Dumfries House
Artists’ residencies at Dumfries House are open to alumni and faculty of the Royal Drawing School, Scottish Artists and to applicants through our partner organisations, for whom drawing is part of their practice.
The residencies are delivered by the Royal Drawing School, Glasgow School of Art and Dumfries House in conjunction with the Royal Drawing School's international partners.
Funded residencies are available throughout the year and provide a private studio and self-catering accommodation on the Dumfries House estate for up to four artists at any one time.
This is a unique opportunity for painters, textile and furniture designers, illustrators, practice-based researchers and applied artists who use drawing in their practice. The emphasis is on working from observation and the development of new work.
The Royal Drawing School has recently opened a new printmaking studio at Dumfries House. The new studio offers etching facilities for artists in residence. Please note the printmaking residencies are only open to artists proficient in printmaking.
Applications are now open for Dumfries House artist residences taking place between February – June. Applications are open to both Royal Drawing School alumni and Scottish Artists. Application deadline 5pm Friday 15th November 2024.
To find out more about applying as an alumni of the Royal Drawing School, click here
If you have any questions regarding the residency or your application, please contact residencies@royaldrawingschool.org
To find out more about applying as a Scottish Artist, click here.
The Dumfries House US residencies are only open to artists nominated by partner art schools in the United States.
The Dumfries House residency is kindly support by Thomas and Jeannie Rutherfoord and The King's Foundation.
Dumfries House is set in 2,000 acres of land in East Ayrshire, Scotland and was built between 1754 and 1759 for the 5th Earl of Dumfries. It has been described as an 18th century time-capsule due to the fact that the principal rooms and their contents have remained virtually unchanged for 250 years.
Artists in residence have access to a significant collection of 18th century Chippendale furniture, tapestries, textiles and a large collection of Flemish and Scottish paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries, on loan from the National Gallery of Scotland. Artists can work in the house during opening hours and can arrange to meet the Collections Manager for more information about the house and its collection.
The Dumfries House estate is also home to several sustainability and education projects such as the traditional building skills, animal husbandry, cookery school, textiles centre, and horticultural programmes.
Artists in residence have the freedom to roam, enjoy and draw inspiration from the entire estate and gardens.
For more information about the house and estate visit www.dumfries-house.org.uk
The residency studios are housed in a traditional stone building that was once a laundry and is situated in a secluded area surrounded by farmland and mature trees in a secluded area on the Dumfries House estate, close to the main house. In 2012, thanks to a generous donation from Dimplex, the laundry was carefully renovated to create four naturally lit and spacious studios. The river, walled garden, woods, main house and café are all within short walking distance.
All of the studios benefit from good natural light and views of the surrounding woods and farmland. They also have professional daylight lights, ground source heating and a kitchen unit. There are shared toilets on each floor.
The studios are suitable for most types of work, although wall space is limited so it may not be suitable for working with very large pieces. Two of the studios are situated on the ground floor and two on the first floor; the ground floor studios have doors leading directly outside so for this reason may be more suitable for sculptors. There is 24 hour access to the studios.
Each studio measures 5 metres x 5 metres.
The accommodation provides a private bedroom and a shared kitchen and bathroom
