Since 1972, the Brucebo Fine Art Scholarship Foundation of Gotland, Sweden has offered a fine art residency/scholarship to a talented emerging professional Canadian artist providing an inspiring study/work stay in northern Europe on the island of Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea. The Brucebo fine art scholarships hark back to the post-impressionist era in Europe, where two young artists, Caroline Benedicks of Sweden and William Blair Bruce of Hamilton, Canada, met in Paris, married and after many years on the European continent, settled on Gotland Island. With the untimely death of William in 1906 and that of Caroline in 1935, the estate, in the early 70’s, created the Brucebo Fine Art (Scholarship) Foundation, an organization promoting island-based cultural history and fine art. To commemorate the unique Swedish-Canadian link of Caroline’s and William’s marriage and impressive artistry, two annual fine art scholarships for younger, professional Canadian artists were established : The Brucebo Fine Art Summer Residency Scholarship and The William Blair Bruce European Fine Art Travel Scholarship.