A Black Isle artist is one of only three people selected to attend the annual residency of an internationally renowned centre for the arts.
Lecturer Rosie Newman teaches at Inverness College UHI’s supported education department.
The artist from Cromarty is set to travel to Art Point Gumno in Macedonia this month. She will spend four weeks creating new work inspired by the natural world and the local people.
Ms Newman hopes the experience will motivate her to develop new content for a range of courses, including expressive arts classes with Community Link and the Pathways 3 course which guides students through the John Muir Award.
She said: “For me, participating in the expressive arts is hugely beneficial to your mental wellbeing, and for students it can help build confidence as well as interpersonal and communication skills.
“I also believe that exploring the arts in nature helps people connect with the environment and encourages them to understand it better and play a more active and supportive role in its stewardship.
“The John Muir Award guides participants to do exactly this, so I’m really excited to bring new ideas and experiences back to my students from my residency at Art Point Gumno.”
As well as new teaching content, Ms Newman is also ambitious to pursue research and scholarship opportunities stimulated by her experience and hopes her participation in the residency will lead to a longer term partnership with the centre.
The International Centre for Art and Sustainable Development, Art Point Gumno, was established in 2004. Its activities focus on art and culture, local development, biodiversity and nature conservation.
