June 2023 – June 2026
Artist Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom is announced as the inaugural resident of the Donna Lynas Residency - a pioneering opportunity for an artist at a key moment in their career in memory of the Curator who was widely known as a long term supporter of artist development. The residency celebrates Donna's legacy but it also comes at a critical moment in terms of conversations around artist pay, and the sustainability of artists’ careers, long-term.
The residency is supported by four cultural organisations over three years and is a partnership between Wysing Arts Centre, South London Gallery, Modern Art Oxford and Somerset House Studios. The recipient will receive £16,000 a year for three years and the support of each partner - including mentoring, use of facilities and potential inclusion in public programmes, if the artist should wish.
Each institution involved had a relationship with Donna Lynas (1967-2021). Donna was Director of Wysing Arts Centre (2005-2021), and previously Curator at Modern Art Oxford (1995-1999) and Curator at South London Gallery (1999-2005). She was instrumental as a critical friend for Somerset House Studios, and Wysing and the Studios worked together many times, formally and informally, with artists moving between our organisations. In 2019, Donna invited the Studios to guest curate the influential annual music festival she founded, Wysing Polyphonic. Donna was widely known in the arts industry for supporting artists over long periods of time, and giving them opportunities when they needed it most.
