Crieff Primary School enjoyed a special day of art workshops as the Tesco Bank Art Competition for Schools arrived in Crieff.
The classes at the Perth and Kinross school took part in memorable sessions led by the National Galleries of Scotland education team. They taught the pupils how to work with clay to create pieces based on Benjamin West’s Death of a Stag from the national collection. The workshops are designed to widen accessibility to the magic of visual art, and bring Scotland’s national collection to children across the country.
The partnership between Tesco Bank and the National Galleries of Scotland, which encourages young people to pick up a paintbrush and get arty, is now in its third year, with the aim to educate and encourage young people across Scotland using the nation’s art collection as inspiration.
In 2013, entries increased by more than 80% on the previous year. Children from every region across Scotland, from Skye to Shetland and Dumfries to Dunfermline, entered artwork, which is on show at various locations across Scotland until the summer.
Linda McClelland, Playfair Co-ordinator at National Galleries of Scotland, said:
“Visiting schools is a great way to make face-to-face contact with teachers and their pupils and to introduce them to the National Galleries of Scotland and their national collection of artworks. It’s always a joy to spend time in schools getting young people excited about art. We’re very grateful to the council teams who helped set up these sessions.”
Councillor Bob Band, Convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee, said:
“Projects like this make a difference by helping pupils gain a greater understanding of art and the process involved in its creation. By exposing them to some of the pieces the National Gallery has to offer, the pupils will have the opportunity to appreciate great art and be inspired to create something of their own.
This is a wonderful initiative, and I hope that in the future we will see works of art from Crieff Primary pupils on display across Scotland.”
Adele Mills, Community Investment Manager at Tesco Bank, added:
“The Tesco Bank Art Competition for Schools has had two successful years and we hope the third year will be even better! We are excited to continue our partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland and hope these roadshows will give children across Scotland the opportunity to engage with art and to encourage them to enter the competition. This is just one of our initiatives across sport, literacy and the arts designed to play a meaningful part in the communities in which we operate.”
