Directory of Members
Ayrshire Arts Network is developing an online directory of established artist and
practitioner members.
The directory provides images of the artist's
activities, a brief introduction to their work and links to their individual web sites. To see a list of directory entries please click on the Directory tab in this column.
Where the artist has an open studio or workshop,
we provide information on the location of the workshop and telephone or email contact
details.
The directory entries are displayed according to artform or activity.
A selected artist or event will be featured on this page each month. Some events will be current, others may be of historic interest, reflecting the diversity of activities in the district.
Please contact the web site team with suggestions for this feature.
For further information about
eligibility for inclusion in the online directory, members should
contact our web site team by email.
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Directory Specification
For A' That
A Collaboration between The Maclaurin Trust and the Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries.
The 1980's and early 1990's was the time for Festivals. Communities throughout Scotland, were responding to a Westminster Government that seemed to have little relevance to issues close to the heart of many Scots. During the fifteen year period from 1980, numerous festivals were established in Scotland, many with a local flavour and many with a political dimension in the sense they drew on the Scottish history and the culture that stemmed from the enlightenment and the working class movements of Clydeside.
In the 1980's Arts Festivals were established in Perth, Dumfries, Ayr and the West Neuk of Fife. Even the tiny island of Barra had an arts festival; Feis Barra, organised by the parish priest. Mayfest was active in Glasgow and the agitprop theatre groups such as Wildcat and 7.84 were touring throughout the country. There was an energy and an optimism, particularly in the visual arts, as the country moved slowly and hesitantly towards the New Millennium, Devolution and a Nationalist government. All these events were supported and encouraged by the visionary and creative Scottish Arts Council. It was an exciting time to be working in the arts and a rewarding time for many artists as Scotland stamped a unique vision on the European arts scene.
In Dumfries, the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival had been founded with the support of the Regional Council, drawing on the widespread support for the visual arts, literature and drama in the community. The Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association was founded in the same period, under the direction of Jenny Wilson and staff at the Gracefield Arts Centre were closely involved in the realisation of both organisations. In 1989, Nithsdale District Council decided to organise a festival to mark the 200th anniversary of Robert Burns' arrival in Dumfries. Inevitably, the group turned to Gracefield staff for a visual arts contribution and the exhibition For a' That was proposed.
George Wyllie MBE with his sculpture Agley, Agley, Agley ( Mixed installation
Size: 457cm /304cm) in the touring exhibition For 'a That at the Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries. Photograph ©Mike Bailey
For 'a That was conceived as a touring exhibition that would be offered to galleries throughout Scotland. It was planned and executed by John Stewart Young, Visual Arts Officer at Gracefield Studios, and Mike Bailey, Director of the Maclaurin Art Gallery. The show opened at Gracefield on 29th September, 1989, with a civic reception, before touring to Ayr, Kilmarnock, Milngavie, Kirkcaldy, Aberdeen and Stirling. Thirteen artists were invited to submit works for the show; eleven were Scottish artists while two had been born furth of Scotland. All but one of the artists was working in Scotland, mainly in and around Edinburgh.
Looking back on the exhibition some 23 years after the event, it is interesting to note, from the artists comments on their individual contributions, how politically aware some of the contributors were. There is an air of excitement and, one can infer, a readiness to re-assert Scottish values and to prepare for the political and social adventures of the New Millennium. Like so many other events of that period, this established order was being questioned; in a small way, this exhibition was a factor in the creation of the new social and political landscape of 21st century Scotland. But most of all, the exhibition highlighted the humanity of Robert Burns, truly a man for all seasons.
The Exhibition was shown at the Maclaurin Art Gallery in December 1989, touring to Kilmarnock, Milngavie, Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy and Stirling.
For further information on this project, please follow this LINK
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