Fine Art alum Anna Clough awarded prestigious Rebecca Scott Rome Residency

Anna, who studied Fine Art at Manchester School of Art, was awarded the prestigious Rebecca Scott Rome Residency for Artists Based in North West England. Having been awarded the three-month residency following an interview in front of the BSR panel and submitting a project proposal, Anna is now currently studying at the British School in Rome, an acclaimed interdisciplinary research centre that has been connecting creatives and academic researchers from the United Kingdom to the cultural heart of Rome and Italy for over 125 years.

On being awarded the residency, Anna Clough said: “I was in my studio space at Paradise Works, in Salford, when I found out. I remember running into a fellow studio member’s space, completely over the moon. I was so happy and remember sharing the news with them and not being able to stop grinning. So far the residency has been great. I’ve loved being able to walk around Rome and see firsthand all of its layers of history spiralling around each other, meeting other members of the BSR and learning about their research”.

The residency allows artists to focus fully on their creative practice, allowing them to live and work for free within the BSR’s vibrant international research community, against the historic backdrop of Rome. Anna explained that this freedom to put all her attention on her art has had a huge impact on developing her practice: “To be able to focus on artwork every day has been such a privilege. I’ve enjoyed having the time to reflect, read and draw alongside making. Having no pressure of a final outcome has been freeing to fail, re-image and learn, pushing my practice in new ways”.

Anna graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Manchester School of Art in 2022. She explained how some of the processes she learned during her time at the School have informed her approach during her residency: “During the course, I made use of the different workshops on offer, gaining practical making skills. I really valued the feedback we were given within 1-1 tutorials and group crits. Hearing differing perspectives on the work aided me in reflecting and rethinking ideas. I am still in touch with a few members from my year, although we all live across the UK, we make time to call to critically discuss our practices, which I have valued at the British School at Rome”.

Now half way through the residency, Anna has been working mainly on sculptural projects and explained how this experience has inspired her to continue to develop her sculptural practice: “I’ve been gathering a lot of materials from down by the river with the aim of siting the final works around Rome. We have an open studio event on the 4th and 5th of March, where the work will be shown to the public which I’m really looking forward to. After the residency is over I’d love to continue to make sculptures and work with communities of people in the outdoors. I’d also love to further my practice by studying a Master’s degree in Sculpture”. 

Find out more about the Rebecca Scott Rome Residency

Study Fine Art at Manchester School of Art