Scotland’s next generation of artists and designers have been given a creative space to thrive thanks to SWG3’s New Graduate Prize.
The Glasgow arts and music venue has welcomed three emerging artists and designers as recipients of the 2026/27 award, continuing a commitment to nurturing creative talent that has helped launch the careers of artists working across Scotland and internationally.
Painter and collage artist Juno Clarkson Firth, alongside graphic designers Yeliz Altin and Ines Boyle, will each receive a year of free workspace at SWG3, joining its established community of artists, designers and creative businesses.
Juno Clarkson Firth is a Glasgow-born painter and collage artist and Edinburgh College of Art graduate whose work explores narrative through expressive collage and textured oil paintings; Yeliz Altin, a Duncan of Jordanstone graduate specialising in playful, culturally conscious graphic design, branding and publications; and Ines Boyle, a Glasgow School of Art Communication Design graduate whose practice spans typography, print and art direction.
Founded in 2005, SWG3 has supported generations of emerging creatives, growing from a collection of artists’ studios in a former industrial building into one of Scotland’s leading independent arts and music destinations, while maintaining its commitment to creative development.
Meryl Gilbert, Arts + Business Director at SWG3, said: “The arts are ingrained in the journey of SWG3, and offering the graduate studio and desk spaces each year gives emerging artists time to focus on their practice without as much added financial pressure. We’ve had amazing talent come through the doors and people that have become very much a part of the SWG3 community.”
Among the many artists to have benefited from SWG3’s graduate studio spaces are Pio Abad, nominated for the 2024 Turner Prize, internationally exhibited sculptor Lauren Gault and multidisciplinary artist Cara Tolmie, whose work has been presented at Tate Modern.
Other notable former residents include New York-based artist Sandy Smith, one of SWG3’s earliest studio tenants, whose sculpture Please Don’t Break My Heart featured as part of the venue’s 20th anniversary celebrations, and Glasgow-based artist and muralist Molly Hankinson, whose colourful public artworks have become a familiar sight across the city.
For many graduates, leaving university means losing access to the studios, facilities and creative networks that have helped shape their work. SWG3’s New Graduate Prize aims to bridge that gap, offering a year of free workspace, opportunities to collaborate and the connections needed to establish a lasting creative career. The artist recipient also has the opportunity to exhibit their work or curate an event.
The impact of the programme is also reflected in the work of Marnie White, SWG3’s 2025/26 artist recipient, who is bringing Synthesis Wave II to the venue on Monday 19 October. Founded in 2024 with fellow artist Isla Nicholson, Synthesis brings Glasgow’s art and music communities together, with its first event at Strange Field showcasing more than 40 emerging visual artists and six local DJs.
Now expanding into SWG3, Synthesis Wave II took over the Warehouse and Gallery last night for an evening of live music, DJ sets, moving image, sculpture, installations and performance, creating a platform for emerging talent to share and experiment with new work.