Interviewing Gillian Askew: Artist and Chair of The Scott Award
Interview conducted by Maya Bewley
Gillian Askew is a third year English student, portrait artist and chair of The Scott Award - a group that aims to benefit the arts on campus. She talks to us about her experience being creative, where she finds inspiration, and how you can get involved with the arts when we return to university this autumn.
Gillian Askew
Hi Gillian! It’s lovely to catch up with you and hear your thoughts on promoting the arts while at uni. But I think it would be great if we could start by focusing on the kind of work you do. So, in your own words, what exactly is The Scott Award?
G: The Scott Award, at its roots, is a group of likeminded and creative people looking to explore and promote the arts within university life. We run a huge variety of events such as workshops, exhibitions, live lounges, and book clubs to help get as many people involved in as many branches of art as possible.
There’s been a lot of talk in the art world about a migration to the internet during COVID. Yet with the return to in-person teaching, what kind of arts events have you got planned for the autumn?
G: We’re really looking forward to getting back to a bit of a routine and starting up some workshops! With everything going back to normal it’s exciting to be planning and preparing all of this for when we get back and we’ll have some more concrete plans ready soon. Keep an eye out for us around campus!
Of course, and one of the best things about that is being able to meet people who also love art! Can you explain what kind of opportunities there are for students to get involved with the Scott award?
G: Currently, we’ve got a great committee of students helping to run the society which has been an amazing (and slightly challenging) experience so far. We’ve just closed our annual art exhibition (displayed on our website!) which we had a huge number of entries for, which was fantastic. As we get more into the swing of things, however, more regular involvement could come in the form of our weekly workshops, any special events/artist collaborations we are able to put on or live lounges.
I think a huge barrier to getting stuck in is finding the confidence to pursue something purely because you enjoy doing it. If you’re a student interested in art but not taking an arts-based subject, what’s the best way to get involved at uni?
G: I think if you’re even slightly interested in art then The Scott Award is a great place to explore that interest and try out new styles and ideas without pressure. It’s also a good way to build connections in the art world as you’ll be surrounded by people who are all there for the same reason and passion for art. If you have a specific type of art you like doing on your own then carrying that on at uni is so, so important!
What’s it like being an artist yourself and a student at the same time? Are you ever worried about doing too many things at once?
G: I love art and creating things, so for me there’s never been a real pressure to create something for the sake of it at uni, it’s something I do when I want to or feel like it. I think removing that pressure has allowed me to preserve the love I have for it! If I took an art-based degree it might’ve killed that spark. Having it as an additional thing at uni has been great and has helped me to take my mind off any other stress I have going on.
Drawing by Gillian Askew
So do you think art interacts with university study or is it more an escape from it?
G: I think it’s a bit of both! In it being an escape, I think art helps to promote a better work ethic with studying and helps to balance everything out. I think being interested in art and being a creative person also interacts with study in the sense that you can see things from another perspective and can think creatively about solving problems.
It’s hard to find a news article that hasn’t been exhausted by the topic of COVID over the past year. But of course, I have to finish by asking, - how do you see the way we interact with art changing because of the virus?
G: The obvious answer is that everything is online now! I think that will change the way we see things a lot as art is quite a personal thing, and that’s harder to convey across a screen as opposed to in person. I think the speed at which we want to view things online will take away a bit of that connection too as we’re all getting so used to having so much content available so quickly that we’ll be able to rush through viewing art without taking time to think about it properly. On a more positive note, however, I think that ease in availability is something that is fantastic as it allows people who may never have explored the arts to witness it without hassle. Covid will make seeing art in person all that more special as well as that’s something that many of us haven’t been able to do in a while!
You can follow Gillian’s art Instagram at: @gillian.askew.art
See the Scott Award on Instagram @thescottaward or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheScottAward, and view their summer exhibition ‘Metamorphosis’ at https://thescottaward.wordpress.com/.
