On 5 and 6 October, the entire school of Kirkcudbright Primary had their work displayed at Kirkcudbright Galleries.
Hollie Mitchell, member of the Kirkcudbright Primary School Parent Council who organised the project commented;
“The Big Art Project was a joint effort with Kirkcudbright Primary School, Kirkcudbright Galleries and five Artists local to Dumfries and Galloway. The projects aim was to offer all the children within Kirkcudbright Primary School the opportunity to work with a professional artist for a whole day and have access to professional materials, many of which they possibly wouldn’t have had the opportunity to use before.”
Our five Artists included Catherine Coulson, Margaret Milligan, Kathleen Woods, Jane Howe and Carol Reece. They all kindly donated their time and talents to work with a group of 45 children of a mixed age range to guide and inspire them to create group artwork and their own individual masterpiece.
Kirkcudbright Galleries offered the school the fantastic gallery space of their mezzanine floor which allowed all 225 children to have their very own framed artwork displayed in a well-known gallery. The children’s artwork was sold to family and friends for the price of £5 which raised funds for The Kirkcudbright Primary School Parent Council.
Commenting on the Kirkcudbright Primary School Fundraiser, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Chair of Communities Committee Andy Ferguson has said;
“The Big Art Project was a great success, all of the staff and artists worked enthusiastically to put on a jam-packed day of creativity for the children. The project allowed school pupils from all ages to explore art styles freely and use a range of different professional materials, from Indian ink, pastels, acrylic and oil paints.”
Vice Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee John Martin said that;
“The opportunity for children to have their final art pieces framed and displayed in a professional setting allowed friends and families to see their work and be proud of their creativity and what the school as a whole had achieved.”
The Artists also displayed their own original artwork alongside the children’s work which was kindly donated by each artist and available to purchase through a silent auction, which also helped The Parent Council in raising funds.
One of the artists who worked with the children on the Big Art day, Carol Reece, commented;
“The children were a pleasure to work with and a credit to the school and most of all themselves.”
Nearly 500 visitors explored the Mezzanine to see the work. A total of over £1000 was made from the sale of the artworks on display in the gallery.
The project was made possible by the financial support of the local community including, Key Stores, Kirkcudbright Picture Framers, Gillespie Gifford and Brown, Cavers and Co, KBT Pharmacy, Supersave and Loreburn Housing.
