Own Art, a new national scheme from the Scottish Arts Council, offering interest free loans of up to £2,000 to buy contemporary visual art and craft was launched last night (Wednesday 23 November 2004) in nine galleries across Scotland.

The initiative will be rolled out over the coming year as more galleries join the national scheme, which aims to foster a nation of art collectors and help develop the visual arts economy in Scotland.

The Scottish Arts Council announced that the first galleries participating in Own Art are: Dundee Contemporary Arts, the Ingleby Gallery and Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Printmakers, Glasgow Print Studio and Roger Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow, Peacock Visual Arts in Aberdeen, the Castle Gallery in Inverness, and the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff. 

The selected galleries, which have original works on sale by leading Scottish artists including Ian Hamilton Finlay, Elizabeth Blackadder, Peter Lynch and Moyna Flannigan, have also been piloting the initiative in Scotland prior to the launch. 

Own Art’s interest free loans of £100 to £2,000 are repaid in instalments over a 10 month period and will now make it more affordable for people in Scotland to buy high quality, original contemporary art.  By encouraging sales in a wide range of visual art and craft including painting, sculpture, photography and ceramics, Own Art aims to encourage new buyers and patrons of contemporary art and develop the visual arts economy through increasing sales, which will benefit both galleries and artists.

The scheme will also increase access to contemporary visual arts and craft by promoting galleries and artists while encouraging galleries to represent the breadth of creative practice including work by artists working in video, photography and CD as well as paint, print and sculpture and craft such as jewellery, textiles and ceramics.

Research from the Scottish Arts Council has shown a steady increase in the number of people attending art galleries throughout Scotland and both galleries and artists have indicated there is a real potential for growth in the market.

Graham Berry, Director of the Scottish Arts Council, says: ‘Buying and owning an original work of art can be a wonderful and enriching experience.  Own Art can bring about a real change in the way we engage with contemporary art, and art galleries, demonstrating that buying art can be easy, and not necessarily expensive at all.

‘Own Art is also about benefiting the artist.  More people buying original artwork will create more demand for work by Scottish artists and therefore help to increase the number of artists who can make a living from what they do, rather than having to supplement their income through other means.’

David Watt, Director of Edinburgh Printmakers, adds: ‘The scheme has helped Edinburgh Printmakers to reach new customers - in many cases first time buyers of quality, contemporary art. In doing so, these new art customers are developing a taste or habit for collecting works by innovative artists.

’The ability to use this scheme time and time again will encourage these new art clients to be bolder and more ambitious in range, scale and value of their purchases. The Scottish Arts Council should be praised for supporting this fantastic initiative.’

Own Art is a UK initiative, first set up by Arts Council England.  The Scottish Arts Council is working in partnership with ACE to develop the scheme.  With all participating galleries displaying the Own Art logo, it is hoped that more people visiting art galleries while travelling in different parts of the UK will be able to recognise and utilise the scheme.