For most of June we have been waiting eagerly to open applications for the first round of Artful Ways commissions and this week we’re delighted to announce the four recipients.

The selection panel had a tough job! We received a lot of excellent applications, with superb ideas and a wide variety of artistic media. We were quite blown away by the quality of the applications – evidence of the rich pool of talent that exists across Cumbria.

We worked through a very high quality shortlist of candidates before we settled on the final four. And it’s very exciting to be able to reveal who they are today. Next week we’ll share a bit more about each artist and their plan. For now, congratulations to:

Anne Wagott Knott – mixed media   

Lorna Singleton – oak swill maker    

Rachel Capovila – film maker  

Rosie Galloway Smith – textile artist  

Thank you so much to everybody who applied. We know how much time and effort goes in to submitting an application – and we hope that the ideas that you’ve dreamt up will remain as kindling for your creative fire and feed into your own artful ways.