Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) is delighted to announce the sixth year of residency in partnership with Bothy Project in October 2026.. This opportunity offers a Visual Arts Scotland member the chance to spend a week-long residency at Sweeney’s Bothy, a simple off grid building in unique surroundings on the stunning Isle of Eigg, part of the Scottish Inner Hebrides.

Sweeney’s Bothy is situated on croft land, where its elevated position in Cleadale, close to Eigg’s northern tip, influenced a design that incorporates a large window offering scenic views of the Isle of Rum. The building was developed in collaboration with artist Alec Finlay as part of Creative Scotland’s Year of Natural Scotland in 2013. This dedicated off-grid artist residency space is purpose-built to offer practitioners in visual arts, craft and design, music, literature, and performance, as well as thinkers, researchers, and people local to each Bothy, direct creative engagement with the Scottish wilderness.

The Island is owned by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust who manage it on behalf of the community since the community buyout in 1997. The Isle of Eigg’s ethos is defined by community empowerment, environmental sustainability and self- sufficiency and a long term stewardship for future generations.

Applicants do not have to have a practice focused on these themes, but we ask all applicants to be mindful and understand the community and the Island in terms of the materials they use and practices they employ, and that they do not contravene the ideology of the Island and its inhabitants.

Please note that cars are not permitted on the island other than by residents.

The residency will take place from the 10th – 17th October 2026 and all reasonable travel up to £250 and accommodation costs are included. There will also be a £720 artist fee provided by VAS for the successful applicant. You can find out more about Sweeney’s Bothy here. There will also be an online information session for anyone interested in applying that may have questions about the residency, the island, its facilities or the application process. You can find the link here:

As the residency is only a week long, there is no expectation on the artist to create a body of work during their stay. The residency’s purpose is to provide time for artists to reflect on their practice, develop ideas and engage with the environment and culture of the island. We do ask the successful applicant to undertake a VAS Instagram takeover within 2 weeks following the residency, and also to document their experience and time in the Bothy. We’re flexible as to what form this documentation takes, but past participants have written blogs/ created short vlogs of their time on the Island. VAS and Bothy Project will also require a feedback form once the residency is complete, where the resident can share the impact their time at Sweeney’s Bothy has had on their practice.

Applicants can work within any discipline of Creative practice but must be a VAS member at both time of application and time of residency.

Please note that Bothy Project and Visual Arts Scotland are members of the Green Arts initiative, and as such would ask applicants to consider the environmental impact of the materials and process they outline within their application.

*Note that if you are travelling by public transport to Eigg, you may need to accommodate an overnight stay on the Friday night in either Mallaig or Fort William in order to get the ferry to Eigg on Saturday morning. This is due to limited ferry times.