400 go wild for art competition

Award-winning artistic creations based on University of St Andrews natural history specimens were announced last week (Thursday 30 August 2007), following the launch of a new art competition for Fife schools.

Earlier this year, local pupils were urged to let their imaginations run wild and submit their own original artworks inspired by 19th century collections on show at the Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum including birds, fish, fossils and insects. Nearly 400 entries were received and eight winners received medals and vouchers to spend on art supplies. Special Merits were awarded to an additional 18 pupils.

The competition launch coincides with the development of a new Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA), which will provide greater public access to the University’s historic collections and is due to open in 2008. The MUSA Young Artist Award was open to all P1-7, S1-3 and special education school pupils in Fife. Following educational workshops at the museum, pupils were invited to create artworks in any two or three-dimensional medium. Works were judged on their link to the collections as well as their originality and boldness.

The MUSA Young Artist Award is sponsored by the Vettriano Trust. The Trust is keen to promote art in Fife and wholeheartedly supports the competition, which aims to recognise creativity in schools and to encourage both teachers and pupils to make use of the University’s collections.

Winning entries will be displayed in the Gateway Galleries, North Haugh, St Andrews from 5 September to 7 October.

The Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History is located in the University’s School of Biology, St Mary’s Quadrangle, South Street, St Andrews. It is open to the public on Tuesday and Friday afternoons during the summer and by appointment at other times of the year. The natural history collections were founded during the heyday of the Victorian age and the museum retains many of the original display cases, zoological arrangements and a superb mosaic floor.

For more information on this or next year’s competition, please visit: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/museum/art-competition/  or contact Alison Hadfield, Learning and Access Curator, Museum Collections Unit, University of St Andrews, telephone 01334 462396/462417 or email [email protected]

ENDS

Issued by Press Office, University of St Andrews

Contacts:

Claire Grainger, Press Officer – 01334 462530, 07730 415 015 or email [email protected]

Gayle Cook, Press Officer – 01334 462529, 07900 050 103 or email [email protected]

Ref:  MUSAawardceremony

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