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Sunday deadline to apply for Reed T. Cooper bursary

September 29, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

There are just three days left to apply for the Reed T. Cooper Bursary, administered by the Dufferin Arts Council (DAC). Applications must be submitted or post-marked by midnight, this Sunday, September 30.

The  bursary has been created for established visual artists of any medium as a boost to  the development of their career by further studies, setting up an exhibition of their work, research, travel, taking advantage of a professional development opportunity. Whatever the proposal, the terms of the bursary are that it is awarded as a furthering of development in the artist’s knowledge or a completed project.

Applicants must be members of DAC, which is easy to process on the DAC website.

Any medium in the visual arts is acceptable: painting, printmaking, sculpture, fibre arts, glass, wood, photography, but not restricted necessarily to these.

This little-known chance for a financial lift to a project, study or other forward movement in an established artist’s life is the legacy of Reed T. Cooper, who lived the last years of his life in the Dufferin area where he was very involved with the arts.

Already a well-known artist, Mr. Cooper, born in Bermuda, garnered accolades for his painting by the Royal Watercolour Society, even as a young man.

Once in University, he re-awakened his passion for art and continued painting, as a second career to his work as a civil servant for the Ontario Government. From the 1960’s through to the 1990’s, his continued successes saw his work mounted as two solo shows at Toronto’s Pollock Gallery and at other venues across Canada.

His watercolours and drawings were chosen for exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada which bought one of his works.

He worked to perfect his printmaking techniques and became very interested in serigraphy. During those years, he was invited to join several societies, including the Ontario Society of Artists.

Once he retired to Mulmur, there were solo exhibitions of his works in many venues here and in Toronto. He participated in the Headwaters Arts Festival, studios tours and shows with other artists.

In 2005, Mr. Cooper showed his work from the 1960’s at the Dufferin Museum and Archives, a collection of acrylic paintings and linoblock prints.

After his death in 2006, together with the DAC, his wife, Jane, “initiated the Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts.”

With a value of up to $3,000, the conditions are straightforward and easily accessible  on the DAC’s website.

In a conversation with Pat Burns-Wendland, DAC Chair of Artist Support, she was emphatic that she would be ready assist any qualifying artist to deal with the pressure of the deadline for application to this Bursary.

She encouraged potential applicants to email her for any assistance they might need.

“All the information is on the website,” she said. “Even my telephone number – they can call me if they want.”  Go to www.dufferinartscouncil.com


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