7 February 2011

Window to the West: Art and the Gaidhealtachd

Artists from the University of Dundee will this Friday lead a seminar exploring the history and changing nature of Gaelic art.

Murdo Macdonald, Professor of History of Scottish Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University, will chair the ‘Window to the West: Art and the Gaidhealtachd’ seminar. A number of other influential Scottish artists and academics will also contribute.

The seminar, being held at City Art Centre, Edinburgh, takes its starting point from the exhibition, Uinneag Dhan Àird an Iar: Ath-lorg Ealain na Gàidhealtachd/Window to the West: the Rediscovery of Highland Art.

The exhibition, which continues at the City Art Centre until 6th March, came about as a result of a major research project undertaken by the DJCAD and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic College of the University of the Highlands and Islands. The Window to the West project aims to redefine the status of visual art in Highland Scotland.

The participants will discuss both contemporary and historical Gaelic art in relation to the exhibition, and Professor Macdonald, who heads the project, will discuss the findings of the Window to the West project.

'We've been delighted by the response to the exhibition,' he said. 'The Times called it groundbreaking, and I have to agree. The half-hour programme made by Radio nan Gaidheal was particularly important coverage, which indicated the cultural benefit of the exhibition at a time when Government policy with respect to Gaelic culture is still evolving.

'We've succeeded in redefining the way that the art of the Scottish Gàidhealtachd is perceived, and such redefinition is what university research is all about.

'We are pleased by the wider response to the exhibition, from Gaelic speakers, from the wider public, and, of course, from the academic sector. The impact has been felt at all education levels. Indeed it has been a real pleasure to walk round the exhibition and find primary school children and Higher students - as well as undergraduates and postgraduates from arts schools and universities - responding to the work.'

The project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and further funding for the exhibition has come from Bòrd Na Gàidhlig. Immense support, in kind, has come from the City Art Centre.

Window to the West: Art and the Gaidhealtachd takes place at the City Art Centre, Market Street, Edinburgh, between 10.30am-3.30pm on Friday, 11th February. Speakers include Professor Macdonald, Lesley Lindsay (University of Dundee), Joanna Soden (Royal Scottish Academy Collection) and David Martin Jones (University of St Andrews).

There will also be a lunchtime tour of the exhibition by co-curator Arthur Watson of the University of Dundee.

Attendance at this event is free and tea and coffee will be provided. To book a place at this please contact Lesley Lindsay by email, l.lindsay@dundee.ac.uk or 01382 388038.

Notes to editors:

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is a Scottish Gaelic medium college on the Isle of Skye. It is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, and a national centre for the Gaelic language and culture. The college provides high quality education and research opportunities through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, plays a leading role in the promotion of the Gaelic arts and culture, and hosts a programme of residencies supported by Creative Scotland, for artists in music, literature and the visual arts,

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