2016 Awardee: Emily Martin
"Without the Dewar Arts Award I wouldn’t have been able to begin studying my MFA in Textiles this year, thus not having access to the necessary space and equipment to develop my skills and ideas. I will always be grateful for this support."
Biography
Emily Martin was born and raised in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. From there she moved to Edinburgh to commence her undergraduate studies at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Proving herself to be an exceptional student, Emily graduated in 2013 with a First Class Honours Degree in Textiles. She received the John L Paterson Award for Best Graduating Degree Show, as well as the Worshipful Company of Dyers Prize.
After graduating, Emily stayed in Edinburgh. She worked for Walker Slater, a local tweed clothing retailer, and for Artlink, an arts and disability organisation. This provided much inspiration and learning for her developing practice.
Emily is a screen-printer at heart, who considers the environmental impact of the process. In 2016 she was accepted onto a two-year MFA course at ECA, enabling her to fully explore the possibilities of natural dyes in textile printmaking. Her aim is to develop these into sustainable contemporary clothing that will appeal to a wider audience, and also incorporating hand embroidery. This is Emily’s hand craft of choice and she is passionate about keeping the skill alive and relevant today.
How the Award Helped
Emily received an Award to support her MFA studies at the Edinburgh College of Art.
"Without the Dewar Arts Award I wouldn’t have been able to begin studying my MFA in Textiles this year, thus not having access to the necessary space and equipment to develop my skills and ideas. I will always be grateful for this support."