The Academicians
Like the Royal Academies, the South West Academy is a charity run by its artist members. Known by its acronym SWAc, the Academy was formed in Exeter in 2000 by a group of artists and devotees who wished to restore the lost balance between the fine and the applied arts. Led by its first President Alan Cotton, they established a constitution whose chief aims were to exhibit the works of its members and to promote the public’s appreciation of the fine and applied arts.
The Academy created an organizational structure consisting of a group of Trustees led by a Chair and an Executive Director. The various tasks of the Academy are assigned to individual Trustees to lead on such matters as finance, education, publicity and exhibition events.
Hon. Academicians
Honorary Academician is conferred on an artist of distinguished achievement associated with the South West region. This artist can either be an existing Academician or one outside the Academy whose artistic contribution is seen to coincide with the Academy’s values. Conferment entitles artists to the affix Hon. SWAc after their names.
The Academicians
An Academician is a practising artist who either by invitation or examined application becomes an elected member of the Academy. Full Academy Membership is not only conferred for recognized achievements in art as the criteria also include a maturity of understanding in the execution of the particular arts pursued, knowledge of the relevant arts traditions, and a perception of the artist’s own contribution in relation to the traditions. Academicians are entitled to the affix SWAc after their names.
Rod Ashman
Rebecca Barnard
Peter Blakesley
Maria Bowers
Isabel Coulton
Robert Dudley
Julie Dunster
Adrian Edwards
Caroline Flage
Simon Gray
John Hammond
Patrick Haughton
Steve Kenna
Nadezhda Lisak
Marcelle Milo-Grey
Cathryn Nettles
Clark Nicol
Lisa Parkyn
Jenny Pery
Chris Pitman
Andrew Sinclair
Lucie Sivier-Voller
Solly Solomon
Mellony Taper
Alison Whateley
Past Academicians
The Academy gratefully wishes to remember the names of former members. These were our friends who were active in the promotion of the Academy’s ideals. In their art they are with us still.
Lionel Aggett
Robert Clement
Mary Fedden
Judy Hempstead
Rose Hilton
Michael Morgan
Tracy Whitbread