the inaugural Jolomo Lloyds TSB Scotland Awards. Three other lady artists, Helen Glassford, Rebecca Firth and Ingrid Fraser also won prizes.The annual prize was established by John Lowrie Morrison who was born and brought up in Glasgow, a graduate of The Glasgow School of Art, to encourage Scottish Landscape painting through his Jolomo Foundation. He lives and works in Argyll. The RGI again congratulates him for this generous and inspiring award and for the successful completion of its first year.

 

 

New RGIs

 

At a meeting specially convened by the Convenor Simon Laurie on Monday 21st May the following Artists were elected to the award of RGI:

 

James McNaught RSW
Anthony Scullion

 

AGM

 

The Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday the 25th April 2007.

 

 

RGIs Exhibition

 

The Crinan Hotel, Argyll

 

Local Artists stole the day at the Crinan Hotel at the opening of the current exhibition on 11 March. Twelve paintings were sold for a total of £12,000, including works by Frances Macdonald, Gillian Goodheir and Jennifer Irvine. The weekend of 10/11 March was celebrated by members of the RGI, friends and local residents, with a memorable evening at Lunga House, wining and dining as befits its tradition of hospitality! – and culminating in a lively ceilidh in the ballroom to the music of Fraser McGlynn, with solo performances from Katie Targett-Adams on clarsach, songs from Julia Ryan Spencer, and a thoroughly humorous "Five minutes saying a little something" with Dick Wolfson.

 

This is the second fund-raising event organised by the Crinan Hotel's Frances Macdonald and Nick Ryan in association with Council members of the RGI. Proceeds from the tickets which included £100 donation for the event, from the sale of the paintings and from the auction all go to the society's funds. Our thanks to the sponsors of the many elements of the weekend. It is the second event to be held outside Glasgow and it is hoped that it may blaze a trail for the future.

 

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