Community School of Auchterarder Artworks Project
The Community School of Auchterarder public art project, which has benefited from funding from The National Lottery, is an example of using artworks in the learning environment to create a more inspiring and motivating space in which to study.
The building of the new Community School in the Perthshire town of Auchterarder, near Gleneagles, provided an opportunity for a public art project which was fully integrated with the new building with artists working alongside the design team. The project is the most extensive public art programme in any Scottish school, and has been carried out over five phases.
The Community School of Auchterarder is an entirely new campus, run by Education & Children’s Services, Perth & Kinross Council. Completed in Autumn 2004, it provides improved facilities and increased accommodation for children of all ages: nursery, primary, secondary and also provision for adults in line with the Council’s commitment to Life Long Learning.
|
  |
The project has received no less than five separate awards, totalling £267,475, from The National Lottery. The project also received an award from the Royal Society of Arts, Art and Architecture Scheme. |
David Knipe, head teacher for the secondary school said 'The high quality design and landscaping in the new school campus is complemented by innovative and striking internal and external artworks. This has added an aesthetic visual interest, and indeed, educational dimension to the project. The success of this programme underlines the importance of arts in innovative school design'.
| The project was initiated by Perth and Kinross Council, and devised and co-ordinated by arts agency P.A.C.E. PACE have developed a number of award winning schemes eg artworks for the Edinburgh Dental Institute and BT Scotland headquarters at Edinburgh Park. Current projects include a major public art programme for the new Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and a wind energy sculpture for Ayrshire. The project’s aim is to create imaginative and stimulating learning environments for children and the community. All the artworks are designed specifically for the new school and many make references to the school’s rural environment. |
|
 |
 |
|
Artist Gordon Young is one of four artists working collaboratively with the design team to make site-specific artworks internally and externally for the nursery, primary, secondary and community facilities. |
Gordon has recently completed a 60 metre long typographical pavement and seating for the main square of the Community School of Auchterarder.
The Road to the Isles is a geographical list or ‘poem’ of the forests, lochs, rivers, glens, valleys, towns, roads and mountains that can be plotted in a straight line from the school all the way to the Summer Isles in the north west of Scotland.
In the main body of the space, the geographical theme further develops with the siting of benches. Each bench is named after an island off the west coast of Scotland and arranged according to their geographical location; children enjoy sitting on Eigg and Muck and jumping from Harris to the Isle of Lewis.
| Samantha Clark has created work inside the secondary school including Lie of the Land - nine metre-high wood panelled walls etched with the contour lines of the local hills, and Catchment -an abstract flooring design relating to the river Earn and its tributaries throughout the ground floor of the secondary school. |
|
 |
 |
|
The primary playground designed by artist Susie Hunter (working with landscape architect Sally Rickett) is entirely covered with rubber play top complete with mini hills, a stage, speaking tubes and an abstract house sculpture with niches, steps and alcoves.
The overall arts project will be completed in Spring 2005 with the installation of a range of colourful seating in the primary and pods in the nursery by Susie Hunter and specially designed signage and environmental graphics by artist/designer Lucy Richards. |
| The building was designed by Glasgow based architects Anderson Bell + Christie (AB+C); a practice with an established reputation for high quality architectural and urban design. AB+C collaborate with artists as a way of adding meaning and value to their work and have been recognised by the Architecture Foundation as one of UK’s ‘New Architects’ |
|
 |
| For further details contact Juliet Dean or call 0131 620 0445. | |