Own Art, a new national scheme from the Scottish Arts Council, offering interest free loans of up to £2,000 to buy contemporary visual art and craft, has been launched in nine galleries across Scotland.

The initiative will be rolled out over the coming year as more galleries join the national scheme, which aims to foster a nation of collectors and help develop the visual arts and crafts economy in Scotland.

The Scottish Arts Council announced that the first galleries participating in Own Art are: Dundee Contemporary Arts, the Ingleby Gallery and Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Printmakers, Glasgow Print Studio and Roger Billcliffe Gallery in Glasgow, Peacock Visual Arts in Aberdeen, the Castle Gallery in Inverness, and the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff. 

The selected galleries have also been piloting the initiative in Scotland prior to the launch.
 
Own Art’s interest free loans of £100 to £2,000 are repaid in installments over a 10 month period and will now make it more affordable for people in Scotland to buy high quality, original contemporary crafts.  By encouraging sales Own Art aims to encourage new buyers and patrons of contemporary craft and develop the crafts economy through increasing sales, which will benefit both galleries and makers.

Own Art is a UK initiative, first set up by Arts Council England.  The Scottish Arts Council is working in partnership with ACE to develop the scheme.  With all participating galleries displaying the Own Art logo, it is hoped that more people visiting art galleries while travelling in different parts of the UK will be able to recognise and utilise the scheme.