The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)’s new exhibition This 26: Contemporary Scottish Art and the Academy is a major exhibition celebrating the recent history of the Academy’s artist opportunity programme, bringing together the work of 26 artists, with each artist representing a year of the twenty-first century.

Curated by Edward Summerton RSA and Amy Cameron, the display reflects the support that the RSA has given to emerging artists and architects since its foundation in 1826, through exhibitions, awards, residencies, scholarships and travel opportunities. In this century alone, the Academy has awarded more than £5.5 million to hundreds of artists, helping them to develop ambitious new work and establish their careers.

The exhibition is set to show how artists’ practices have been influenced by the Academy’s support, ranging from Emilia Evans-Munton, who was selected for this year’s RSA New Contemporaries to internationally-recognised names such as Rachel Maclean RSA (Elect), who participated in RSA New Contemporaries in 2010. It will also highlight the range of opportunities the Academy offers, such as the Residencies for Scotland programme, the Barns-Graham Travel Award, the Blackadder Houston Mid-Career Painting Award, MacRobert Art Award for Painting, and the Elizabeth Lornie Moving Image Award.

Also showing from 12th Sept is Fall, leaves, fall – an exhibition mirroring Emily Brontë’s poem of the same name, capturing the sense of transition as the Scottish summer gives way to autumn, comprising works created in response to the natural world, highlighting autumn hues and the last of the September sun.

The RSA partners the Own Art scheme, allowing artworks to be purchased in 10 monthly interest-free instalments.