Glasgow School of Art Students Receive Support After Devastating Fire

Last Friday, a fire at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland broke out, blazing through the school's critically acclaimed architecture and also destroying many students' work. 

The building that caught fire was designed by Scottish Art Nouveau architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is considered his masterpiece. It was housing art students' final projects when fire swept across the space.

"The Mackintosh Building of The Glasgow School of Art is truly unique and last week's fire was a devastating blow for students and staff as well as the wider arts and architecture community worldwide," said Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond. "The very severe damage to the building's iconic library, in particular, is a cultural loss of significant magnitude.

Now, the Scottish government is working to help the school, pledging to match up to £5 million in money raised to repair the building.

In addition, national and international art schools, spanning across the US and Europe, have come to the GSA's aid, offering support and studio space. 

To further support their student population, the GSA has announced bursaries for students, providing studio space and a living allowance for those affected by the fire. The bursaries will be known, appropriately, as Phoenix bursaries, after the myth of a bird rising from the ashes.

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[via Dezeen/The Guardian]