Julia Zinnbauer : Artist in Residence in Quarantine at MERZ
MERZ Artist in Residence Julia Zinnbauer arrived from Germany to face two week’s quarantine ahead of her residency programme. Julia has been fascinated by Scotland since childhood, and here practices on her chanter on the terrace outside the MERZ Bothy. On July 8th, with quarantine fulfilled Julia will meet the folk (at a social distance) that... Read More
Julia Zinnbauer : Phonebox Postcards
9th May was World Collage Day. At MERZ in Sanquhar we celebrated the arrival of 200 packages from collage artists around the world: the collages had been shown in Schwitters’ Army an exhibition organised by Ric Kasini Kadour while on residency in January and February. In May we celebrated the postal services that had enabled... Read More
MERZ Wallpaper Collective
The first ‘edition’ of the Collective’s wallpaper catalogue is now available to download and browse. We are still inviting artists to be involved and will be taking orders in due course. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1luB5dUz_WQnExsAbgqMa5Lt5ahmkdkuy/view?usp=sharing
Torquill Tower : P6 with Morane Le Coz
During her residency Morane Le Coz worked with the kids in P6 at Sanquhar Primary to illustrate a story set long-ago in a village near Sanquhar. Morane also translated the story into French and set the story in her old village. Copies of Torquill Tower are available to buy. Contact hello@merz.gallery for details.
SANQUHAR CULTURAL QUARTER
Artist in residence Morane Le Coz has produced some postcards of MERZ that form part of the MAP of the recently announced Sanquhar Cultural Quarter.
Calum Wallis & Rhona Jack
Calum Wallis and Rhona Jack have been the artists in residence at MERZ since March. With additional support from Creative Scotland they have been able to extend their two month stay into May while Covid-19 affected travel. Their exhibition of kinetic sculptures will be on display inside MERZ for the Sanquhar Arts Festival over the... Read More
MERZ responds to Covid-19 for 9th May ‘exhibition’
To celebrate WORLD COLLAGE DAY on 9th May MERZ had planned to exhibit the 200 or so envelopes and packages in which the Schwitters’ Army had forwarded their collages for the January exhibition. Instead of displaying in the gallery (where they will not be seen in compliance with Covid-19 guidelines) we’ve made a very short... Read More
Torquill Tower : Morane Le Coz & Sanquhar P6
French illustrator Morane Le Coz has been in residence at MERZ since January. Morane was here on a skill swop to explore video work and to contribute illustration skills. Working with P6 at Sanquhar Primary, Morane has been building illustrations from the kid’s drawings for a story of olden times set in the Nith Valley.... Read More
Rhona and Calum INSIDE : OUTSIDE
Drawings of the sculptures being made by Rhona Jack and Calum Wallis within MERZ are now appearing on the outside of the building: for those taking their daily exercise along Queen’s Road in Sanquhar. Drawings and films of the sculptures as they are being made also appear on the MERZ Facebook and Instagram pages.
Calum and Rhona : Making Sculpture via Social Media at MERZ
Calum and Rhona have started work on their sculptures at MERZ. Due to the restrictions arising with the Coronavirus they will be holding their exhibition ‘on-line’ via film at the end of April, rather than face-to-face with an opening. But Calum and Rhona make interactive work … so they would like you to contribute to... Read More
Coronavirus Impact on MERZ
For the foreseeable future the residency and exhibition programme at MERZ will be suspended. We hope to continue working via social media, with work arising with the current artists in residence and the kids in P6 at the local Primary school. Our short arts-news films are also published on the MERZ Facebook Page (and on... Read More
Rhona Jack & Calum Wallis : Sculpture at MERZ
Rhona Jack and Calum Wallis began work at MERZ last week. As the new artists in residence they’ve found the Coronavirus already impacting on their work by limiting local social contact. Yet their proposed mobile and kinetic sculptures still lend themselves to public input, if no longer as physically interactive as they’d like. Over the next... Read More
Schwitters’ Army on Parade
February 16th saw the initial ‘Parade’ of the Schwitters’ Army collection of 202 collages posted to MERZ from 24 countries. In a project coordinated by New Orleans’ based artist in residence Ric Kasini Kadour the ‘Parade’ forms part of the Residency Archive at MERZ, joining work by Ally Wallace and Cat Robertson. Further collaborations with... Read More
Pushkin : Collage at MERZ
Norfolk based collagist Pushkin visited artist in residence Ric Kasini Kadour during his residency at MERZ.
Queensberry Square : Imagined Creatures
As part of their design work for the new play structure at Queensberry Square, P6 of Sanquhar Primary have been drawing creatures for the towers’ panels. With the help of illustrator Morane LeCoz their drawings are being prepared for printing.
Imagine a girl; imagine a boy
Recently David and Morane helped Grace, Charli and Lucy of Kelloholm Primary put together their film on gender equality. The film is the school’s submission to the Scottish Government’s campaign to improve Gender Balance and Equalities. Morane LeCoz is an illustrator and filmmaker from France on a residency at MERZ. Morane is working on children’s... Read More
Collage Seminar
On the 25th January collage artists from Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway and Birmingham came together for the Collage Seminar. MERZ artist in residence Ric Kassini Kadour introduced his rationale for collage being a 21st century medium and Rhed Fawell of the Edinburgh Collage Collective ran a workshop on book-binding and collage. Through the magazine Kolaj... Read More
P6 & Tyler Black : Queensberry Square Playpark Design
Tyler Black’s final animation of Sanquhar Primary P6’s designs for the replacement play structure in Queensberry Square. Working with MERZ and the Kids Council P6 are taking forward Sanquhar’s young play-park ideas to Dumfries & Galloway Council and their contractors. MERZ and Kids Council are supported by the Holywood Trust.