The Glasgow School of Art announce ‘Flourish: Portrait of a Provost’
a specially commissioned film by The Glasgow School of Art created by GSA
graduate and BAFTA award winning film maker Callum Rice.
View the full film HERE
The Glasgow School of Art was approached by the Office of the Lord
Provost of Glasgow in June 2022 to commission a portrait of former Lord Provost
Cllr Phillip Braat. Under the direction
of our Creative Network Manager, Sam De Santis, three portraiture specialists
were considered, with Calum Stevenson, Sky Portrait Artist of the year 2021 and
GSA MLitt Fine Art Practice graduate, ultimately chosen to produce this
prestigious commission.
Award-winning filmmaker and GSA Communication Design graduate Callum
Rice was brought in to create a film documenting the portrait’s development and
process. Rice, who won a BAFTA
Scotland award in 2015 for his short film ‘Mining Poems or Odes’, followed the
project closely for 15 months, capturing exclusive interviews and behind the
scenes footage. The resulting film, ‘Flourish, Portrait of a Provost’, provides
exclusive insights into Calum Stevenson’s artistic process, and a moving
contribution from Lord Provost Cllr Phillip Braat regarding his time supporting
the people of the city during the pandemic.
The commissioning of a portrait of the outgoing Provost is a
long-standing tradition, providing Glasgow with a unique record of its civic
life which extends back 400 years, and the collection contains previous
portraits by significant GSA alumni Alister Gray (1978) and Peter Howson
(1999). This collaboration however marks
the first time in the city’s history that a portrait commission has been
secured in direct partnership with The Glasgow School of Art.
“This documentary by Callum Rice, and the creation of the portrait
of former Lord Provost Cllr Braat by Calum Stevenson that it documents, is
something everyone here at The Glasgow School of Art is immensely proud of” says Professor Penny Macbeth, Director of the Glasgow School of
Art.
“We are honoured to have contributed to the civic history of
Glasgow through this first of its kind collaboration. This project is just one of the many examples
where The Glasgow School of Art has used our Creative Network to facilitate
projects and create opportunities for our students, graduates and partners
across the city”.
“It
has been a real pleasure to produce Flourish: Portrait of a Provost’.
The City of Glasgow, telling individuals stories as been at the heart of my
work and I hope this film captures the journeys of both Cllr Philip Braat and
Callum Stevenson” Callum Rice, BAFTA Award-winning Film Maker
Councillor Phillip Braat
said “Working with Calum Stevenson on his wonderful portrait was a fascinating
and rewarding experience. I’m
really delighted that people are going to have the chance to see some of that
process – and to be able to revisit it myself.
“Just as the portrait expertly captures my time in office, during the
pandemic, Callum Rice’s
film captures something unique about how Calum was able to do that. For me, it
adds its own value to Glasgow’s
civic collection and our traditions and social history.”
For more
information please contact Alan Miller – al.miller@gsa.ac.uk
Notes For
Editors
Callum
Rice
Callum Rice is a BAFTA award winning filmmaker. Since
graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 2013, Callum has directed and
produced a number of short films that intimately explore and depict social and
personal histories across the UK. He has
exhibited work globally, including The Sundance Film Festival, The British Film
Institute Southbank and Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival.
Calum
Stevenson
Calum Stevenson graduated with a BA(Hons) in Fine Arts
from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2019 and went on to
graduate from The Glasgow School of Art with a MLitt Fine Art Practice in
2020. In 2021, Stevenson became the
youngest and first ever Scottish artist to win Sky Portrait Artist of the Year,
a national televised competition. As a result, he was commissioned by the
Scottish National Portrait Gallery to paint violinist Nicola Benedetti, a work
that is now part of the Scottish National Collection.
Subsequent exhibitions include his portrait of Dame
Jude Dench at the National Portrait Gallery, London and as part of the
prestigious annual show at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. Calum’s work has also been added to many
other public and private collections including the Oval Cricket Ground in
London and now, the City Chambers in Glasgow.
Cllr
Phillip Braat
Philip Braat was the Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant
of Glasgow from Feb 2020 – May 2022 and is the elected member for the
Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward.
He was first elected to represent the ward in 2007.
During his tenure in office, Philip has held a variety of high-profile roles
within the Council. During the last Administration, he held the post of City
Treasurer of Glasgow City Council and Convener of Strathclyde Pension Fund,
with ultimate political responsibility for all matters financial. Between May 2017 and January 2019, he served
as the Depute Lord Provost of Glasgow.
Until the unification of the Single Police Service of
Scotland on 1 April 2013, he was the Convener of Strathclyde Police Authority,
the then largest Force in Scotland prior to 1 April. In 2018, Philip was appointed Honorary
Officer in the Royal Navy Reserves and has the rank of Captain.
Over the years, Philip has had many responsibilities
within Glasgow City Council and has been a member of several committees and
boards. He was Chair of the Anderston/City Area Committee, the Central &
West Local Planning Partnership Board (LCPP) and the Central & West Local
Housing Forum. Philip has been a member of various Council Committees, such as
Development & Regeneration Services, Land & Environmental Services,
Education and Social Work Services, as well as the Finance & Audit and the
External Governance Scrutiny Committees.
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA):
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of
Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and
research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist,
practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a
shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the
world.
Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of
Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the
Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an
international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture,
design, digital, fine art and innovation in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre
(in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering
non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.